Waide
joins Waide Professional Sports and MudCats
Lea
Waide, formerly of Los Angeles, is now assisting Jim Waide,
the new owner of the Mississippi MudCats, with special
events and fundraising in Tupelo. Lea is a special events
coordinator, owner of Red Affairs, an event production
company, and nationally ranked professional fitness competitor.
Lea worked recently with TMG Productions on the “Best
of Nevada Real Estate Awards,” hosted by actor Mario
Lopez. In L.A., she worked on special events at Hollywood
celebrity hotspot Lucky Strike, such as the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society’s Celebrity Rock ‘n Bowl
and the Marcus Allen Celebrity Invitational.
Lea Waide was born in West Point, Miss., to Jim and Jacque
Waide. Her mom owned the Dancers’ Studio, where
Lea began dancing at age 3. Her father is renowned civil
rights attorney Jim Waide of Tupelo. Her mother, Jacque
Hillman, is a professional journalist and art jewelry
designer for Reconfigured. Her stepfather Jesse Hillman
works in Internet security for the State of Tennessee.
Lea moved to Somerville, Tenn., where she continued her
dance and acrobatic training at the Karen Thorpe School
of Dance, Memphis Classical Ballet, and the Mid South
Academy of Performing Arts. She was a UCA All-Star cheerleader,
ran track and played volleyball during her junior high
and high school years at Fayette Academy. Graduating as
an honor student, she left for the University of Tennessee
Knoxville where she pledged Kappa Delta and joined the
nationally ranked UT Dance Team.
After spending 3 years at UT, Lea moved to Las Vegas to
pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She auditioned
with Dick Foster Productions for the show "Imagine,"
which was featured at the Luxor Hotel and Casino and landed
a job as a dancer, acrobat, and performer of Spanish Web,
a Cirque Du Soleil style specialty act.
Meanwhile, she graduated from the University of Nevada
Las Vegas with a B.S. in Marketing. She began competing
in fitness and after winning state titles, she won the
Fitness USA, qualifying her for professional status. Along
the way, Lea, who is already a licensed dance instructor,
attended the USA International Stunt School and received
her certification.
Beginning a career in special events was a natural fit
given her entertainment and marketing background. Lea
created highly successful special events in Las Vegas
and L.A. catering solely to the entertainment industry.
Now Lea is excited to bring her talents to North Mississippi,
the MudCats and the community. She continues to compete
as a professional fitness competitor and hopes to share
her knowledge of living fit with all those who aspire
to a healthier lifestyle.
