LOCAL INDY FILMMAKER
A New Name for Kindness Ladon Whitmire — an ATL writer, director, executive producer, entrepreneur, and newfound Instagram Live host of Ladon’s World — represents By Ca ro l Bada r acco Padge t t T alent. Passion. Experience. Heart. Ladon Whitmire is the whole package in a 5’4” frame. The Atlanta-based film in- dustry professional studied at Harvard and Oglethorpe University, worked as a fashion and film industry entrepre- Running the gamut of personalities, whether famous or aspiring to be and easy to interview or not, Whitmire draws out something special in each guest. “I love talking to people and I want to help people,” she emphasizes. Ladon Whitmire
One guest she crossed virtual paths with was a young woman looking for her next production assistant (PA) position. Through Whitmire’s friends in the film industry, such as producer- actor David Ornston (with a recent film project starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Tommy Lee Jones), she was able to share helpful information and resources with the young PA. Another, Atlanta teen Peyton Basnight, an actress studying at Chubbuck Technique instructor Jonna Johnson’s local studio, COACHED by Jonna, wrote a movie that came to Whitmire’s attention. And so Basnight, too, became one of Whitmire’s guests. “If I find people who really want to strive and who only did one movie or picked up a camera themselves to make one, I want to have them on the show,” she states. While it’s easy to imagine the questions Whitmire would ask the seasoned stars and below-the-line professionals she talks to, it’s dif- ficult to figure out how she builds her energetic rapport with talent that’s just starting out. With young Basnight, for instance, Whitmire learned through online research that her guest had a serious love of Pop-Tarts. And from there, the conversation took off with its own fun flow. Down-to-earth and ever accessible, it’s worth noting that Whitmire cares for animals as well as people. As a philanthropist, she aids various U.S. zoos and recently sponsored a white rhino in San Diego. As Ladon’s World continues to grow organically and gain inevitable attention, Whitmire feels her excitement and gratitude mounting, noting that “little by little, people and opportunities come to me.” And with each, she works to create something magic, inviting them in and lending her rapt attention. At the end of the day, “It’s about a world of kindness,” Whitmire muses.
neur in LA, NYC, and Chicago, and is now at home and at work in the Peach State—ranked No. 1 by Business Facilities Magazine as the top U.S. state for film production, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Some of Whitmire’s past work includes executive producing film South of Hope Street, starring William Baldwin and Judd Nelson, written and directed by her friend, Jane Spencer, and shot in Switzerland. Other accomplishments include consulting the wardrobe department on movie sets for films Rock Paper Dead with Tatum O’Neal and Michael Madsen, and The Poison Rose with Morgan Freeman and John Travolta. Most recently, she has written and directed two of her own feature films that premiered in Atlanta this year and last, Alexander and Waste . Like any enterprising creative, Whitmire has had to remain steady at her craft and learn to adapt during these challenging times. So, she started up an Instagram Live interview show, Ladon’s World , in conjunction with her production company, TSLW Productions in Atlanta. And while that move may seem similar to what others in the industry are doing right now, watching Whitmire and her guests go Live on Instagram proves otherwise. Whitmire, long behind the camera, is comfortably and quirkily finding her place in front, where she exudes a connection with her guests that’s irresistible to watch. This August marked just two months since her show began; racking up several thousand followers in the blink of an eye, and the numbers are growing exponentially each day. “This is cold-calling. I don’t know these people sometimes,” Whitmire shares. Yet she conducts highly intentional research into each person that helps uncover some rather unconventional moments. “I like to learn what my subjects have gone through to get to where they
are now. You have to take those nuggets—and express them. As a woman, I have a very creative mind.” Certain guests onWhitmire’s show are well established in the film world, like producer Steven Adams, a personal friend of Whitmire’s who has worked with director Spike Lee. Others are unknown makeup artists and people just starting out, like a three-year-old SAG actress living in LA. Another little girl from South Carolina, an Instagram find named Sadrean Brenn, is a budding singer who is accompanied by her banjo-playing father.
@tslw_productions | @ladon_whitmire
T H E G E O R G I A H O L L Y WOO D R E V I E W | FA L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 0 | 1 9
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