Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1343869
COMMON GROUND TAG'S "BETTER TOGETHER" ETHOS IS ENRICHED BY ITS MANY VOLUNTEER-RUN COMMITTEES. A union's strength is in its members, and one of the great strengths of The Animation Guild is its member-run committees. Reinvigorated in 2017, this all-volunteer system now boasts more than 18 groups and committees. Each focuses on particular needs within the union's larger oversight of a variety of complex jobs. On a fundamental level, the benefit of such specialized committees is that "members are the ones who are on the ground, working within the studios," says Teri Hendrich Cusumano, Co-Chair of the Color Designers Committee. "Members are positioned to be their own best advocates." But the committees also offer so much more. They are safe spaces for difficult discussions, as Writers Committee Co-Chair Patrick Rieger notes, "It's nice to know that if I have an issue … I'll be explaining it to a group of working writers with an in-depth knowledge of my craft." And the committees provide a variety of personal and career support. The Family and Membership (FAM) Committee has a caregiver support group, for example, and there are programs like the Storyboard Committee's Supervising School, which the committee's Co-Chair Jake Hollander says is designed "to bridge the gap between supervisor and board artists and revisionists." As for the volunteer aspect, Co-Chair of the Queer TAG Committee, Andy Garner- Flexner says, "It can be difficult to volunteer your time and energy into free labor, but it's vital that members are running these committees to give appropriate voice to our cause and mission statement." While it can be daunting to consider heading up a committee, it's important to remember that the committee chairs aren't necessarily experienced leaders. "For a long time, I held myself back from volunteering with 839 because I thought someone more qualified should/would do it," says Mairghread Scott, Chair of the Writers Committee. "[But] I kept hearing from writers that they didn't know how to make their concerns known and wanted more of a voice in the Guild. [What I discovered is that] I didn't have to be the perfect writer or leader. Together, we're the perfect leader. That's what unions are all about." Committees come about in a variety of ways, and in the case of the Queer TAG Committee, more than one person initiated it when they saw a need to be met. Nora Meek, who now Co-Chairs the Young Workers Committee, says, "A lot of it was seeing firsthand as a queer animator that the animation industry has a queer community, but … it was difficult for us to connect." Meek expressed her desire to head up a pride committee and discovered that two other TAG members, Garner-Flexner and Derek LaMastus, had done the same. "We made contact and gathered anyone and everyone who might be interested in heading up such a group, met for lunch, and Queer TAG was born!" For the FAM Committee, Co-Chair Kristin Donner says, "We first became aware of this need through our involvement with the Negotiations Committee ... As we crafted a proposal for paid leave, we asked Guild members to share their experiences with family leave, sick days, and bereavement. We discovered that some working parents and caregivers felt excluded, unprotected, or even discriminated against." Pre-pandemic Animators Committee (left) and FAM Committee (right). T H E L O C A L 18 KEYFRAME