The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) is undergoing major staff changes in both their Western and Eastern Region offices, it was announced by national executive director Rebecca Rhine.
Alexander Tonisson, a 14-year veteran of the labor movement, has been hired as the Guild’s new Western Region director. He most recently served as director of field services to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE, LOCAL 21) running the day-to-day field staff operations in all four regional offices, including all representation, legal work, bargaining and internal/external organizing. Tonisson is accomplished in program development, coalition building, labor organizing, campaign planning and directing, contract negotiations, directing labor communications, managing union staff and research and legal strategy.
Joining him at Local 600’s Los Angeles office as assistant Western Region director is Xiomara Comrie, until now the Guild’s lead business representative and acting Western Region director. She originally joined the ICG in 2008 as a business representative after a 20-year career as a camera assistant. As the national diversity officer of the ICG, Comrie also works alongside the diversity and women’s committees to increase awareness and promote inclusion and access within the membership and the industry.
Heather Pearson will become the new in-house legal counsel, succeeding the retiring David Adelstein. Pearson was most recently sr. counsel at the Writers Guild of America West. She graduated from UC Davis Law School and was a captain in the United States Army.
Also joining the International Cinematographers Guild in its New York office as an Eastern Region business representative is Anna Nowlan, a second generation of labor and community organizers in her family, with more than 15 years of experience. She was most recently lead organizer for New Jersey Communities United in Newark, NJ.
Rhine described these and other staffing changes as being “on a scale we have not experienced before.” She added, “It feels to me as if we are at a pivotal moment in our development. This presents an opportunity to move into a higher gear to meet and exceed our members’ expectations.”
EPs Jim Huie and Nick Pitcavage Launch Supper Club Pictures
Production company and content studio Supper Club Pictures has been launched. The new venture offers commercials, branded content, and film for leading ad agencies and brands. Former Alkemy X executive producers Jim Huie and Nick Pitcavage have formed Supper Club with a curated roster of directors which includes Dean Blumberg, Benny Nicks, Josh Forbes, Tatjana Green, Johnny Andow, Joe Dixon, and Andrรฉ Robert Lee.
All the directors had most recently been with Alkemy X, except for Nicks who had been freelancing in the U.S. market. He continues to be repped by Colossale in Montreal.
The concept behind Supper Club was inspired by the elevated experience conjured by its namesake. Much like how a supper club elevates the average dining experience, Supper Club seeks to elevate content production with a personal experience that prioritizes creativity and quality. With a team of award-winning directors and producers and a passion for connecting with creators, Supper Club has adopted a talent-first approach and collaborative ethos.
Pitcavage noted, โAnyone can put a production together, so producers have to bring much more than logistics to a project. At Supper Club, we use the movie-magic tools at our disposal to elevate the creative beyond what is presented on the page. We also understand the critical client services part of the business, so communication and clarity from the chaos of set-life is factored into everything we do. Combining this with our talented director roster is what sets us up to be a production company of the future.โ
Supper Club is designed to appeal to a growing segment of agencies and brands seeking specialized creators for collaboration. Huie shared, โSupper Club is built to champion the art of production. Weโre... Read More