Alex Laguna grew up in the Highlands but he left to chase the bright lights of Hollywood. Now he's back, and he's bringing Hollywood to the Highlands' events space.
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The former Oxley College student started as a "runner" for Australian television and movie productions. That evolved into a career specialising in lighting for some of Hollywood's biggest movies.
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"When I left school I did a couple of jobs but I ended up working in film and television because my brother was working as a runner," Mr Laguna said.
"I helped him and just thought, 'this is amazing'."
He was attracted to the job because "no two days are ever the same".
"My whole life has been like that," Mr Laguna said.
"You could be at different locations around the world doing a movie.
"My first job was as a dog handler for [the movie] Babe," he said.
From there it was a matter of meeting people and saying "yes" to every opportunity.
"I started driving the trucks that setup the base camps for television and film. I would have been about 21," Mr Laguna said.
"Over a two or three year process I moved into lighting."
His lighting company Laguna Lighting has worked on movies including Australia, The Matrix, Mission Impossible and The Last Samurai, and reality television shows like MasterChef, Survivor and Married At First Sight.
He says reality television is "very different" because you have to create a false world that looks real.
One where everyone "looks good" with 20 cameras in their face.
For Mr Laguna there is beauty in the "subtilties of lighting".
"There's this dynamic of making all the pieces work together," he said.
"It's all about creating a mood."
Home again now, and settled on a farm at Mittagong with his young family, the 49-year-old is pouring all the talents he picked up along the way into Laguna Events.
"We've got all new marquees and dance floors and things like that," Mr Laguna said.
"We go to people's properties and we set-up parties."
Working in events was never part of the "plan", however Mr Laguna says he's found that he is able to use his skill for lighting to create a unique experience for clients.
The idea was borne from his wedding to Jane.
"I got married to my wife on our farm, and we had been discussing getting into events," Mr Laguna said. "But then we had this amazing wedding, which we did ourselves, and it was just so good.
"We lit my whole farm up, all the trees, and people were just blown away."
He said he really loves seeing people enjoy their events.
"I get instant feedback," Mr Laguna said.
"It's a really special thing, and everyone has put so much into it, it's just like this huge coming together. I take it really personally to make each event great."
It's important to Mr Laguna that the local projects he takes on are successful.
"I'm not letting people down," he said.
"I've always said 'yes', that's how I've always worked."
In the film game there's "massive pressure" to be on all the time, according to Mr Laguna.
He said rolling that into the events space allowed him to take it to "another level".
"I don't just want to go and deliver a marquee, there's no joy in that," Mr Laguna said.
He wants to help a person get from an idea they have to an end product.
"We're new to the events space, but we're moving forward with open hearts to do everything for everybody," Mr Laguna said.
Have an event coming up? Contact Laguna Events.
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Sally Foy
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
