Departments

by Ryan Pedersen

I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, which is a strong union city, along with the state of Illinois. When I was 15 years old, I became a bagger at a local grocery store. Even though I was a part-time minimum wage worker making $5.25 an hour, I was required to join the union associated with the grocery store. I was young and didn’t understand why I had to pay what little I was making toward union dues. I didn’t understand what a union was, nor how it benefited me. A lot has changed since that first experience. I now live in a household where I am not only a member of a union, but my wife is as well. I’ve grown to understand the history behind unions, why we need them, and what they offer working people.

When we become members of Local 695, we make a pledge to accept and abide by the provisions set forth in both our Local 695 Constitution and By-Laws, as well the IATSE’s governing documents. While signing your name at the bottom of this pledge is an easy task, there is much more entailed in being a member. When we apply for membership, we are stating that we are of good moral character and reputation. As we continue our membership, we are expected to maintain our good standing both morally and financially.

Our Local 695 Constitution lays out the objectives of our Local and indicates our own responsibilities as members. We and the Local have agreed to strive to:

a) Improve the wages, job security, and working conditions
b) Advance our economic, social, and cultural interests
c) Establish peaceful and harmonious relationships between our members and the employers and increase stability of the industry
d) Assure full employment
e) Promote and support democracy and free trade unionism
f) Engage to strengthen the labor movement and extend the collective bargaining process to all trades and industries

It is not just the responsibility of members elected to office or the staff in the office to try to fulfill these objectives. The general membership makes the Local what it is. It is up to us as members to fulfill these objectives. These objectives are the core of what it means to be a member of a union.

Knowing our objectives and responsibilities is the easiest part of being a member of our Local. Accomplishing these objectives is the more difficult thing to do. It is our shared responsibility to engage with our Local. Some of the ways we engage are by discussing these topics with each other, communicating with our leadership, voting both for our leadership and for our contracts, attending membership meetings, attending trainings, volunteering our time for union activities, and participating in the different committees organized by our Local.

One aspect of union membership is that we refer to each other as brothers, sisters, and kin and I think that this is at the heart of our union. This is a foundational element of union membership. We are a family. The last couple of years have been some of the hardest for us as filmmakers. We have experienced major economic loss. Our mental health is suffering and our sense of identity as filmmakers is at a crucial tipping point. We have a responsibility to each other that lacks in most workplaces and that’s because we are connected in our shared pledge. We have a responsibility to look out for each other and support each other.

Times of hardship are when we really shine as union members. It could be as simple as a phone call to see how someone is doing or sharing a few days of work with them if your situation allows. We need to build each other up and not tear others down. I know that not everyone in our Local will see eye-to-eye on many things and that some people may not get along with others. However, our Local will thrive when we have members of different backgrounds with diverse thoughts. One of the things that we ask of our employers is to treat us with dignity and respect amongst many other things. We should heed our own advice and seek the same things amongst each other.

As I write this article, Amazon workers are striking across the country to force Amazon to recognize their desire to bargain for a union contract. After the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes and the continued downturn in our industry, I believe that we understand the sacrifice that they are experiencing so that they can better their lives. Supporting workers in other industries as they strike for better pay and conditions is yet another way that we are active union members.

Our influence reaches far and wide. Union membership is on the rise but our rights as workers are never guaranteed, especially as we’ve come into 2025. It is really easy to take our membership for granted. As we enter the new year with many of us lacking work, financial resources, and healthcare, we should renew our pledges to go forth and support the objectives that we all agreed to when we joined our Local. No union or organization is perfect, and needs us to participate to make it better. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” It’s not expected that you dedicate all your free time to the Local, but it is part of our responsibility to be active participants in the process. Small contributions by many hands make light work.

Over the next couple of months, we will have the opportunity to help get additional incentives passed in California and possibly nationally over the next year. The IATSE International Convention is approaching in the coming year and, in about eighteen months, we will start the election process for our Local’s elected officials and the year after that, we will be voting on a new contract. Between now and then, the members need to be active in order to be heard. This last round of negotiations was very effective for our Local’s issues because we had good member participation. We can build on our contract progress while building on the incentives to bring more jobs back to Los Angeles. Let’s get to work!

by Ric Teller

Encounters.

