Are you interested in learning more about the Guild or contributing to member-run efforts? A great way to start is to join a committee, or simply attend a committee meeting and see if it’s something you’d like to support.
Nearly all elected Guild leadership have full-time jobs; committees can help by diving deeper into issues, and bringing knowledge and recommendations back to the Executive Board. Participating in or leading a committee is a valuable way to grow and learn, plus you will make connections and build leadership skills that may help you in your career!
Learn more about TAG’s existing committees.
Animators
This craft committee is reaching out to as many animators, union and not yet union alike, to help build and organize a committee infrastructure that helps foster unity and community in their craft. Goals include data collection, defining job classifications, and education to help promote the growth of in-house animator jobs. Chairs: Drew Newman, Crystal Stromer, Tom Riffel
CG Committee
The CG Committee identifies and addresses issues affecting CG artists, expands skill sets through training, and builds up a network to provide resources and support to CG artists. Chair: Candice Stephenson
Color Designers
The Color Designers committee brings recognition and visibility to the craft of Color Design while highlighting and addressing issues of pay equity in our industry. Chairs: Teri Hendrich Cusumano & Jack Cusumano
Communications
The Communications Committee’s primary goal is to facilitate and improve communications both within the organization and with the broader public. The Committee is focused on developing effective vehicles of communication to support the goals, objectives and initiatives of the Animation Guild and its members. Chairs: Paula Spence, Emily Walus
Constitution
The Constitution Committee will examine the Animation Guild’s Constitution and By-Laws cover-to-cover in an effort to ensure TAG’s governing documents are inclusive and intelligent, uphold and support the mission of our organization for the well-being of its members, and drafted in such a way as to thoughtfully and meticulously poise TAG for the future while honoring its past. Chairs: KC Johnson & Steve Kaplan
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Designers Committee
The Designers Committee strives to organize efforts that are of interest or concern to designers by working to inform, educate, track industry trends, and share experiences as they relate to design. They wish to connect the Design Community and give a platform to share workplace issues and experiences. Ultimately, the Design Committee will serve as a resource and a community to help designers of the animation industry thrive. Chairs: Carl Beu, Steve Eat & Jessica Marfisi
Education Committee
The Education Committee aims to be a resource for skills training and to help animation educators better prepare future members for surviving the industry. Chair: Pete Michels
committee-education-
Experienced Workers Committee
The Experienced Workers Committee hopes to provide networking opportunities, support, exploration of best practices (in regards to seeking and maintaining employment), commiseration(for members beset by ageism), and mentorship to interested younger workers. Chairs: Brad Rader and Steve Muller
Family and Membership (FAM)
The Family And Membership (FAM) Committee is dedicated to outreach, advocacy, and member activism, while also providing a community and resources in support of member and family wellness. Chairs: Kristin Donner & Kyle Neswald
Keep up to date on FAM Committee events and initiatives here.
Foundation Committee
The Foundation Committee was established to create an Animation Guild Foundation that provides altruistic and supportive aid and grants directly to our members. Chairs: Jeanette King and Paula Spence
Memorial
The Afternoon of Remembrance is an annual, free, non-denominational ceremony to honor all the members of our animation community who died the previous year. It is not meant to supplant private family services. Just a way for our animation community to come together to remember our friends and colleagues. The committee plans, organizes and oversees the event. Chair: Tom Sito, Eugene Salandra
People of Color (POCC)
The People of Color Committee, referred to as the POCC, aims to support ethnic minority members within the Animation Guild, and address the systems of race and class that prevent American animation from being representative and inclusive. Through outreach, activism, and initiatives to engage the Guild and the animation industry at large, the POCC’s aim is to support Black and Indigenous members for the benefit of all members. Chairs: Lauren Andrews & Roger Oda.
Political Action League
The Political Action League exists to support the IATSE PAC fund. Our mission is to educate our members regarding political activities and legislation that threaten our Union, members, benefits, and the compensation we seek to defend and advance. Chair: Steve Kaplan
Sign-Up to join the PAL Committee and receive emails: https://tinyurl.com/
Click here for more information on the IATSE PAC
Queer TAG (QT)
The QT Committee seeks to assemble the LGBTQIA+ community in the industry and in the union, to spread visibility throughout the industry, to foster community, address LGBTQIA+ issues within the general work of TAG and to promote security for our growing community. Chairs: Andy Garner-Flexner & Alex Quintas
Storyboard
The Storyboard Committee’s mission is to facilitate a thriving community of events, resources, sub-committees, and channels of communication for a healthy culture and to best represent the storyboarding craft and its needs in negotiations. Chairs: Jake Hollander & Sydney Sharp
animationstoryboardgroup@gmail.com
Testing
The Testing committee addresses the issue of excessive and unpaid skills evaluations, more commonly known as “testing.” We hope to dismantle this industry norm from the inside-out by educating ALL of our membership on the role they play in perpetuating the standard of doing enormous amounts of work without compensation. We intend to do this through member outreach, with specialized approaches to both subordinates and supervisors, data collection, and the spreading of educational materials to our members and beyond. Chairs: Danny Ducker & Erica Smith
Visit the Testing webpage where you can learn more and submit tests.
Timing
The Timing Committee’s goals are to maintain dialogue among animation timing directors, monitor industry working conditions, facilitate networking opportunities, maintain outreach in cooperation with other Union Classifications, and heighten awareness and visibility of our invaluable contribution to animation productions. Chairs: Christine Smith Ishimine, Ray Kosarin
Sign up for email notifications or information at https://tinyurl.com/TimingComm.
WARP
The Worker Action Readiness Planning (WARP) Committee is focused on giving the Negotiation Committee the backing it needs from the rank-and-file members of the Guild: firstly, by researching and planning timelines and toolkits for potential action; and secondly, by building solidarity and engagement within the membership. Chairs: Brandon Jarratt, Kyle Neswald
warp@tag839.org or sign up for email notifications or information at https://animationguild.org/warpemail
Workplace Equality Committee
All employees have the right to fair/equal treatment at work, and the right to recognition for their work. The goal of the Workplace Equality Committee is to combat discrimination, harassment and hostility toward employees. Chairs: Kathy Bauer
To learn more about the WE committee and to get involved, email the WE Committee at workplaceequality@tag839.org.
Writers Committee
The Writers Committee’s goal is to better connect and represent writers in 839, meeting regularly to engage this group of members. Chair: Patrick Rieger & Mairghread Scott
Learn more about the craft through the committee’s informative virtual panel series. You can sign up for the committee email list here: https://animationguild.org/writers-committee-form
Check out the WCC’s new Showrunning Training Series here.
You can reach the committee chairs at: wccchair839@gmail.com
Young Workers Committee
The purpose of the Young Workers Committee is to foster a positive relationship (and stimulate engagement) with our newer (typically younger) members. YWC aims to engage our new members through social events so that they come to develop relationships to and through the Guild, hopefully laying the groundwork for our key long-term goal. Chair: Nora Meek