Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538315
T H E L O C A L TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? I've been working as a Story Artist in both TV and games for about 10 years. Only the last six have been at signatory studios like Bento Box, ShadowMachine, Atomic Cartoons, and Titmouse. Before joining the Union in 2019, I worked as a 3D Story Artist at Lucasfilm Animation and as a Cinematic Artist on a variety of game titles for Telltale Games and 2K Games. I really love both animation and games as mediums for storytelling, and I direct most of my efforts outside of art to help both industries improve! T H E L O C A L WHY DID YOU JOIN THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND WHAT ARE YOUR DUTIES? Working at non-union studios versus signatory studios really opened my eyes to the power of the Union. Once I realized that WE are the power in the Union, I couldn't sit idle on activism in good conscience. I started attending all the General Membership Meetings, went to committee meetings, volunteered at events, joined TAG-ME, and became a D2 delegate—running for Executive Board presented itself naturally after that. I joined hoping to serve the membership's needs to the best of my ability, and to advocate for organizing efforts in industries we have crossover with like VFX and games. On the Executive Board, my duties generally involve attending meetings, reviewing reports, listening to concerns from the membership, bringing concerns to the Board, and discussing proposals before voting on them in the interest of the membership. I also attend IATSE events and officer trainings to better my knowledge and strategy as an Executive Board member. WHAT'S A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU? I've helped over a dozen community cats in L.A. by TNRing (trap-neuter- returning) neighborhood strays or finding them homes and rescues. At the height of my heroic cat-lady saga, I saved three kittens from a building being demolished! My reward was endless entertainment from the most adorable houseguests. (Though my resident cat had some complaints.) as a Story Editor on the spreadsheet, they can get slumped down to the bottom." Since the person looking at the list could have hundreds of names to go through, they won't spend time trying to figure out the meaning of a Story Editor from a TAG show versus one from a WGA show. Forbes also notes that while some people might understand the crossover title, such lists might first pass through the hands of an assistant or someone new to the industry. Because the TAG Master Bargaining Agreement and other Collective Bargaining Agreement job classifications are not used as a person's on-screen credit—which is what employers look at when hiring—the WCC is embarking on a social media and education campaign to change common usage from Story Editor to Head Writer, so that people in the same position receive the same credit across the board. The main way they hope to achieve this goal is through the Personal Services Agreements commonly referred to as a "Deal" or "Contract." These are the terms a member negotiates above and beyond the minimums set by the Guild contract for their studio. The WCC wants members and their agents, lawyers, and managers to push for the Head Writer title so that it becomes an industry standard. They note that there are precedents for this to happen, from the TAG show Avatar: The Last Airbender, which included a Head Writer credit, to animated shows on the East Coast, where the credit Head Writer is regularly used. Not only does this level the playing field when TAG writers are up for WGA jobs, Bateman says: "It's about having a title that reflects an upper-level position as well as respect." To learn more, go to animationguild.org/ craft-writers. FALL 2025 21