So many encounters. We’re lousy with the famous and infamous on every talk show, awards show, and special, just ask Craig. Working in the entertainment side of television, you might meet anyone from the Beatles to Bette Davis. In fact, some Beatles and Bette might both show up later in this ramble. I love when every once in a while, on the set, on location, or even in everyday life, I get surprised by an unexpected encounter.

When you watched Star Search, and don’t deny it, I know you watched. The host, Ed McMahon, made an entrance, walked downstage, and at some point, an arm raised from the audience to hand him a microphone. Sometimes that arm belonged to Val Valentin, a top recording engineer, and a friend of mixer Ed Greene. His list of album credits is stunning. An unlikely A2, Val would come and regale us with tales of his days as Director of Engineering for MGM and Verve Records, being in the studio with Frank Sinatra, and much more. It was always great to see him, perhaps never more so than at a show for Sinatra’s 75th birthday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Val was escorting Ella Fitzgerald. Ever the gentleman, Val properly introduced us, and I tried not to gush like a fanboy. But Ella Fitzgerald! She and Frank closed the show together, singing a Rodgers and Hart number with the Henry Mancini Orchestra. It was terrific! That show was also where I met Ray Charles. No, not the one you are thinking of. The “other” Ray Charles. Go ahead, look him up. I’ll wait… As with Val, Ray was a true gentleman. It was a great pleasure to work with him, most often on the Kennedy Center Honors.

I met Scott Ostler recently. You may ask, who is that? I’ll tell you. He is a revered newspaper sports columnist. One of the best and funniest. His son was a contestant on America’s favorite quiz show. I work there. Scott was in the audience. I first read his work in the Los Angeles Times back when the sports section had Jim Murray and baseball box scores. He was recruited by editor Frank Deford to write for The National Sports Daily, a short-lived, tabloid-format newspaper that lasted just under eighteen months in 1990-91. For sports fans, it was terrific. Since then, Scott has written for the San Francisco Examiner. I really admire his work. It was nice to be able to tell him.

Did you ever go to The Reseda Country Club? Honestly, I don’t remember attending a show there but did work on an episode of a popular sitcom that featured the Beach Boys playing live. Well, I believe it was live-ish. At lunch, I picked up a tray with the requisite chicken-like substance from catering and took a seat in a quiet area. About thirty seconds later, a man sat down across from me. I looked up and realized that I was having lunch with Carl Wilson. We talked about baseball and other stuff, not music so much. But the whole time, I was silently shouting to myself, “You sang, ‘God Only Knows’!!!”

The first time I saw a motion picture being made, it was Stagecoach. No, not the John Wayne version. Sheesh. It was the 1966 remake, starring Ann-Margret and Red Buttons. We saw them shooting an action sequence at the very scenic Caribou Ranch on the front range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Later in life, I got to tell both of them about seeing the stagecoach being attacked. Ann-Margret remembered how beautiful the location was. Red Buttons tried to go to catering but never got a dinner.

A couple of years later, in New York City, I saw another film shooting on location. I was with my family. We were walking back to the Americana Hotel after dinner at Mamma Leone’s and saw a crew out on the street shooting Midnight Cowboy. About ten years later, I got a ticket while driving in Los Angeles. I don’t remember the specifics, but I was allowed to go to traffic school back when you attended in person. Jon Voight was also in that class, and I told him about watching them film. We were both in an eight-hour class that included a meal break. I took John to lunch at Café Tel Aviv on Fairfax, an easy walk from the class location. It was a nice break from school, a good memory, and a tasty falafel.

In keeping with the theme of unexpected lunch encounters, I was traveling somewhere in some airport to work on some show some time ago. The layover was long enough to sit and have a bite of lunch. I ordered a nondescript chicken sandwich and moments later, a very attractive woman walked up and asked if she could join me for lunch. Yes, of course. We chatted and laughed and agreed about how interesting life can be. After lunch, we said a cordial goodbye and headed in opposite directions to make our next flights. I did a lot of shows with Naomi Judd over the years. She was a sweet person, a talented artist, and a lovely lunch companion.
At the beginning of this column, I mentioned the Beatles. So, let’s talk about their album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. OK, let’s just talk about the front cover of that iconic album featuring the four lads in uniform and about sixty-five cutouts and wax models of people with varying degrees of fame.

