479 NEWS
Georgia Productions Set New Record in 2022 Fiscal Year
The Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, reported that productions spent $4.4 billion in Georgia during fiscal year 2022. The press release is provided below.
ATLANTA – August 1, 2022 – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced a chart-topping year for the film and television industry as productions spent $4.4 billion in Georgia during fiscal year 2022 – a new industry record. The Georgia Film Office, a strategic office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), reported that the State of Georgia hosted 412 productions, represented by 32 feature films, 36 independent films, 269 television and episodic productions, 42 commercials, and 33 music videos between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Film Industry References Removed from HB 1437
THANK YOU.
The current threat to Georgia’s film tax credit is over.
Your activism, in coordination with our industry partners and the support of our friends in the Georgia Legislature, helped eliminate recent unwanted amendments to HB 1437.
Yesterday (Wednesday), the bill was sent back to the Senate Rules Committee.
Later in the day I met directly with the Governor, key Senate leadership, and our industry colleagues to reaffirm the widespread support for the State’s motion picture industry.
Today (Thursday) all references to the film industry tax credit were stripped from HB 1437, and the bill was passed out of the committee. It is expected to be placed on the Senate calendar for tomorrow (Friday).
At this time IATSE Local 479 has no further concerns with HB 1437.
We encourage you to reach out to your legislators and thank them for their continuing support of Georgia’s motion picture industry.
You can identify your legislators by visiting https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/.
In Solidarity,
Michael Akins
Local 479 Business Agent
HB 1437: Your Activism is Working
Your activism is working with HB 1437. More progress will be made. Read more to see the next steps we need to take.
Thank you for your emails and phone calls to members of the Georgia Senate last night and this morning. Your activism is working; namely, HB 1437 with the offensive film tax credit language was removed from today’s vote calendar and sent back to the General Calendar, so the bill can be cleaned up by removing the tax credit cap and the transferability language.
HB 1437 has to go through some legislative steps and we have another chance to impact on that process, so please look at the attached link to the list of Senators with email addresses and phone numbers and send them another message to first thank them for recommitting HB 1437 and then to ask for the removal of PART III, Section 3-1 in the current bill which contains the negative film tax credit language (caps and transferability).
You have a chance to repeat today’s success with another display of how important it is for the Legislature not to disturb current film tax credit law which has proven to be so helpful to job creation in our industry.
Please click the link below to access the contact list for the Senators.
Click here to download list of Senators
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Urgent: Georgia’s Film Industry in Danger
On Monday, the Georgia Senate Finance Committee unexpectedly proposed a measure that would amend HB1437, capping the film tax credit at $900 million annually, and eliminating the ability to transfer credits out of state.
The consequences of these two amendments to our tax credit would be devastating.
This amended bill is set to go before the Senate floor TODAY.
We believe that it is important to reach out to the Republican majority senators and ask them to please vote to “re-commit HB 1437 to the Rules Committee” when it comes to the floor today.
We have compiled a list of those Senators and are asking you to reach out and request that they send HB 1437 back to committee.
Please click the link below to access the contact list for the Senators.
Click here to download list of Senators
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ASA Ratification Documentation Now Available
Members of IATSE Local 479 may now log into the Member Dashboard to accessing documentation for the pending ASA ratification vote. A log-in is required – members only.
ASA Ratification Documentation (click here)
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Frank Hatcher Retires as General Secretary-Treasurer
In the June 2021 General Membership meeting Brother Frank Hatcher announced his official resignation from Local 479 as General Secretary-Treasurer.
As a former officer in the banking industry, Frank was an advocate for the implementation of financial best practices in our local and help set a vision for our future.
In recognition of Brother Hatcher’s more than 6 years of service to our local President Ray Brown awarded him with a plaque.
In an email to the membership President Brown noted the instrumental role Frank played in managing the growth of this local during his tenure, as membership grew from several hundred to more than 5,500.
“His guidance and leadership will be greatly missed and the Executive Board extends our sincere thanks to both Brother Hatcher and his family.” – Ray Brown
A Statement from President Brown Regarding Recent Events
Sisters and Brothers of Local 479,
After several conversations with members and a meeting yesterday with fellow Presidents of IATSE locals throughout the United States and Canada, I feel compelled now more than ever to communicate our position on the recent events in our city and throughout the country.
The video that surfaced recently showing the grotesque and senseless killing of Mr. George Floyd has ignited our country resulting in protests around the world. I, as your President, have participated along with members of my family, in peaceful protests in and around Atlanta. I walked side by side with people of all color from IATSE Local 479 and Atlanta Teamsters Local 728, out of respect for the families of George Floyd and all those before him, to protest the violence that took these individuals from us.
The idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness is at the very core of the labor movement. It was, in fact, the labor movement that literally locked arms with Dr. King during the civil rights movement, because we stood for the exact same principles. Dr. King professed and said in his own words “The labor movement was the principle force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” So yes, when our Sisters and Brothers of color suffer, we all in the labor movement suffer. We are suffering now.
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EP Cease Filing for Members
Today we confirmed with the GDOL that they have released a new program called the “Claims Conversion Program” which allows employers that have been filing weekly UI claims on behalf of employees to convert those claims over to an individual claim to allow the individual to certify their own weekly claim.
Click to Read more
Doug Collins Requests Financial Relief for Georgia’s Film Industry
United States Representative Doug Collins has written a letter of support for our industry to the Speaker of the House, encouraging Congress to pursue financial relief for entertainment workers affected by the pause in production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Freelancers, contractors, gig workers and the entertainment industry make significant contributions to our communities and economy here in Georgia. As Congress considers relief for American workers, I’m hopeful these folks will be offered similar protections as other industries.”
Doug Collins, United States House of Representatives
As the International IATSE notes, Doug has been a champion for the entertainment industry in Georgia, and we thank him for joining the dozens of congresspeople on both sides of the aisle fighting to make sure congress doesn’t leave IATSE members behind.
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Coronavirus Updates for Members
We have created a post on the Member Dashboard containing all the latest information about COVID-19, including an updated list of show statuses, the latest news from IATSE International, news from the National Benefits Fund, statements from studios regarding COVID-19, and current Public Health notifications about testing and treatment for COVID-19.
Note that you must log in to access this information.