Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1014407
29 Q3 2018 / CINEMONTAGE by Edward Landler • portrait by Christopher Fragapane O ver the summer and fall of 1988, the Motion Picture Editors Guild in Hollywood, then IATSE Local 776, made two very auspicious hires to its staff. On July 25, Adriana Iglesias (now Iglesias-Dietl) became assistant bookkeeper and, on October 17, Lisa Berniker (now Dosch) was named administrative assistant. Currently celebrating their 30th anniversaries with what is now Local 700, Iglesias-Dietl today serves as Special Events Manager and Dosch is Executive Administrator. Over those years, the Guild has grown from around 2,500 to 8,000 active members, with another 2,000 retired. In a recent conversation with CineMontage for this article, the two staffers recall how excited they were "when we hit 3,000 members — within only a couple of years of our starting to work with the union." "I find it hard to believe that Lisa has been the engine behind our Guild for 30 years now," commented Guild President Alan Heim, ACE. "Her remarkably good spirits have never flagged as our Guild has grown, and while she has kept us all running smoothly and on track. I hope she'll do another three decades, as unrealistic as that seems... "Adriana has also served as long and with great dedication," Heim continues. "As the Guild has stepped up our various member outreach programs, she has kept them growing and made them ever more successful. We are fortunate to have such loyal staff." More than participating in this growth, Dosch and Iglesias-Dietl have effectively coordinated the vital behind- the-scenes work that supports the Guild's executive directors, the Board of Directors and the members themselves. "The production crafts work together on the set, but post-production crafts are much more isolated and need ways to interact personally with one another," Dosch offers. "We help to provide and foster a social and professional community." To which Iglesias-Dietl adds, "Both Lisa and I started here very young; we grew up with the Guild and matured right along with it." Born in Argentina, Iglesias moved to the US with her family when she was eight. A chance meeting led to her learning about the bookkeeping opening at the Guild, and she got the job. Four years later, in 1992, she was excited to put her people skills to use when she accepted a promotion and started working as Membership Coordinator. Coming to this position shortly after roster restriction changes and the increase in union shows, Iglesias found herself very busy processing new members and was often the first person with whom they came in contact at the Guild. In 1995, she met assistant editor (now picture editor) Rich B. Dietl. She recalls, "Rich called back several times with questions that I had already answered clearly — but he definitely caught my eye at our first meeting." They married in 1998, and this year also marks their 20th wedding anniversary. They have a 16-year old daughter, Christina. Growing into a new position as Special Events Manager in 2015, Iglesias shifted her focus to work more with the Membership Outreach Committee to increase the number of seminars, workshops and master classes for members. Seeking more relevant seminars and workshops every month, she has broadened the scope of Guild events to include topics like self-defense, life/work balance and financial workshops. Through social events especially, she says, "The members realize they are part of a larger organization." She schedules and coordinates mixers throughout the city and members' screenings of current films in both LA and New York, as well as the "Post" Labor Day Picnic and the January "Post" Holiday Party. "When Adriana had been at the Guild for a while, we used to joke how many years she worked there before I knew her name," recalls National Executive Director Emeritus Ron Kutak, "but I really did know it. She has been central to making the train run for the members for all these years, and has done so with grace and dignity." Working with the Guild's Fellowship and Service Award Committee, Iglesias- Dietl also organizes the gala presentation for these mostly annual awards. This year's recipient is re-recording mixer Lee Dichter, CAS, who will be honored at an award ceremony to be held in New York City on October 20. Keeping an eye out for future members too, the Special Events Manager targets colleges with an editing curriculum for programs acquainting students with how the union serves its membership and its importance in the entertainment industry. This outreach program is now presented at USC, CalArts, Columbia College and the American Film Institute, but she is actively working to involve more campuses. In addition to all this, since 1992, Iglesias-Dietl has been the building manager of the Guild's Hollywood office. When she started working with the union, the building was owned jointly by the Guild and the International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600. Working as staff member to the Building Committee since 1994, she has contributed to the gradual remodeling of the entire building on Sunset Boulevard. In 2003, the Guild bought the building outright when Adriana Iglesias and Lisa Dosch at the Editors Guild in the early 1990s.