I’ve encountered nine.

• Three Beatles—At the Grammys and other occasions
• Shirley Temple—Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade
• Dion DiMucci—Sang “I Wonder Why” on a PBS ’50s music special
• Marlon Brando—An appearance on Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration at Madison Square Garden Sept. 10, 2001
• Bob Dylan—The 2011 Grammys (find it on Vimeo)
• Mae West—Ringo and I were both in Sextette, her last movie
• Huntz Hall—I introduced myself to the original Dead End Kid who also played Horace Debussy “Sach” Jones in the Bowery Boys series. He was on the KTLA lot shooting something and enjoyed that a person from the younger generation (I was in my twenties) recognized him.

One more unexpected Beatles-related story. A few years back, I was climbing around on a band riser adjusting drum mics for a Grammys performance. The kit belonged to Abe Laboriel, Jr. He’s a heavy hitter and sometimes the mics and stands move around a bit. As I reached for one of the overheads, to give it a little love, a voice behind me asked about the placement. Without looking around, I answered that I thought by aiming the sweet spot of the overhead mics slightly away from the snare, clearly the loudest drum, it would have a better chance of hearing cymbals and the overall kit sound. At some point, mid-sentence, my words hung in the air as if they were frozen in a cartoon dialog bubble. I realized that I was discussing drum mic placement for a Paul McCartney performance with Geoff Emerick, the engineer who recorded Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road. I got off the riser, introduced myself, and continued the conversation with “…wherever you would like them.” He was a kind and gentle man whose gifts have enhanced my life for more than fifty years.

And more recently, at the Grammys, we were sound-checking Billy Joel and his terrific band. After all the instruments were good, the terrific music mixer John Harris requested that I ask Billy to sing something. I walked to the piano, leaned over, and asked Billy if he would sing “Something.” He did. The George Harrison song.

Each of those encounters was special. I’ve only asked to take one photo and have only requested three autographs in all my working years, but I’m very happy to hang onto the memories.

It is difficult to explain to those not in our business how specific our jobs can be. In forty-plus years, I’ve made one commercial (with Monty Hall and an elephant), and once, a long time ago, I worked for two days on a feature. Two. Total. I can’t remember the name of the movie. My career has been a combination of talk shows, sitcoms, game shows, and a lot of award shows and specials. Sometimes the crews are pretty big but often the same friendly faces appear in the hello portion of the day. When we say, “I’ll see you on the next one,” there is a very good chance that it will happen. Perhaps because of the size of the crews and the complicated challenges of doing a big live show, there is often a feeling of camaraderie. And when things go well, of accomplishment. Does that family feeling translate to episodic, features, and other formats where groups work together for long periods (both clock and calendar)? I hope so. At 35, I began playing regularly in the big-show sandbox. It was 1987, and I had been working in television for eight years. When I started to freelance in early 1985, the idea of joining that esteemed group seemed unlikely. Then some of the regulars began mixing shows and a spot for an A2 opened for me. After all, I could lift heavy things and drive a forklift, they, in turn, could make every difficult live television show work successfully under any circumstances. No pressure.

This new situation presented an exciting set of possibilities, including one that I have tried wholeheartedly to embrace. We endeavor to help our fellow crew members get to important family events, perhaps a birthday or anniversary, a child’s band concert, a dance recital, or a ballgame, we will try to make it happen when we can. Of course, sometimes (often) the timing doesn’t work out. But when it does, it feels really good.

