SPOKANE, Wash. — Mandi Price started her career in Spokane. After receiving her broadcast degree from Gonzaga University, she went on to work as an editor for KHQ. But she always dreamed of doing something bigger.
"I worked as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and every time I flew to L.A., I would always meet up with people, act like I lived there and gave out my resumes," Price said. "I probably printed out a thousand."
And her plan worked. She eventually was hired as a production assistant for the show, "Rizzoli and Isles." Once that show wrapped, she signed on as a producer for Hulu's Emmy-nominated, "Little Fires Everywhere."
After working with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, Price got a call from rival streaming site Netflix in May 2020 to work on a new project.
That project was "Archive 81".
The show follows the story of a modern day archivist who restores old videotapes damaged in a 1994 apartment fire. Through the tapes and the case of its missing director, he gets pulled into the apartment's dark and demonic history.
"I'm not even really into horror, but it was an opportunity to stretch myself creatively and give it a try," Price said.
In just two days since its release on Jan. 14, "Archive 81" took the number five spot on Netflix's global top ten list and quickly continued its climb.
Now it sits as the streaming site's number one scripted series in the U.S.
Despite the extreme popularity of Price's work, she said she still gets butterflies when she sees her name on screen.
"It's still such a surreal experience to like see my name portrayed into such a well respected manner. I still freak out," Price said.
"Archive 81" originated as a horror podcast, but Price said the T.V. adaption has its own unique storyline.
"It's something you've never seen before is what we did has never been done," Price said. "Therefore, it's just an original, unique idea. It's a wild ride and you might have to sleep with the lights on."
Price is currently working on a show for Amazon called "Daisy Jones and the Six." It is another book to T.V. adaption by the Hello Sunshine media company. Hello Sunshine is Reese Witherspoon's company that also produced "Little Fires Everywhere."
Price will also be back in Spokane next month to speak at Northwest Passages. Her event will be Feb. 16 where she'll talk about representation in media.