479 NEWS
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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2021 Setting Record for Volume of Work
I am pleased to announce that 2021 has already set new records for the volume of work in our jurisdiction. Folks, you may want to postpone your vacation plans for a later date because it’s going to be a VERY busy summer.
We have built it, and they have come
Over the last 13 years, we have built a reputation as being one of the top production locations in the world. The membership of Local 479 has been instrumental in creating this reputation. Companies know that they can hire quality crew here to produce their product. We have proven time and again that we are ready, willing, and able to meet and exceed their expectations, and that is why more opportunities continue to come our way.
Whether it is due to, or possibly despite the pandemic, our society today relies more heavily than ever on the products WE make, and that has fueled the exponential growth of the motion picture industry and increased the methods of distribution of our content, all of which serves to create more jobs and more opportunities for all of us. As long as we continue to uphold our reputation of being a premiere production location with an outstanding crew base, we should have every expectation of a prosperous future.
Look at the stats:
Snapshot of Production in Atlanta (as of TODAY, May 22, 2021)
- 47 active projects under contract
- 43 productions have already wrapped and it’s only May
- 30 of those started and wrapped in 2021
- 38% of our work product is Streaming Video on Demand
- Current production volume, by product:
- Episodics: 15
- Features: 14
- Streaming Video on Demand: 18
Business Agent’s End of Year Report 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Local 479,
Another busy year for Georgia’s film industry has come to a close.
Production Remains Active
The past twelve months have seen more than 50 features, 57 episodic productions, and 10 pilots shot in our jurisdiction, providing more than 15,000 jobs to our members. Local 479 members were hired to work on every union-made production in town, from the ultra-low budget Blast Beat and Alieu the Dreamer to high profile features like Bad Boys for Life, Jumanji 2, and Richard Jewell. This year our members earned more than $300,000,000 in wages.
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Regarding the Heartbeat Bill HB481
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Local 479,
Many of you have contacted the office over the last couple of weeks regarding HB 481, i.e. the “Heartbeat Bill”, which was passed by both the House and Senate, and is expected to be signed by Governor Kemp within the next few weeks. While we prefer to discuss these matters with our members on an individual basis, so as not to invite confusion or misunderstanding, we recognize that it is important for the membership as a whole to hear from the Local about the efforts being made on your behalf.
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Business Agent’s End of Year Report 2018
Wow what a rollercoaster year!
2018 held both challenges and great celebrations for our industry. Our state’s political campaigns were in the spotlight for most of the year, and while this caused some to feel uncertain about the future of the entertainment industry in Georgia, Local 479 continued to watch work flood to our state, keeping our membership busy.
We feel confident and excited about 2019’s opportunities.
125 Years of IATSE
This year saw milestones achieved for the IATSE, and Local 479 was there to celebrate with them. IATSE celebrated its 125th Anniversary this past July. Looking back at the past 125 years was a humbling experience, and it’s inspiring to know that though our union was established in the brutally difficult economic climate of 1893, it succeeded in its purpose to protect the working class even then. We have come so far, and Local 479 is proud to be part of such a strong union.
IATSE on YouTube: As we celebrate our 125th Anniversary, we reflect on the history of the IATSE. Since our founding in 1893, the strength and solidarity of our members has bettered the lives of workers throughout the entertainment industry.
2018-2021 Area Standards Agreement
Our biggest contract also underwent re-negotiations in 2018, and we are pleased to have achieved gains in both conditions and wages. Our biggest gain was in relation to the new media aspect of the contract, which refers to streaming content and has recently become one of the most popular distribution platforms. We now have (more…)
Local 479 Supports Solidarity in Negotiations
In the past, the IA has completed contract negotiations long before their expiration dates, and so it is understandable for members to have more concerns this time around as deadlines approach and negotiations are still under way for both the Hollywood Basic contract and the Area Standards Agreement. If the IATSE determines that a strike is necessary in order to assure the eventual outcome of a fair and decent contract, then all IATSE motion picture locals will be called upon to take (more…)
Using Social Media Responsibly
Last summer Local 479 posted an article Honoring Your Non-Disclosure Agreements which mentioned a common legal document that nearly all film and television production companies include in their employees’ start paperwork – the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This post reminded our members that the NDA’s they sign specifically prohibit the sharing of photos, videos, and other confidential information related to the production, and that violations of the NDA most often result in termination of employment.
This is an important point to bring back to the attention of our membership and expand upon in light of many recent events. While the NDA provided by Employers may only prohibit the posting and sharing of information relating to the content of the production, keep in mind that posts discussing any kind of work events have the potential to cause a backlash. These types of posts often have the unfortunate side effect of providing fodder for rumors and speculative conversation in a public forum amongst (more…)
Governor Predicts More Growth for Georgia’s Film Industry
Please take a moment to read the following passage from Governor Deal’s final State of the State address “Orchards of Opportunity”, delivered to the Georgia General Assembly yesterday morning. Our members should be aware that we have supported the Governor and his efforts throughout his administration and are looking forward to a very prosperous 2018 thanks to the staunch support of Governor Deal and our state legislators. As the Governor stated, we expect to break new records this year, and that’s just good for Georgia.
Thank you,
Mike Akins, Business Agent IATSE Local 479
2018 State of the State Address
[the following is an excerpt from Georgia Governor Nathan Deal’s State of the State address, “Orchards of Opportunity”, delivered on January 11, 2018]
“As we consider the achievements of their respective dedicated teams, we should also take note of a tree we “re-planted” – you might say – which has taken deep root in recent years and borne greater and greater harvests with each passing year. I am referring to the film production industry.
Just ten years ago, this industry generated $241 million in economic impact for the state. This past fiscal year alone, it generated $9.5 billion in economic impact. That’s quite impressive growth for this (more…)