The retirement report:
As my friend, Mr. Mays, reminds me, we are somewhere between the back nine and the walk to the clubhouse. Not being a golfer, I hope to find other ways to wisely use my time in retirement, whenever that comes. Everyone says that staying busy and active is the key; there are retirement options for nearly every interest. I’ve always enjoyed the social time aspect of work (some would say storytime) and hope to find a way to include that in my next ventures. Whenever I stop working, I will strive to maintain the close friendships that have enhanced my life. So many hellos. One difficult product of age and work longevity is the increasing number of goodbyes. Friends and coworkers who are leaving us. That is, the big leaving us, not just moving to Florida. As these passages come, it is important to be present for each other and to remember how these friends have enhanced our lives whether sharing tangible skills or teaching life lessons. I was sad to learn that two of the great engineers from my days working at KTLA have passed recently. Murray Clawson and John Cook were encouraging, shared knowledge, and pushed me to learn and become better and more valuable at my job. In addition to their expertise, they were both really good men who will be missed. I am fortunate to have known them.

My career has been a combination of talk shows, sitcoms, game shows, and a lot of award shows and specials. Sometimes the crews are pretty big but often the same friendly faces appear in the hello portion of the day. When we say, “I’ll see you on the next one,” there is a very good chance that it will happen.

At almost every awards show and special in recent memory, Margot Carlson and Kris Claver greeted us and took care of our parking, credentials, and other bits of production business. Every time it was personal with kindness and smiles. When Kris got sick, a GoFundMe page was started to help with her care. Within a few days, the fund counted six hundred donations. Since she passed, at every show I see friends wearing a credential with her photo. Family supports family. Make the time for a phone call, send a card, go for a visit, bring food, it all makes a difference. My mother often provided a dish she just called vermicelli. It is a warm, filling, comfort food gift. Mom was a terrific cook, but we always wondered how a Jewish woman from a small town in Nebraska became locally famous for her Italian-American casserole. Give a little of yourself, it will help bridge between hello and goodbye. As my sixth-grade teacher Noel Roberts closes each correspondence: “Take care of each other.”

My good friend, Robyn, believes that my ability to recall and write about this history is enhanced by AI (alta cocker intelligence). No doubt, she is correct.

Oh, I almost forgot. The Bette Davis story. She came to KTLA to be interviewed by television’s Tom Hatten. I introduced myself and asked if I could place a lav on her. She said no.

Southern California Wildfires

On January 7, a series of wildfire spurred by strong winds, broke out in Southern California. These fires have devastated the area, with more than forty thousand acres burned and more than one hundred thousand LA County residents having been displaced from their homes. More than three hundred IATSE members have lost their homes in the blaze.

The IATSE has compiled resources to assist those who have been impacted by the fires. This includes everything from shelter locations, financial aid, emergency prescription help, mental health services, legal representation, and tools for recovering critical documents. Please visit www.local695.com/wildfirerelief/ for more information.

Financial Relief for Entertainment Partners

The ongoing prolonged work stoppages have been devastating to the entertainment community across the nation. In Hollywood, our community has been supported by the profound efforts of the Motion Picture Television Fund (MPTF) and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund). Both these charities have long histories of offering safety-net services and aid for entertainment workers and their families. They aided the entertainment unions, including Local 695, in administering their relief funds throughout the 2023 WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP.

Though the strikes have ended, the financial impact will continue to be felt for some time and both MPTF and the Entertainment Community Fund still have resources available to help. If you work in entertainment and you or your family are in need, please visit their websites online at www.mptf.com and www.entertainmentcommunity.org

IATSE Education

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is an excellent source of online training tutorials covering topics such as Avid Pro Tools, Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Rhino, Vectorworks, Final Cut Pro, Filemaker, AutoCad, Cubase, Logic Pro, ShotPut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, as well as Project Management, Software Development, Network Administration, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, and much more. All IATSE members are eligible to sign up for a free LinkedIn Learning Account by visiting https://www.iatsetrainingtrust.org/lil

You can also view a multitude of free educational webinars sponsored by the IA Training Trust Fund online at www.gotostage.com/channel/iaeducationforall. These webinars cover a range of topics from labor and voting rights; the basics of equity, diversity, and inclusion; mental health subjects such as depression, substance abuse; physical safety and well-being at work; and so much more.

