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Writer's pictureTodd Killian

Working At Nakatomi



I Used To Work At Nakatomi Plaza


Yep! The famous office building from the movie Die Hard was my work home for a year. I didn’t have anything to do with the Nakatomi Corporation; oh wait, that’s fiction. I have a hard time delineating real life from pop culture. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the Batmobile I drive to work every day. I’m just kidding! I don’t drive a Batmobile. I drive Herbie. It’s waaaaaay less expensive!!

Anywho, I used to work for the publicity department of the FOX Network — 20th Century Fox signed my paychecks. Die Hard was released through 20th Century Fox. They needed a building, so why not film at your own place! At the time, I knew about the building’s famous role (it’s called the Fox Plaza, btw), but I never really thought about it much. I guess this is where I weigh in on the “is Die Hard A Christmas Movie” debate. Well, I think it’s not. I LOVE Christmas. My birthday is on Christmas Eve, for Pete’s sake, but Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie. Before you cuss at me and stop reading, Bruce Willis did make two other Christmas, uh, things, to use an industry name. They’re called Moonlighting, and the two Christmas episodes are wonderful!

My uncle lives a few blocks away from the building in question. We can see it from his house just by stepping outside! I didn’t appreciate going to work in that building as I should have, but I watched Die Hard last week, and I was flooded with memories! I used to go in the doors near the security guards every day! When I worked there, security was located on the opposite side. The entrance where the SWAT vehicle tried to ram its way into the building is the same doors I walked through, heading to lunch almost every day.



I cannot tell you how many times I used those elevators! The day before my wedding, I rode the elevator with Robert Kardashian, who, back in 1997, was the most famous Kardashian, thanks to his role in that small OJ trial. I’m not writing this to name drop. It was just an interesting little tidbit. My office was on the 24th floor. The 34th floor was where the offices of Nakatomi were. I have been on that floor. When I was there, it was rented and used by Ronald Reagan. I got to meet him for about 15 minutes after giving a lot of history about me to his aide, which I was assuming was for a background check. When I met him, it immediately became one of the top 5 moments of my life! But I said this post would not be about dropping names. I’m not doing so well on that front. Sorry!

My day began and ended with me driving through the same parking structure that Argyle sat in his limo. It’s pretty neat that while watching such a fantastic movie that I have additional memories beyond the film in that building. And I always will! But I never got to hear ANYONE say, “Yippie-Kay-Yay-mother-well, you know the rest!


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