Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1278299
Summer 2020 The Costume Designer 9 We celebrate the diversity of our members in this issue of the CDG magazine. Unlike other locals, the CDG didn't need to start being diverse, we already had a diverse membership. As a group of artists and storytellers, we are organically a diverse group, and that has served us well. We don't have the barriers to membership that some locals have, so becoming a member of the CDG is open to all. We see the diversity not only in our membership, but in the Executive Board that runs this organization. I am in my third term as president as a proud, gay Latino man, and our former president, Mary Rose, was an Asian woman. I feel you need diversity in a union's leadership to understand the needs of everyone. When the Black Lives Matter movement grew this summer and we wanted to make a public statement, I consulted with the CDG Executive Board, including Michelle Cole and Phillip Boutté about what we should do. Having diversity on our Board made the communication that much stronger. As so many members wanted to become active, I called on our labor representative, Dana Woods, to head the diversity committee. Her experience with the labor movement gave her great insight on organizing and implementing our mission. The diversity committee has been very busy giving a voice and visibility to all of our members, as that is the true definition of diversity. I am a Costume Designer who happens to be Latino, I am not a Latino Costume Designer. I don't ever want to be boxed in one type of design project. As Costume Designers, a big part of our jobs is re- search. We can't be experts on every aspect of costume history. In my career, I have designed many projects and I did research on each one to make sure the look was correct and appropriate. My first film was Soulfood, about a Black family in Chicago. I am from the Central Valley of California, so it was a different world than what I grew up in, but I did my research. I'm very proud of my work on this film. People still tell me they see their family in the characters I designed. For Men of Honor, it was 1940-1960s military. I did my research. Veronica Mars was about a seaside high school, Drumline was about college marching bands, Pitch Perfect was about a cappella groups. I didn't have personal experience with any of these stories, but it sparked my creativity and my work has been celebrated for it. Working with Mindy Kaling over the years has given me an amazing opportunity to learn about traditional Indian dress. I have always loved Indian saris and fabrics and I use them in many of my design projects now. We grow as storytellers on every project we design. Every design project we take on requires research. You may have had a personal experience in some aspect of a film, and it may speak to your personal life experience, but Costume Design is storytelling, and we bring our creativity to each project we design. That's why producers and directors hire us. Producers usually hire people they know. As part of the diversity committee, our goal is to spotlight new, up-and-coming members, so they can get an opportunity to design great projects and build their careers. The contacts I made on my first film 20 years ago, still hire me and have introduced me to many people I still work for today. I love to help our new members start to build their careers. One job can lead to a lifetime of work. We are still in a work stoppage due to the pandemic. We spent weeks preparing and writing the safety pro- tocols with the IA. They are still being discussed with the studios. It has been a slow process, but we want to make sure we can all go back to work in a safe environment. Some shows are starting up using the white paper protocols as a guideline. If you are called to go to work, please contact the CDG office to make sure your produc- tion is following the protocols. In solidarity, Salvador Perez sperez@cdgia.com PRESIDENT'S LETTER UNION LABEL