IATSE PAC

Following the 2024 election, you might consider donating to the IATSE PAC. This Political Action Committee is run entirely by the IATSE Political/Legislative Department and funded entirely by the donations of IATSE members and staffers. It backs pro-labor candidates whose values align with the IATSE Federal Issue Agenda and all campaigns are thoroughly vetted before the PAC distributes a dime. This is one of the safest ways to donate and be assured that your contribution is supporting candidates who support your livelihood. Since its inception in 1999, the PAC has contributed to candidates who have helped create thousands of IATSE jobs, provided financial support to IATSE members during times of crisis, and expanded the power and budget of the National Labor Relations Board

Recurring donors receive a quarterly newsletter outlining PAC expenditures and current political updates from the union, so that you can remain in the loop as to how your money is being spent. If you pledge to donate at the $10, $20, or $40 a month funding level, you’ll receive a membership pin.

Our Local is proud to be a Bronze Level participant in the PAC, thanks to the participation of our members. Our continued support has an impact on the lives of workers and the entertainment community across the nation.

Local 695 New Members

Zach Hazelwood A2
Pablo Mena Davalos Y-1
Parker Morris Y-1

In Memoriam

Joseph Biedenbach, Projectionist
April 9,1935 – December 14, 2024
Ryan Fecteau, Y-1
December 16, 1975 – December 19, 2024

James Delhauer

James Delhauer serves as Local 695’s Director of Communications and Political Affairs. His career began as a video engineer and records specialist before coming to work in the local office. He is a member of both the California IATSE Council (CIC) and Entertainment Union Coalition, working to advance entertainment community’s interests within the California legislature.

Richard Lightstone CAS AMPS

Richard began his career in Montreal, and continues to mix in Los
Angeles. He is the Co-editor of Production Sound & Video, served
on the Executive Board of Local 695, and President of the Cinema Audio Society for two terms.

Tod A. Maitland CAS

Tod was born into the sound business. His father, Dennis Maitland CAS, received the CAS Career Achievement Award which Tod will be receiving this year. Tod’s career spans over 45 years, 110 films, 5 Academy Award nominations, and Head of Sound at NYU Grad School.

Terence McCormack Maitland

Terence McCormack Maitland is a native Brooklynite who now splits his time between NYC and Sweden. He has been a Local 52 member since 2010 and has had a blast making movies and TV ever since.

Ryan Pedersen

Ryan Pedersen has loved sound his whole life, even as a little kid. He originally planned on working in live sound or recording music in studios but found his way into film production and has been doing that ever since. He has seen a large portion of the world from his early documentary work but now spends most of his time in Los Angeles doing music playback or mixing scripted projects. When not on set or at home with his wife and four kids, he finds refuge at his train club at Griffith Park.

Ric Teller

I’ve been very fortunate in my more than forty years working in television, going places and doing things that a kid from a small town in Nebraska could not have imagined.

Casey Weiss

Casey Weiss serves as the Director of Education & Training for Local 695. As the long time daughter of a Local 695 Sound Mixer, she grew up on set and is passionate about the union movement and its benefits to both its members and its greater community. Casey is ready to “roll” up her sleeves and help advance our members.

This edition of Production Sound & Video comes in the midst of the Southern California wildfires.
As of this writing, more than forty thousand acres of Los Angeles County have burned and one hundred thousand residents have been displaced. At this time, news is still changing daily. We will be back in our Summer edition with more comprehensive coverage of this event and what it means for the entertainment community. But for now, our hearts go out to all of those who have been impacted by this disaster. If you have the means, please consider volunteering for or donating to relief efforts. The spirit of Los Angeles is a powerful thing and, as a community, we will work through this difficult time.

In this jam-packed issue, we have the long-awaited next installment of “Ric Rambles.” Steven Morrow takes us behind the scenes of his fifth collaboration with Director Jason Reitman on the film Saturday Night. Tod A Maitland and Terence McCormack Maitland bring us stories from the set of the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.

Ryan Pedersen brings us “Union Membership: Our Responsibilities,” a look at the relationship we as members have with our unions. Local 695 Education & Training Director Casey Weiss discusses the six-figure BRIC Grant Local 695 received to train members in virtual production in 2024. Co-editor James Delhauer takes an in-depth look at the relationship between Teradek + Frame.io and how 695 video engineers can use it to accelerate workflows.

