Mike Fantasia, Supervising Location Manager on TOPGUN: Maverick, and Killers of the Flower Moon Set to Receive the LMGI Lifetime Achievement Award
Location Managers Guild International Awards Show Set for August 22, 2026
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) has announced that Location Manager Mike Fantasia will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Annual LMGI Awards on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA.
Fantasia is a highly accomplished Location Manager and Production Supervisor who built a distinguished, three-decade career in the film industry after 13 years working with the US Forest Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Since transitioning to the film business in 1991, he has worked on nearly 40 feature films, including major productions like TOPGUN: Maverick, Killers of the Flower Moon, Spiderman: Homecoming, A River Runs Through It, Heat, Jerry Maguire, Catch Me If You Can, Seabiscuit, Memoirs of a Geisha, Munich, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and AntMan.
His exceptional work has earned him five nominations for the California On Location Awards (COLAs) for Location Professional of the Year, along with three wins: in 2005 for Memoirs of a Geisha, in 2010 for The Green Hornet, and in 2021 for TOPGUN: Maverick.
Fantasia is a founding member of the Location Managers Guild International, where he served on the Board for nine years, including four as president. He returns to the LMGI Board this year after a five-year hiatus. He is also a proud thirty-two-year member of Hollywood Teamsters Local 399. For Mike Fantasia's photo and biography, click HERE.
"Mike Fantasia is one of those rare cases where the work doesn't just speak, it keeps teaching the rest of us how to do the job better. He's a personal hero of mine and countless other LMGI members, and the resonance of his work is baked into this craft. The Lifetime Achievement Award is our way of putting a name to what everyone in this industry has known about Mike for a long time," says LMGI President Danny Finn. "It is well-deserved!"
The LMGI Awards honor the outstanding and creative contributions of location professionals in film, television, commercials, and film commissions from around the globe, and celebrate the art and craft of location scouting and management. Outstanding Location Awards will be presented in the following categories: Contemporary Film, Period Film, Contemporary TV, Period TV, TV Anthology, Movie or Limited Series, Commercials, and Film Commissions. Honorary Awards include the Humanitarian, Lifetime Achievement, Trailblazer, and Eva Monley Award. Chairing the 2026 LMGI Awards Committee is Nancy Haecker /LMGI. For further information about the LMGI Awards, contact [email protected]. For Press Credentials: Apply Here.
SPONSORS: The LMGI Awards are proudly sponsored by: DIAMOND: Skye Rentals; GOLD: Pacific Production Services, Universal Production Services, Warner Bros. Studio Burbank; SILVER: Hollywood Locations, Los Angeles Center Studios, Production Security Services, San Antonio Film Commission; BRONZE: City of Toronto, City of West Hollywood Film Office, Inland Empire Film Services, Santa Fe Regional Film Commission, The Virginia Film Office; MEDIA SPONSORS: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, SHOOTMagazine|SHOOTonline, The Location Guide, Screen International, The Wrap.
ABOUT THE LOCATION MANAGERS GUILD INTERNATIONAL (LMGI)
The Location Managers Guild International/LMGI is a global organization of career location professionals in the motion picture, television, commercial, and print production industries dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards. Through local commitment and international strength, we support strong relationships between production and government agencies, businesses, and communities. We promote awareness of the indispensable role of location professionals in the entertainment industry as creative collaborators through a variety of innovative programs. The LMGI was founded in 2003 as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation, as the LMGA, and rebranded in 2016 to reflect its growing international membership. The LMGI is not a labor union and does not represent Location Managers or Scouts in wage or working condition negotiations.
For more information about #LMGI and the #LMGIawards, visit www.LocationManagers.org or follow the LMGI on Facebook (@TheLMGI), Instagram (@locationmanagersguild), and "X" (@TheLMGI).
MEDIA CONTACTS
Cheri Warner • Andy Aguinada • Weissman/Markovitz Communications • 818.760.8995
[email protected]
PRESS CREDENTIALS: Apply Here.
SPONSORSHIP/ADVERTISING/TICKETS CONTACT:
IngleDodd Media – Awards Department
[email protected]• 310.650.8838
SPONSORSHIP MEDIA KIT: LMGI-AWARDS-MK-2026
LMGI CONTACT: [email protected]
TALENT RELATIONS CONTACT:
Marley Wittuck • [email protected]
SOURCE Location Managers Guild International (LMGI)
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