Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1532181
38 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E REPOLA: "It's always been about the members to me." stay hopeful and engaged, so she shifted efforts toward providing a space for a sense of community. "We had done a lot of in-person Guild events for a long time, and then suddenly, those all stopped," Repola said. That's when she got the idea for what became known as "Coffee with Cathy," a series of Zoom meetings in which members were welcome to stop by and chat, connect, or listen to a guest speaker, including a DEI expert, discuss important issues in a more intimate setting. The membership and board of directors underwent training as the Black Lives Matter movement took hold. A LASTING LEGACY As the world slowly returned to a new normal post-COVID, the dual labor strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA (something Cathy has called "one big f ight that all o f u s s h a re") h a s l e f t m a n y m e m b e r s reeling to this day. The lingering impact of those strikes — including projects that have been held or scrapped, budgets that have been cut, or runaway production to Canada or elsewhere — has made the past couple of years feel especially concerning fo r h a rd wo r k i n g p o s t p ro d u c t i o n p ro s across many classifications. To help those facing hardships, the Guild has created a number of initiatives to help members with everything from healthcare to financial support. As concerns grew about how AI will impact postproduction workf lows, Repola asked the board of directors in January 2023 to create what became the Guild's Emerging Technology Committee. She also restarted her "Coffee with Cathy" series to create space for mem- bers to have open dialogue with her about these and other issues. After the difficult contract negotiations of 2018 and 2021, Repola said engage - ment and activism increased within the Guild's membership, and she felt strongly that those sentiments would drive the negotiations in 2024, which proved to be correct when she successfully led a Basic Ag re e m e n t co n t ra c t n e go t i a t i o n w i t h f ilm and TV producers alongside other Hollywood locals. Her successor, Scott George, has been m e n to re d by a n d wo r ke d w i t h R e p o l a for many years and is a third-generation member of Local 683. He aims to continue to bring strength and stability to the union Jewelry by Barbara Klar. in the years to come. Upon Repola announcing her retirement last August, Guild president Alan Heim, ACE used two words to describe her 32 years of service: grace and courage. But she's still her father's daughter. "To tell you the truth, the accolades and all this stuff makes me really uncomfort- able," she said. "It's always been about the members to me." ■