VOL. 127 | NO. 178 | Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Memphis Newsmakers
McBroom Joins Indie Memphis as Director of Operations
By Kate Simone
Mandy McBroom has been named director of operations for Indie Memphis, the first full-time staff member to hold the position. In her new role, she will oversee festival operations, shorts programming, volunteer opportunities and membership growth.
Hometown: Nashville
Education and work experience: Bachelor of Arts in English and philosophy at Middle Tennessee State University; attended Watkins Film School. I’ve spent the last 12 years working film festivals. Most of my time spent at Nashville Film Festival, with a couple of years at Sundance then as director of the Nashville Jewish Film Festival.
Family: Me and my two dogs, Blixa and Mavis
Favorite quote: “True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks.” – John Waters
Favorite movie: Errol Morris and Werner Herzog are a couple of my favorite filmmakers, but I also have a soft spot for stuff like “Donnie Darko” or “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
Activities you enjoy outside of work: Anything involving water or entertaining with friends. I love cooking and throwing parties.
What talent do you wish you had? Being from Nashville, you always feel a little left out when you don’t have any musical talent. So that or being the best badminton player ever.
Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? Probably my mom for allowing me to be independent and have the confidence to be adventurous and take chances. She always supports me in whatever I want to do.
What are your goals at Indie Memphis? This is the 15th year for the Indie Memphis Film Festival, so we want this to be the biggest and best festival yet. The festival is ready to grow, and I am here to help do just that. I want to help program some great films and promote the amazing lineup of films and events we have this year. I am going to work hard to reach out to increase our membership and attendance to let our community know about all of the events we bring to Memphis, not only during the festival, but also throughout the year.
What do you most enjoy about your work? Getting to view the new works of talented filmmakers is always a plus. But I couldn’t ask to work with better people than the team that makes up Indie Memphis. They are the most dedicated, hardworking and genuinely nice people I have ever met.
If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Realize that everything that you’ve done up until now has made you who you are, and that is a good thing. There’s infinite value in taking risks, making mistakes and learning from all of it. And never compare your success to others because it’s all about the journey, not the destination.
The Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters has installed its 2012-2013 executive board. Memphis-based board members include: Jonathan Frisch, president; Michele Myers, membership retention chair; and Dottie Lankford, communications chair.
Richard Reynolds has joined the Memphis office of Professional Service Industries Inc. as a staff environmental scientist. Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental geoscience.
Tim Jessup has joined Signature Advertising as art director/designer; Ellis Fowler has joined as a motion graphics specialist; and Jordan Pegram has joined as a workflow manager.
J. Gregory Grisham, James R. Mulroy II and James H. Stock Jr. of Jackson Lewis LLP have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Mulroy is the managing partner of the Memphis office, and Grisham and Stock are partners in the office.
Libby Huff has joined Trezevant as a sales counselor. Huff, who will market and sell apartments and homes at Trezevant, previously held advertising and sales positions at The Commercial Appeal and RSVP Magazine.
Dr. Xiangen Hu, University of Memphis professor of psychology in cognitive science has been awarded the College of Arts and Sciences’ Dunavant Professorship. Hu will receive a three-year grant to support his research.
Bill Maclin, a certified financial planner with Ameriprise Financial, has received circle of success recognition at the annual Ameriprise National Conference. The award is presented to advisers based on high levels of production, client satisfaction and client service.
Brent Clayton has joined Architecture Inc. as intern architect. Clayton earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from The University of Memphis and previously worked at Guy Payne Architect and Associates in Memphis.