Young to the Industry Networking Panel

This past Sunday, April 2nd, the Young Workers Committee hosted a panel for members who are young to the industry, regardless of age, and as always all members in good standing were welcome to attend. The goal of this event was teach new members how to go about getting their first gigs and included strategies for developing and furthering a career over time.  This panel provided an opportunity for new members to begin building relationships with each other and to meet and learn from their more experienced brothers and sisters who faced similar challenges in their early careers.

Attendees participated in a moderated panel of department heads and best boys, including:

Costumer Drew Fuller, Key Grip Wes Bailey, Craft Service Cass Lawson, Electrician Dan Murphy, Construction Coordinator Michael Wheeler, Propmaster Katrina Rice, Set Decorator Richard Wester, and Sound Mixer Whit Norris.

Panelists discussed their background and personal experiences relating to how they got started in the business and the challenges they faced along the way and provided tips and techniques that could help attendees moving forward.

During lunch our panelists moved into break-out discussions broken down by department, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss the unique conditions that each department head faces, including how and when they hire their crews, and their own methods for securing jobs.

The Young Workers Committee wishes to express their gratitude to all the department heads who donated their time and expertise to helping the next generation of Local 479!