On Saturday, The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 welcomed a strong and impassioned turnout at its Stand with Animation! rally outside the IATSE Local 80 headquarters in Burbank. The event was held to demonstrate and rev up support for TAG ahead of its negotiations for a new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which kick off today.
Core issues on TAG’s negotiating agenda, as previously reported, include the threat of AI-related job disruption, rampant layoffs and the long-standing issue of outsourcing, which all contribute to job security concerns among the Guild’s membership.
TAG leaders and members were joined by families and supporters, members of other Hollywood unions, politicians and animation fans eager to show their support after several uncertain years for the artform.
Taking to the podium were animation talents including Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Primal, Hotel Transylvania films), whose movie Fixed was just dropped for distribution by Warner Bros.; Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar; Disney character animator James Baxter (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King); Rock, Paper, Scissors writer Julia Prescott; The Patrick Star Show storyboard artists Nora Meek and Charlie Jackson, who rallied the crowd by declaring this contract is “going to win our industry back.”
The crowd also heard from Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), who delivered a spicy speech of inter-guild support as a WGAW board member.
