PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
A New Year, a New Guild Honor for Fellowship and Service
by Lisa Zeno Churgin, ACE
 Lisa Zeno Churgin, ACE |
The beginning of a new year brings two perspectives into play. First, to look ahead and resolve to make the coming year better than the one we are just leaving behind. Secondly is to look back, examine and really take a moment to applaud ourselves for what we have achieved. In terms of the Guild, let us go on that journey…
The year 2006 brought us a newly revamped website, offering far more information for our members and a more sophisticated look to the public viewing audience. We began a new cycle of our post-production union contracts with the studios and independents with enhanced pension benefits for those in the Motion Picture Industry Pension Plan. We brought many reality television shows under Local 700 agreements. We added more training seminars and adjusted the LA-based trainer’s workdays to accommodate the weekend needs of our members.
In New York, the training and seminar program was greatly expanded, offering far more educational opportunities for the members there. We also played a very active role in gaining tax incentives for New York-based productions.
This year, our Guild celebrates its 70th anniversary. We start it off by honoring Donn Cambern, ACE, our past president, with the Guild’s inaugural Fellowship and Service Award. The idea of this award was created by our board member Jeff Burman. Our Award Commit-tee further defined the meaning behind such an award. We all agreed it would be presented to someone who embodies the values that we hold most dear: professionalism, collaboration, mentorship, generosity of spirit and commitment to the labor movement.
Throughout his 30 plus-year career, first as a music editor, then an Oscar-nominated picture editor, Donn embodies these qualities and was the most appropriate choice we could have made. He may be retired from picture editing, but he is still as committed to the industry as he ever was, teaching young students around the world the joys of this great craft, which we all share. Anyone who knows Donn cherishes him as I do. IATSE International President Tom Short will present the award to Donn at the annual Board of Directors Installation Dinner on January 6.
That is a great start to a new year and sets the tone for even greater achievements.
I welcome our newly elected and re-elected Board members, and thank those who
are leaving the Board for their dedicated service. We will continue to look
at ways to provide more services for our members, strive to bring more productions
and fixed facilities under Guild contracts, reach out to our membership in their
workplaces and educate our members about the terms and conditions they are guaranteed
so we can effectively administer the union agreements.
We are a forward-thinking union with a Board of dedicated individuals who care
about this union and its membership and have much to offer. And while we know
we will face new challenges, we embrace the opportunity to continue to make
the working lives of our members better.
On a personal note, I do wish all of you and your families a year filled with much success in your careers and much peace and happiness in your lives.