 |
some of the members in attendance at the Annual Meeting
|
LMGA President Lori Balton on the 2009 Annual Meeting:
The 2009 Annual Meeting/Board of Directors Elections was
quite a success. Thanks to the Crocker Club for hosting
the fete. And special thanks to Kim Crabb, Guild member extraordinaire,
and the Nominating Committee (including Kent Matsuoka and Orin Kennedy)
for another amazing job--the elections ran smoothly. Thanks also to everyone
who remembered to send in their ballot and/or proxy if they couldn't attend.
It was gratifying to see the quality of nominees.
The members present agreed with Jody Hummer that, in the
spirit of being as inclusive as possible, the members that did
not receive a seat on the board will be welcomed as "alternates."
I would like to take that a step further, reminding you that
you are ALWAYS welcomed at Board Meetings! You do not
need to be a board member or an alternate to have an impact!
Your Board for 2009 - 2010 is:
Kris Wagner
Veronique Vowell
Carole Segal
Tony Salome
Peter Orth
Stevie Nelson
Kent Matsuoka
Jim Maceo
Marie Healy
Mike Fantasia
Kim Crabb
Robin Citrin
Briana Burke
Bill Bowling
Lori Balton
Alternates: Bill Sandidge, JJ Levine and JP O'Connor
A big round of applause to the board members that stepped down.
We appreciate their dedication and service to the LMGA and hope
that they will continue to stay involved.
Kayla Thames, Richard McMillan, Dave Berthiaume, and Marylin
Bitner--thank you all for your tireless efforts on behalf of your
fellow location professionals.
An organization meeting and Board elections will be held mid-June,
Check the calendar of events for details as they become available.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2009 ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE
__________________________________________________
The Location Managers Guild of America (LMGA) is holding our
Annual Meeting and Board of Directors Election.
Active Members will be voting for board members of the corporation.
__________________________________________________
The 2009 Annual Meeting will take place at 3:00 PM on May 16th, 2009 at
The Crocker Club, 453 South Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
__________________________________________________
The Board values the opinions of all of our members and hopes that you will take the time to participate in this important election.
**Please note the date, which has changed to May 16th**
__________________________________________________
This is an election for Ten (10) open seats on the Board of Directors.
There are Eight (8) two year terms to be served, and Two (2) one year terms
Those serving one year terms shall volunteer to do so, or be selected by having received a smaller number of votes.
__________________________________________________
Only Active Members in good standing are eligible to vote, and will be receiving a proxy / ballot in the mail.
__________________________________________________
We would love to see as many of you as possible at the Annual meeting on May 16th but, if you cannot attend please participate in one of the following alternate ways:
1. Give your signed proxy to a fellow LMGA member who is attending the meeting.
2. Fill in the ballot and mail it back in a signed envelope. Mailed ballots must be received by Thursday May 14th, 2009 in order to be counted.
If you would like to review the ballot in advance, you may download it here.
If you are an active member in good standing, and have not received a proxy by mail, you may download one here.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
LMGA 2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTIONS CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
These are the Statements of Interest of the eleven individuals seeking your vote at the annual meeting on May 16th.
Additional nominations from the floor on the day of the election will also be accepted.
BRIANA BURKE
My career as a Location Professional started in 1996 as an assistant on "The Truman
Show". Prior to that I spent 10 years in NYC as an actress, acting coach, manager and
talent agent, and then moved on to be a sales executive with Xerox Business Services.
I believe my corporate education will be most useful as a board member of the LMGA as
I believe the Problem Solving Skills and Quality Improvement Processes ingrained in me
will help us accomplish our goals in an efficient and expedient manner. I believe these
skills contributed greatly to our efforts with Hollywood in Crisis-they enabled my group to
identify bottlenecks, and empower ourselves to push through to the finish line (just get it
done), while still incorporating our democratic process.
ROBIN CITRIN
I have been an LMGA board member for the last two years and am seeking re-election. Iʼve
seen the LMGA grow in size and wish to continue to contribute to its development. As
a feature location manager for over 25 years, I have worked with such visionary directors as
Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton and the late Sydney Pollack. I've had the opportunity to work in
a multitude of states and have developed a network of location professionals. I am dedicated
to raising the stature of location managers both nationally and internationally and incorporating
this network into the fold. I would like to see more educational programs, outreach programs
and seminars promoting our craft.
Location managers are an integral part of the filmmaking process and we need to build a
stronger voice to the industry and the community we work with.
