Soldier native Morgan heads up Will Rogers Foundation

Growing up in Soldier, Kan. - population 83, although slightly more when she lived there, put Heather Morgan a solid 20 minutes away from a grocery store or gas station, with the closest movie theater a further 10 minutes out.

In high school, if a boy really liked you, he’d drive you 50 miles to the nicer, newer theater in the West Ridge Mall in Topeka - an occasion that could be easily marred by a ripped screen, sticky floor or rude employee. 

In Soldier, explains Morgan, people had the money to get what they needed, but blue-collar jobs and small-town values meant they “didn’t often spend on frivolous things” - making a trip to the movie a rare, special event, “something to be celebrated.”

“I bring this small-town perspective to everything that I do,” says Morgan - especially her work in the exhibition business, including a stint at AMC and in her time as vice president, content and programming, at Harkins Theatres. 

“I hold the moviegoing experience sacred, not just for myself and my family, but on behalf of everyone that steps through our theater doors,” she said. “People are spending their hard-earned money with us, and I don’t take that for granted. I’m very grateful for it and very protective of it. It is absolutely essential that we deliver the very best that we can for every person in every aspect.” 

On Jan. 1, Morgan, who is the daughter of Dan and Cheri Sovern of Soldier, added a new role to her résumé - president of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation of Los Angeles, Calif. 

In operation since 1936, Will Rogers had perhaps the most challenging - and rewarding - year of its long existence in 2020, when it mobilized its own small staff and a supportive industry to gather funds to assist those in the exhibition ecosystem affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more on this story, please log in to your holtonrecorder.net account and select “March 2, 2022” under “E-Editions.”