Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
88 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 by Jeff Burman and A.J. Catoline photographs by Wm. Stetz O utgoing Motion Picture Editors Guild National Executive Director Ron Kutak celebrated his retirement on September 17 at Cicada, a restaurant and architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles. About 250 Editors Guild members and well-wishers attended the gala evening, which included tribute speeches and videos that commended Kutak's three-decade career as MPEG chief. Kutak was executive director since 1984, succeeding David Miller. Having served for 32 years, he is the longest-serving chief executive officer of any union in the entertainment industry. Then-Western Executive Director Cathy Repola, who succeeded Kutak effective November 1, gave a tribute speech, noting, "He has literally built this union, making the collective voice a stronger and more unified one… He has always stood up for what he believed in, making those sometimes very tough decisions, taking the heat if he had to, but always with his eye toward the ultimate goal of doing what was best for the members." Kutak was hired by the Editors Guild in 1981 as a videotape organizer. At the time, the Guild was IATSE Local 776. In the span of the three decades in which Kutak was at the helm, the Guild's financial solvency improved, as did its scope of classifications and total membership. It went from less than 3,000 active members to 7,600 (9,500 including retirees) today. He also succeeded in removing outdated roster requirements that were a roadblock to workers joining the union. His reform efforts allowed a greater number of qualified editors and assistants into the Guild. Carol Lombardini, President of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), gave a keynote tribute that took on the sharp tone of a roast. She has served in the role of the Guild's adversary, as the producers' lead negotiator on the opposite side of the bargaining table. Lombardini described Kutak as "outspoken" and "a tough negotiator," remembering his "wince" of disapproval if she disagreed with him. "As I looked across the table at Ron, I imagined him as the pope, dressed in robes and a pointy mitre, speaking from the seat of infallibility," she fondly reminisced. "Ron would come into negotiations and assured us he had done all the heavy lifting, and that his ideas were the best way to proceed." Lombardini said Kutak distinguished himself from all the other guilds' business agents. "This is a man who refuses to go along with the rest of the party platform. He is the real deal," she said. Alan Heim, ACE, the Guild's current President, expressed his appreciation for the outgoing National Executive Director. "Our Guild owes an enormous amount to Ron Kutak," Heim said. "He oversaw a smooth merger of the East and West Coast unions, making us the largest local in the IA and enriching the lives and careers of members on both coasts." Heim was followed by IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb, who gave his tribute through a video message, projected overhead. Loeb noted Kutak's invaluable contributions and breadth of knowledge, and gave a winking appreciation of his contentiousness, conceding, "You were even right on occasion..." Dale Short, an industry lawyer and brother of former IA President Tom Short, lauded Kutak for his comprehensive knowledge of the health plan and the Basic Agreement. With this knowledge, Kutak MPEG Members and Industry Leaders Laud Director Kutak at Retirement Gala Outgoing MPEG Director Ronald Kutak speaks at Guild retirement gala.