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Newport's "Weather Goddess" Susan Genett Genett Advises Filmmakers, Aviators, Yachtmen, Adventurers Newport, R.I. - August 12, 2008 - When a Hollywood film director needs a certain kind of weather for a shot -- rain, or clouds, or sunshine, or rough seas for a ship scene -- Susan Genett is the forecaster to call. "At RealWeather, we specialize in custom forecasts, whether it's to sail across an ocean, compete in an aviation race, film a movie, or plan an expedition," says Genett, who founded the company in 1999. When director Martin Scorcese came to New England recently to film "Ashecliffe," Genett advised the production crew. That work led to an interview with an NPR commentator and a story in FOCUS Online, a German magazine. "As far as I know, what I do is pretty unique," Genett says. "The last person I know of who did what I do for Hollywood was Irving Krick, who worked on 'Gone With The Wind' 70 years ago." When Walt Disney Pictures crews were filming "Pirates of the Caribbean" in the Bahamas in 2005, hurricane Wilma swept toward the archipelago with 200 mph winds, catching them unprepared. Genett advised the production staff to evacuate immediately, and they escaped just before Wilma swept over the film set, destroying access roads and trailers, and damaging the ships used in the film -- but nobody was hurt. Genett consulted for all three "Pirates" films, directing the ships as they traveled for thousands of miles across open seas, and also worked on "Master and Commander" for 20th Century Fox. Every day is an adventure for Genett at RealWeather, as she advises sailors on transoceanic voyages or competing in yacht races, aviators competing in long-distance air rallies, film makers, and others who depend on her expertise and communication skills to help them safely and successfully achieve their goals. About Susan Genett and RealWx RealWeather is a custom weather forecast service, and may be the only outfit in the world to collectively serve the film, maritime and sport aviation communities. Special techniques and procedures are employed to create detailed, precise predictions tailored to the specific needs of the client. The field was developed by the famed meteorologist Bob Rice, who provided the custom forecast for the first transatlantic balloon flight in 1978 and later served as a forecaster for three America's Cup syndicates. The techniques he developed still are used by custom forecasters like Susan, who trained under Rice in the 1990s. Susan Genett created RealWeather, based in Newport, R.I., in 1999. She began her meteorology career in the U.S. Air Force as a weather observer in Virginia and Alaska, and later worked at the Wildfire Weather Department of the National Weather Service in Fairbanks, Alaska, creating in-depth, localized forecasts for logistics planning. After the Air Force, she earned a degree in meteorology at Lyndon State College, in Vermont, and then went to work for Bob Rice. She is also a licensed hot-air balloon pilot. Media contact: Recent press coverage:
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