The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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16 • LMGI COMPASS | Spring 2026 LMGI Launches "The Huddle" Series in Atlanta There's a quiet expectation placed on location managers: know everything. We're the ones recommending a restaurant at 11:30 p.m. for a crew of 40, explaining courthouse history on the fly, rerouting traffic in real time and keeping a production moving when everything around it is trying to fall apart. Sometimes we're therapists, too, if we're being honest— though that never makes it into the job description. For all the knowledge the role demands, very few of us are formally taught the skills that actually matter: communication, leadership, crisis response and how to stay sane doing any of it. Most location managers come to the work sideways— through production assisting, scouting or simply being the person who could figure it out. Film school might offer a seminar on location management, but rarely a full class. The real education happens on set, under pressure and that kind of training carries a cost—not just to the work, but to the people doing it. Why "The Huddle"? The idea for "The Huddle" had been brewing for a while for series organizer Andrea Keener/LMGI. "As location managers, we are meant to know a lot of things for our jobs," she says. When she started thinking about the gaps, the picture became uncomfortable: effective communication, leadership, crisis management—things location professionals handle every day that almost none of us were formally taught. We learned on the job, which works until it doesn't. The original plan was three sessions. Keener wanted a fourth, and as she looked around her community, the right topic found her. Some by Dodd Vickers/LMGI people had work and felt guilty about it. Others were between jobs and struggling to make ends meet. Many were sitting with a quieter version of the same question: Who am I when I'm not on set? "I realized we could all use some help," Keener says. "What a perfect way to kick off the series—a check-in on the well-being of ourselves and our colleagues." The name came together after the Super Bowl: four events, one per quarter, like four quarters in a football game. Anything was better than LMGIxDEC 2026 Speaker Series. "The Huddle" it was. The First "Huddle" The inaugural event drew around 60 people to Brookhaven City Center in DeKalb County—LMGI members, industry professionals and sponsor representatives gathered in a room for an event that, by several accounts, felt overdue. The series partnered with the DeKalb Entertainment Commission, with support from DeKalb's director Shelbia Jackson and production manager Bronwyn Stallcup. Each meetup is planned around a different filming venue in DeKalb County. Sponsors made the evening possible: HERC, Reel Security, Superior Location Services, Emergency Location Solutions, CineFi, Great Point Studios, On Set Disposal, the City of Brookhaven and the DeKalb Entertainment Commission. New sponsors are expected for future events. A featured speaker led a discussion on mental health and stress management in the entertainment industry. Not the lightest topic for an opening night—but that was the point. "We had a great time," Keener said. It had been a while since the local LMGI community had gathered, and being in the room together did its own kind of good. Attendee Renee Brock/ LMGI said it plainly: "Prior to attending 'The Huddle,' I was looking forward to an evening catching up with friends and connecting with new colleagues. I was pleasantly surprised to see there would be a speaker discussing mental health and stress management. Having lost friends and family members to depression and suicide, this is an issue close to my heart. It's also a topic I feel is often whispered about in the entertainment industry and not addressed seriously enough. This event was a step toward learning how we can manage our own mental health while also being a witness and positive influence in the lives of our coworkers and friends." What's Next? Three more events are planned for 2026. Leadership, communication and crisis management are on the slate. The format remains the same: a speaker, time to talk and mix, and time to be in the same room as people who understand the job. Sometimes that last part is enough—call everyone in, take a breath and make sure the team is still good to go. Interested in joining "The Huddle"? Visit the LMGI calendar of events at www. locationmanagers.org Photo courtesy of Andrea Keener/LMGI