Written by Shona Smith on Jun 25, 2020. Posted in General Interest

LMGI announce keynote speaker and panelists for town hall on racial equity, diversity and inclusion in the film industry

The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) will present a virtual town hall on racial equity, diversity and inclusion in the television, film and commercial production workplace, with a focus on location management, on Tuesday, June 30 from 10am – 12pm PST.

Keynote speaker and clinical pysychologist Dr Cheryl Grills, Ph.D. (pictured), an expert in globally facilitating healing circles surrounding people of African ancestry will engage a panel of international location professionals from the US and UK in dialogue about implicit bias and systemic racism. The discussion will be moderated by Location Manager and LMGI Board Member Alison Taylor.

Prior to the town hall, attendees can anonymously submit workplace experiences, which will be used to spotlight specific issues facing persons of colour in the industry. The town hall aims to educate, empower, and enlighten members of the entertainment community. All industry professionals are invited to join the conversation at no cost. RSVP is required, visit www.locationmanagers.org.

“We must break down the barriers established long ago in order to disrupt the status quo. To do that, we need to have brutally honest, open, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations,” said LMGI town hall committee chair, Miguel Tapia/LMGI. “Many are unaware of the impact of their actions and arguably more importantly, their inaction when it comes to instances of discrimination. This is an opportunity to create an environment where we can all listen, learn and begin to lead in a new, ground-breaking way.”

The town hall panel will consist of international location professionals from the US and the UK, bringing to the discussion more than three-quarters of a century of experience between them. Panelists include:

• Dr. Cheryl Grills, Ph.D. – Keynote Speaker (Clinical Psychologist, Professor Loyola Marymount University) – Los Angeles

• Kokayi Ampah/LMGI, Producer, Director, Location Manager (The Color Purple, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Who Are They) – Los Angeles

• Jon Johnson, Sr., Parking Coordinator (Sex and the City, The Avengers, Independence Day, Men In Black) – New York

• Jason McCauley/LMGI, Key Assistant Location Manager (Westworld, Cloverfield, I’m Dying Up Here) – Los Angeles

• Leon Henriques, Unit Manager, Location Manager (Man Like Mobeen, The Other One, Das Boot /Hulu, Deep Water) – United Kingdom

• Moderator: Alison Taylor/LMGI, Location Manager (The Glorias, Insecure, A Wrinkle in Time, Straight Outta Compton) - Los Angeles

More panelists will be confirmed in the coming week.