Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535742
DESPITE THE SOBERING HEADLINES ABOUT OUR INDUSTRY, THERE'S A POWERFUL STORY UNFOLDING HERE IN CALIFORNIA—ONE DRIVEN BY THE COLLECTIVE WILL OF OUR MEMBERS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF ANIMATION. This year, The Animation Guild has taken a leading role in advocating for animation-specific tax incentives in California. For too long, animation has been excluded from the production tax credits that support other sectors of entertainment. We've changed that conversation. Through coordinated efforts with coalition partners, lawmakers, and allies, we're making it clear: animation jobs are creative, high-skilled, and worth fighting for. The data backs us up. Our recent economic impact study, Reclaiming California's Role in Global Animation (p.21), laid the groundwork for our legislative push and helped lawmakers understand just how much is at stake. As bills like AB 1138 and SB 630 move forward, we'll continue to push for a future where California not only creates animation, but sustains and grows the jobs that bring it to life. At the same time, our organizing work continues to show results. In Los Angeles, we've welcomed new production workers into the Guild family, from studios like Titmouse and Walt Disney Animation Studios. These victories didn't happen overnight—they came from years of member advocacy, deep conversations, and workers standing together to claim their worth. Progress isn't always easy, and it's rarely fast. But our Union is like that little train that could—we keep chugging up the hill, driven by our shared commitment to fairness, opportunity, and a stronger future for everyone in animation. In Solidarity, Jeanette Moreno King | President The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 ANIMATING CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMY L E T T E R ON THE COVER Our feature article on CG in animation explores technology in groundbreaking movies like Shrek, which pushed the boundaries of facial and character animation and was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.