Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546223
1 6 1 3 t h A N N U A L L M G I A W A R D S I L O C AT I O N M A N A G E R S G U I L D I N T E R N AT I O N A L For Emmy Award-winning Writer, Director, and Executive Producer Vince Gilligan, extraordinary stories begin with extraordinary places. His creative sensibilities have defined three decades of remarkable work, nowhere more artfully realized than in the worlds built for Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and the recent first season of Apple TV's Pluribus in the distinctive landscapes of New Mexico. Named for the pioneer of modern location scouting and management, the Eva Monley Award honors filmmakers whose work reflects an extraordinary appreciation for the creative partnership between story, place, and the professionals who bring them together. For nearly two decades, Location Manager Christian Diaz de Bedoya/LMGI has traveled thousands of miles alongside Gilligan searching for locations that would become some of television's most unforgettable settings. "You get to see this incredibly humble, creative genius stand at the center of these locations and watch as his mind races with ideas and excitement, while at the same time, taking guidance from all who have made the scouting journey with him," he shares. "You also get to see Vince interact with so many location owners, always with great respect and wanting to know the history and significance of every location we visit. That's just the man he is." "We've shot the Land of Enchantment for New Hampshire, Alaska, even Germany," says Gilligan. "Albuquerque is a relatively small city, but Christian's team makes the possibilities feel endless. In the writers' room, I never think, 'oh, we should change this scene, we could never shoot it in New Mexico.' Instead, I can't wait to see what the team comes up with, because I know they'll find a way to pull it off." Gilligan's understanding of how place can become one of storytelling's most powerful creative tools evolved early in his career. Armed with a screenwriting degree from NYU, he first distinguished himself as a writer on the cult phenomenon The X-Files, crafting stories that uncovered the paranormal in British Columbia's (BC) mist-shrouded forests, isolated highways, and shadowed industrial landscapes. When the series relocated to Los Angeles, instead of recreating BC in Southern California, Gilligan allowed his stories to evolve alongside their new surroundings. That instinct would become the hallmark of his career: allowing location to shape narrative instead of merely serving it. Nowhere did that philosophy find fuller expression than in Breaking Bad. What began as a practical decision to relocate production from California to Albuquerque to take advantage of New Mexico's film incentives has resulted in one of television's most artistic triumphs. He embraced its contemporary Western identity—sun-bleached neighborhoods, piercing high-altitude light, expansive skies, and seemingly endless horizons to create a cinematic language inseparable from Walter White's dramatic transformation. Gilligan continues to weave New Mexico's architecture, geography, and cultural identity into the fabric of his storytelling. The Rio Grande Valley, the granite face of the Sandia Mountains, weathered storefronts, lava fields, suburban cul-de-sacs, and Pueblo Deco LMGI EVA MONLEY AWARD HONOREE 2026 VINCE GILLIGAN