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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EVA MONLEY AWARD 2026: VINCE GILLIGAN We were thrilled to have WRITER, DIRECTOR and SHOWRUNNER VINCE GILLIGAN in-the-house to receive LMGI's most distinguished award! 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. 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. For nearly two decades, LOCATION MANAGER CHRISTIAN DIAZ DE BEDOYA/LMGI has traveled thousands of miles alongside Gilligan. "I get to work in the most fascinating location on the planet—in the mind of Vince Gilligan," said Diaz de Bedoya in his emotional introduction. "While Vince is utterly secretive about revealing future plot points, at the start of prep for Season 1, he told me one of the primary characters of Pluribus was going to be from Paraguay. AND THE HONOREES ARE: And he told me he was doing it as a tribute to me." 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 mist-shrouded forests, isolated highways and shadowed industrial landscapes. When the series relocated to Los Angeles, Gilligan allowed his stories to evolve alongside their new surroundings. That instinct would become a hallmark L-R: Vince Gilligan and Christian Diaz de Bedoya/LMGI Excerpts From Vince Gilligan's Acceptance Speech True story: My very favorite part of directing is location scouting. I'm talking about the initial scouting, where I get to see a bunch of possibilities for where we might shoot. Here's what I love about it: I get warmly invited into the homes of complete strangers, and I experience a little slice of their lives. That, to me, is wonderful. It doesn't matter whether it's a mansion or a shack. Who gets me into these houses? My location people, of course! My friend Christian has true story sense, which means he only ever shows me places which work for our script. Plus, he's creative. We've now shot three different TV shows and one movie in Albuquerque, which has a population of barely half a million. How Christian and his fantastic crew continue to surprise me in a city that size, I'll never know. You've got one tough job. Driving thousands of miles every year, pounding the pavement, knocking on those strangers' doors. Getting them to trust you. Finding a bunch of options for indecisive directors. Closing the deal, keeping everybody happy, figuring out where the trucks are going to park. Being the first in and the last out. Cleaning up after the crew leaves. And going the extra mile for those occasional, hard-case neighbors. And thank you to all the location professionals I've worked with over the years. Aside from Christian and Ilt (Jones), here's a tip-of- the-iceberg list: Kyle Kernan, Olivia Whittington, Dwight Harrison ... and Cyndy McCrossen, who moved on from being one of our scouts to running the Albuquerque Film Office. I'll leave you with this wish: May there never come a day when you aren't out there knocking on real doors and finding real locations. Because we are real human beings, telling stories to one another. And no technology is ever going to replace the need for that.