To make a movie in Nebraska, many start by calling Laurie Richards

Starr Lehl was still working at the Nebraska Department for Economic Development early in 2017 when a fellow state employee, Nebraska Film Officer Laurie Richards, called to ask the Scottsbluff-based woman for a favor.

At 77,421 square miles, Nebraska is a pretty big state to cover for Richards, whose position involves an array of roles related to attracting film projects, assisting filmmakers while they’re here, enticing them to return and connecting them with talent and production help already located in Nebraska in an effort to boost the state’s economy and reputation (all without the aid of tax-based incentives, which many states offer).

So Richards has amassed a roster of stringers, as she and newspaper editors alike call them, who she can call on for help all over Nebraska.

Some are ranchers. Others have had horses featured in blockbuster productions. Some run historic movie theaters or big-scale catering businesses. 

“I basically connect the dots,” said Richards, who is being given the Mary Riepma Ross Award for her contributions to the arts and cinema in Nebraska. “That’s what I do.”

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