MIKE FANTASIA
I have been in the film business for 19 years, initially working in the Northwest on many
notable Hollywood-based films. In 1994 I moved to Los Angeles and have worked as a
location manager/production supervisor since. I served on the Teamster Local 399
Location Manager Steering Committee for six years and am proud of the work that
Steering Committee did to change the direction of our union. I was a member of the
Downtown Filming Advisory Committee, have been nominated for 3 COLAs for Location
Manager of the Year, and was proud to win once for “Memoirs of A Geisha”.
I would like to serve on the LMGA board to help further the goals of the Guild, especially
building greater respect for our profession within the film business and among the public
we work with daily. Having worked in several foreign countries, I would like to see the
guild have a more global perspective and reach out to our foreign counterparts. Locally, I
am interested in working on continuing education for location managers, increasing our
role in “green” production and in distributing unused food to those in need.
MARIE HEALY
Having only recently participated in an active LMGA project (AFCI booth), I realize that I
have many skills to offer this organization in furthering its mission. I ardently believe that
education and promotion, in the form of community events, is imperative in raising
awareness of our profession as a whole. In turn, I believe consistent outreach will
garner higher respect from both the public and the entertainment industry at large.
A year-long world trip ignited my passion for travel and photography. This followed 4
years working as an Account Executive at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson in
NYC. Longing for warmer weather and intrigued by the film industry, I moved to Los
Angeles. It wasnʼt long before I realized I wanted to be a Location Scout and joined Local
399. Iʼve worked as a Key Asst. Location Manager on feature films for 11 years.
Incidentally, I also have an MA in Psychology; which has come in handy over the years!
JIM MACEO
Beginning my film career in Texas, I have been a Los Angeles-based location scout and
manager since 1985, working mostly in features. I have had the opportunity to work with
such noted directors as Milos Forman, John Schlesinger and Steven Soderbergh,
among others. I have worked in many areas of the United States and overseas, as both
location manager and production supervisor.
LMGA is proving to be a leader, not only among location scouts and mangers, but with
the entertainment industry as a whole. LMGA is enabling location professionals to take
a huge step forward in their leadership and contributions to the industry. I have been
very impressed with the energy and goals of the guild and would like to be a part of that
leadership.
STEVIE NELSON
I was a nonunion Location Manager for Features & TV for years. After joining 399 I made
the decision to work exclusively as a Key Assistant Location Manager & scout for TV &
Features principally working the last four years on the TV series “HOUSE”. I have had a
career in Locations for over 17 years and have been nominated for 2 COLA team
awards (in both features and television) and been the recipient of the COLA Assistant
Location Manager of the Year for Television. Iʼm one of the founding members of the
LMGA and was a participant photographer for the “In The Zone” & “Concentric Circles”
shows. I have served on the Board of the LMGA for the past 2 years and during the last
year have served as the Second Vice President and now Vice President. I was
responsible for launching the LMGA newsletter “The Compass” and currently serve as its
Editor in Chief. Iʼm an active member of the Membership Committee and I currently
Chair the Newsletter Committee. Iʼm also involved in supplying material to the Website
Committee.
I believe the LMGA is vital in raising the profile of Location Professionals with both the
general public and our industry peers and in helping garner greater awareness and respect for
what we do. If elected to serve a second term on the Board, I would like to continue to
work on expanding our membership both nationally and internationally. I would also like
to continue to work on raising our organizationʼs profile with both the media and our
industry peers through the greater expansion and distribution of our newsletter and
website and through working with our Press Committee to garner more Location
Professional oriented stories in the media
PETER ORTH
As Chairperson of the Website Committee, I have had a unique vantage point on a busy
two years for the LMGA. I feel we have made progress in our mission of gaining
recognition and respect for who we are and what we do, and that our presence is
beginning to be felt across the industry.
As the LMGA becomes better known and more established, the level of professionalism
and commitment required to run the organization increases. I hope that I can continue to
have the opportunity to serve on the board, and to continue to see the LMGA prosper.
Also, as the organization grows, so must the website, and I look forward to improving the
site so that it will continue to inform and inspire for years to come.
I am a location scout and manager for print and commercials with a background in
photography. It has been an honor to serve on the board these last two years, and to
chair the website committee.
