Production designer Nelson Coates has been reelected to a second three-year term as president of the Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800). Art director/set designer Jim Wallis returns as VP and art director/set designer Judy Cosgrove as Guild secretary. Set designer Rick Nichol was newly elected as the Guild’s treasurer.
Coates, who was unopposed in the election, stated, “I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to continue leading the Art Directors Guild–one of the most creative and influential Locals in the entertainment business. Championing the talents of our 3,000 members, addressing the unprecedented industry challenges and changes brought about by the pandemic, fostering member diversity, equity and inclusion, and striving to keep ADG members at the forefront of technological advances are but a few of the many areas of continued focus. I am excited about the direction of the ADG and look forward to what we can accomplished over the course of the next three years.”
In the guild's other elections for the four crafts that comprise its jurisdiction, the Art Directors crafts chose Miranda Cristofani as board trustee and named Rachel Robb Kondrath to its board. New Council members are Alex Gaines, Tracy Dishman and Billy W. Ray.
Members of the Illustrators & Matte Artists crafts reelected Marty Kline as board trustee, Casey Bernay as a board member and Tim Burgard, Benton Jew, Joe Musso and William Thompson as Council members.
Cate Bangs was named trustee of the Set Designers and Model Makers board while Shelley Wallace was re-upped to the board. Returning Council members are Tim Croshaw, Shelley Wallace, Jim O’Donnell and Mark Haber.
Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists voted for Dionisio Tafoya as their board trustee, Sarah Gonzalez as board member and Cristina Colissimo, Eric Rosenberg, Alex Maziekien and Karen Jossel as Council members.
Changing OpenAI’s Nonprofit Structure Would Raise Questions and Heightened Scrutiny
The artificial intelligence maker OpenAI may face a costly and inconvenient reckoning with its nonprofit origins even as its valuation recently exploded to $157 billion.
Nonprofit tax experts have been closely watching OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, since last November when its board ousted and rehired CEO Sam Altman. Now, some believe the company may have reached — or exceeded — the limits of its corporate structure, under which it is organized as a nonprofit whose mission is to develop artificial intelligence to benefit "all of humanity" but with for-profit subsidiaries under its control.
Jill Horwitz, a professor in law and medicine at UCLA School of Law who has studied OpenAI, said that when two sides of a joint venture between a nonprofit and a for-profit come into conflict, the charitable purpose must always win out.
"It's the job of the board first, and then the regulators and the court, to ensure that the promise that was made to the public to pursue the charitable interest is kept," she said.
Altman recently confirmed that OpenAI is considering a corporate restructure but did not offer any specifics. A source told The Associated Press, however, that the company is looking at the possibility of turning OpenAI into a public benefit corporation. No final decision has been made by the board and the timing of the shift hasn't been determined, the source said.
In the event the nonprofit loses control of its subsidiaries, some experts think OpenAI may have to pay for the interests and assets that had belonged to the nonprofit. So far, most observers agree OpenAI has carefully orchestrated its relationships between its nonprofit and its various other corporate entities to try to avoid that.
However, they also see... Read More