Financial Relief for Entertainment Workers
This year’s prolonged work stoppages have been devastating to the entertainment community across the nation. In Hollywood, our community has been supported by the profound efforts of the Motion Picture Television Fund (MPTF) and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actor’s Fund). Both of these charities have long histories of offering safety-net services and aid for entertainment workers and their families. Both of these organizations aided the entertainment unions, including Local 695, in administering their Relief Funds throughout the 2023 WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP.
Though the strikes have ended, the financial impact will continue to be felt for some time and both MPTF and the Entertainment Community Fund still have resources available to help. If you work in entertainment and you or your family are in need, please visit their websites online at www.mptf.com and www.entertainmentcommunity.org
“All-In” Mixer
On October 7, members of the IATSE came together at the Local 80 offices in Burbank for our union’s “All-In” Mixer. Members in attendance enjoyed free food, games, and entertainment. Fierce rivalries sprouted up by the cornhole boards. An auction for a variety of prizes—including beautiful works of art created by IATSE members—raised more than $20,000 for the union’s Political Action Committee, the IATSE-PAC. This fund is used by the IATSE to support candidates or lobbying efforts that align with IATSE federal issue agenda and has helped to elect pro-labor candidates and pass legislation like the 2020 CARES Act that extended unemployment benefits to freelance workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This event was spearheaded by Local 892 Executive Director Brigitta Romanov. Local 695 Recording Secretary Heidi Nakamura was a member of the Event Planning Committee.
IATSE Education
Local 695 offers a wide variety of educational opportunities for its members. Members are encouraged to visit the education’s page on the Local 695 website to see a calendar of upcoming classes, seminars, and educational opportunities.
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is an excellent source of online training tutorials covering topics such as Avid Pro Tools, Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Rhino, Vectorworks, Final Cut Pro, Filemaker, AutoCAD, Cubase, Logic Pro, ShotPut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, as well as Project Management, Software Development, Network Administration, Finance and Accounting, Marketing and much more. All IATSE members are eligible to sign up for a free LinkedIn Learning Account by visiting https://www.iatsetrainingtrust.org/lil
You can also view a multitude of free educational webinars sponsored by the IA Training Trust Fund online at www.gotostage.com/channel/iaeducationforall. These webinars cover a range of topics from labor and voting rights; the basics of equity, diversity, and inclusion; mental health subjects such as depression, substance abuse; physical safety and well-being at work; and so much more.
New Members
Local 695 Welcomes its New Members
Estuardo Chacon Y-1
Maasai Moore Y-7A
Avery Randolph Y-4
Jack Sobo Y-1
Johnny Vasquez A2
Silvio Gillespie Y-7A
Gary Shawn Orm Y-16
Richard Ragon Y-4
Marcos Castro Y-8
Casey Graham Y-1
Kyle Pham Y-1
Brian Dickson Y-4
Glen Penland Y-7
Timothy Lewis A2
Julian Edwards Y-16
Yoshiya Ady A2
Kino Crayon Y-8
Nicolas Osorio Y-1
Jacob Eliett Y-1
Omer Barzilay Halperin A-1
Jordan Denis Y-1
Transfer In/From
Timothy Murphy 504
Harry Gingrich 481
In Memoriam
Edward Anderson Y-6
November 9, 1945 – August 10, 2023
Howard Stapleton Y-4
October 22, 1938 – August 29, 2023
Griffith Scott Y-4
November 26, 1996 – October 9, 2023