TONY SALOME
Most recently finished work on “Eli Stone” for ABC. Prior, I worked on the critically
acclaimed film “Bobby” directed by Emilio Estevez and had the honor of managing the
last production to film at the famed Ambassador Hotel. I am a 2004 California On
Location Award (COLA) winner as Location Professional of the Year - TV for “24” and
was one of two original location managers on the award winning TV series for Seasons
One – Three. I have been working in the entertainment industry since graduating from
the Pennsylvania State University with a BA in Theatre Arts. I started my career as a
singing waiter in the Poconos and continued as an actor in Los Angeles. I have been
featured in numerous commercials, feature and TV productions. I have been a Location
Manager for over 20 years. I began my work in locations by scouting IMAX Films for
MacGillivray Freeman Films. Shortly thereafter I was hired as Location Manager on the
film “Tremors”. My location photos were juried for the 2003 “In The Zone” photo exhibit
and most recently was part of the LMGA photo exhibit “Concentric Circles - Metro LA
Revealed”.
I have seen the positive influence the LMGA can have on our craft, the industry and the
general public. I became involved with the LMGA because of my interest in gaining the
much-deserved recognition for our contributions to the film, commercial, print and TV
industry. This year for the first time, we recognized our COLA Award winning colleagues
with an ad in The Hollywood Reporter. In addition, we have created a policy of awarding
Certificates of Recognition and Award Plaques to our Emmy and Academy Award
nominated colleagues for their valuable contributions to those projects. We have also
started a campaign for a “Location Department” category on IMDB. There is much more
we can do with your support.
WILLIAM SANDIDGE
I have more than a decade of experience scouting and managing production locations
for television, motion pictures, print, and commercials. I established a reputation as a
commercial photographer with clients such as Lincoln Mercury, General Motors Europe,
and McCann-Erickson. Shooting cars, I gained knowledge of West Coast exteriors.
Since then, I have worked on movies, TV series, commercials, and film in a variety of
environments—from mom-and-pop shop interiors, to downtown street exteriors, where I
once managed a commercial running a herd of buffalo through the Financial District.
I was born in Nashville, Tennessee and developed my interest in photography there. In
addition to a practical understanding of the subtleties and mechanics of lighting and
production, my knowledge of west coast locations is encyclopedic.
I am an active, founding member of the Guild, and I want to serve on the board to help
bring more awareness of what we do and to increase membership through participation.
VERONIQUE VOWELL
I am running for re-election to the Board of the Location Managers Guild of America
because I feel that it is necessary to continue to promote of the creative vision and the
managerial craft of the Location Manager.
With over twenty years experience in Television and Features, I know that Location
Managers and Assistants are the face and the voice of multi-billion dollar, multi-national
corporations, and as such, I believe that it is necessary to have a strong, vibrant
organization like the LMGA help raise the visibility and standards of our members.
I would like to continue my outreach to the other entertainment unions and guilds. So far
I have been able to organize and deliver a Location Manager/Drivers seminar to the
DGA Mentor Program and one to the WGAʼs Show Runners Program. Currently, I am
working with the Art Directorsʼ Guild to create a seminar that explains and reinforces the
vital creative relationship that exists between Production Designer and Location
Manager. I have also been asked to speak to the students of the DGA Assistant
Directors Training Program.
I would like to continue my outreach to schools and other professional organizations – I
have given seminars about Location Management to students at Loyola Marymount, AFI
and UCLA; as well as talks about the benefit of filming to organizations such as the
Rotary Club.
I will continue to be work as an ambassador for professional Location Managers in the
halls of government, with neighborhood organizations and business and industry leaders
in Los Angeles. To do all of this, I ask for your vote.
KRISTAN WAGNER
I first became acquainted with the Board as a newly elected member in May 2007. The
first project I became involved with was scheduling MTA Tours with our Member
Photographers on the “Concentric Circles,” project.
A native Californian, I have worked as a Location Manager in feature films, and some
television for more than 20 years as a Member of Local 399. I was a participant on the
Production Advisory Committee to the EIDC, before it became FilmLA, and also worked
with the Film West Hollywood Task Force.
For COLA Awards, I have twice received recognition as a Finalist for Location
Professional of the Year, Feature Films; for “Bulworth,” 1998 and “Spider-Man 2,” 2004.
Presently, I am working on Lecture Series, Chaired by Bill Bowling, and on the Ad Hoc
RFP Committee, addressing the proposed new requirements of the City of Los Angeles
in granting Filming Permits.
Please consider me for an additional one-year term on the Board to complete these
projects.