In Solidarity,

James Delhauer & Richard Lightstone
Production Sound & Video Co-editors

A Day Longer, A Day Stronger

Los Angeles is in the middle of the most destructive fires in the history of our state. As I write this, the fires that continue to burn across the Los Angeles area have killed at least twenty-seven people, destroyed more than seventeen thousand structures—including more than ten thousand—and charred more than sixty square miles. Unfortunately, this tragedy has affected many of our IATSE members and their loved ones.

Our production families are an extension of our blood family, and I am so proud of the IATSE community, not just those here in Los Angeles, but across the country. One thing our production crews do best is jump in and help their brothers, sisters, and kin in times of need. The outreach and the offers of help and support are beyond description. Within the first twenty-four hours, the thirteen Hollywood business agents and the IATSE West Coast office had two donation centers established with food, clothes, personal hygiene items, gift cards, and just about anything our members would need. In the first two days, our members donated so many items that both centers were overflowing with supplies for those who were affected by the fires.

Articles in Production Sound & Video typically highlight our members’ fantastic work on sets worldwide and the technology our members influence to better the industry, but what you don’t see is the other side of our union membership; the humanity side of our members. The support that we have for one another is unmatched and inspiring. We are family and we will show up for one another. We lift each other up every day and not just on sets.

Members who have lost everything are just starting the rebuilding process and will need support for months and maybe even years to come. If you are one of those members, please know that your IATSE brothers and sisters and all the unions in Los Angeles will be with you every step of the way. If you need this kind of support, you have my assurance that we will have your back. This is what families do for each other.

Our members have endured a lot over the last four years. I’m so proud of my labor family and know that together we will rebuild better than ever.

In Solidarity,

Scott Bernard
Business Representative

Let’s talk about what’s trending… 

With the new year upon us, I wanted to outline one of my goals for 2025—the emergence of a Technical Trends Task Force.

The Local 695 Technical Trends Committee was formed in 2008 to monitor emerging technologies that will have an impact upon our jurisdictional crafts. This committee has traditionally been spearheaded by former Vice President and current Trustee Jay Patterson. It is under his legacy that the FCC Licensing Project was created as a response to the possibility of white space devices interfering with RF spectrum used by wireless microphones.

As our Local grows and takes on new technological challenges, Jay will take on an emeritus role within this group. Jay and I hope to bring on the next generation of technical leadership with the transition to the Technical Trends Task Force. Our goal is to add two to three new leaders, encompassing as many facets of our Local as possible. James Delhauer, Video Engineer and Director of Communications/Political Affairs, will spearhead the video side of this group. I’m fielding inquiries for leadership in AI, IT, Video Walls, and Sound/Audio subsets for additional positions.

The heart of the Technical Trends Committee’s mission statement is “to seek out individuals outside of the production engineering community, whose relevant technical expertise can keep our understanding of the ongoing evolution of technology current, and help us understand the implications, ramifications, and applications of developments on the technology horizon.”

The main goal for 2025 is to research and collect information to help guide discussions in AI and emerging technology fields with the AMPTP. We need to expand upon the original mission statement and include the following questions:

• What areas of AI or emerging technology will potentially impact our jurisdictions?
• Where are potential uses of AI or emerging technology within our fields?
• What software and hardware are currently being used or have potential uses in the future?
• What are the economic impacts of implementing emerging technology both positive and negative?

And most important:

• What areas are you most interested in learning more about?
• What skills are you looking to learn or improve?
• What education can we provide you?

Discussions with the AMPTP regarding our contractual educational up-skilling and reskilling program started in November 2024. The IATSE AI Subcommittee plans to meet with the AMPTP before the end of the first quarter of 2025. As a member of this committee, my focus is to help create a vision for the industry and program at large. I need your help to focus on the needs of our members so I can bring them to the table. I am assigning this agenda to the Technical Trends Task Force.

Local 695 is the technical Local of Hollywood’s IATSE bargaining unit. We have the opportunity to play a larger role in this technical evolution. Jay, James, and I have already begun working to assemble this task force, which will start to meet after the General Membership Meeting on February 8 at Local 44. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. If you are interested in being part of this group, please reach out to 695TechTrends@gmail.com

In Solidarity,

President Jillian Arnold