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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2026
L E T T E R
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
Dear Members,
I've been thinking a lot about the spectrum
of our profession. The extraordinary distance
between the experiences we're afforded, the
responsibilities we're given and the realities we
encounter. We enter magnificent homes and
neglected buildings. We find ourselves among
influential filmmakers and ordinary people
whose lives intersect with our productions.
We're expected to navigate all of it with equal
confidence and grace.
But there's another spectrum I've been considering.
We spend so much of our careers pursuing opportunities, establishing ourselves and
building reputations. It feels ungrateful to acknowledge what those pursuits cost
us. The family dinners we miss or the weekends we surrender or all those ordinary
moments we promise we'll make time for when the production wraps.
Then another production begins.
Our industry is painfully cyclical. Many of us know the emotional whiplash of moving
from indispensable to unemployed. One month, every decision requires your attention.
The next, the world carries on perfectly fine without you. It's remarkable how easily
professional momentum becomes confused with personal worth.
I want our Guild to recognize the full spectrum of our members' experiences. Those
navigating the busiest productions of their careers, those searching for their next
opportunity and those somewhere in between. Our community should extend beyond
our credits and whatever's on our calendars.
We talk about work-life balance, usually while we're working too much to do anything
about it. Perhaps balance isn't something we achieve as much as something we
continually negotiate. Being busy isn't necessarily being fulfilled, and a quiet period
says nothing about your value.
I'm still learning how to find balance myself, and many of you are navigating the same
challenges. As a Guild, we have an opportunity to learn from one another, share the
wisdom our experiences have earned and support each other through every stage of
our careers. Our value is found in our knowledge, our character and the community
we build together. By making space for the full spectrum of our experiences, we
can create a stronger Guild; one that reminds every member they belong, their
contributions matter and none of us has to navigate this profession alone.
Your President,
Danny Finn
Editor in Chief
Stevie NelSoN
Editors
DiaNe FrieDmaN
Paul meSSaNa
eDwarD mazurek
DoDD vickerS
JJ leviNe
LMGI Officers
DaNNy FiNN, President
robiN macDoNalD, 1st Vice President
ryaN Schaetzle, 2nd Vice President
eDwarD mazurek, Treasurer
aNDrea keeNer, Secretary
LMGI Board of Directors
keN brooker
mike FaNtaSia
michael GlaSer
haNNah JameS-JohNSoN
eric kleiN
aNGuS leDGerwooD
Stevie NelSoN
mo Qazzaz
Scott trimble
kay PoiNtiNG wilSoN
LMGI Chairman Emeritus
oriN keNNeDy
Communications and Operations Director
erika howarD
The LMGI Compass is published quarterly by
the Location Managers Guild International.
LocationManagers.org
Comments, editorial and photo submissions
can be sent to:
Compass@LocationManagers.org
Publisher
iNGleDoDD meDia
Advertising
iNGleDoDD meDia
310.207.4410
LMGI@IngleDodd.com
www.IngleDoddMedia.com
Official Magazine of
Location Professionals
Promoting Excellence
on Location Worldwide
C MPA
SS
