What is a PAC? A Political Action Committee is a federally-regulated account created for the purposes of raising and spending money to help elect or defeat candidates or oppose legislation seeking to undermine labor rights and interests. In 1943 Congress passed the Smith Connally Act as an effort to deny a union’s ability to financially…

David Block has spent over 43 years as an Animator, Producer/Director, Character Designer, Overseas Supervisor, and Overseas Consultant working for Chuck Jones, Richard Williams and Abe Levitow. In 1977, David began a 33 year career at Walt Disney Studios where he animated on eight feature films. In 1985, David was a key member in creating Walt…

On Apr. 9th, the Family and Personal Leave Subcommittee hosted a panel discussion on what you need to know if you are considering starting a family. The subcommittee’s co-chair Kristin Donner (who successfully advocated for TAG’s first-ever Parental Leave Policy), storyboard artist and father of three Neil Graf, mother and background artist Teri Hendrich Cusumano,…

Lunch & Learn: Estate Planning Last week, Rebecca Goldfarb, an attorney specializing in estate planning and elder law services visited the Animation Guild to talk about estate planning, a subject that can be difficult and stressful for many individuals. If you missed the event, you can read an overview of her discussion here. Estate Planning…

At the 30th annual GLAAD Media Awards, Steven Universe received a groundbreaking recognition as the first animated series to receive an award in the Outstanding Kids & Family Programming category. Celebrating its sixth anniversary this may, the show has been acknowledged not only for its LGBTQIA+ themes but also its depiction of healthy interpersonal relationships. We…

Starting with the original Teen Titans for Cartoon Network, Hoegee has been head writer and story editor on an impressive list of award-winning animated series including Legion of Super Heroes, Storm Hawks, Generator Rex, Slugterra and Thunderbirds are Go.  As a series creator, Rob just saw the launch of Abby Hatcher on Nick Jr. and as writer…

Many of you already know Steve Kaplan. He worked at the Local between 2010 and 2015. He is also on the Animation Guild’s Executive Board, serves as a Trustee and participated in contract negotiations. What you may not know about him? That he is a zythophile (look it up!) and brews his own beer with…

Calling all Animators! TAG members Tom Riffel, Drew Newman and Crystal Stromer have joined forces to create an Animator’s Committee for Local 839 members. “We seek to raise awareness of the issues animators are facing in today’s climate and wish to explore the benefits of keeping more animation work in-house,” the trio says. “Our craft…

Bueno’s journey as a lighting and compositing artist has taken her from Mexico to London, Canada to now Los Angeles. She currently works at DreamWorks Feature Animation and is also a growing, active member of the Animation Guild, serving on the Communications Committee. Here, she talks about both her professional and personal work. Tell us…

When it comes time to negotiate your next contract, there are a lot of variables that go into determining how much you deserve to be paid: What is the average pay rate for your job title? Was your last job above or below the average? How does a non-union studio compare to the work and…

Alan Bodner, art director on Tangled, recently unveiled a series of artwork that celebrates song and dance. We spoke with him about the inspiration behind it and how he approaches his work. What was the inspiration behind your recent artwork? I have had a passion for dance since childhood.  In her earlier years, my great…

Up until recently, only your employer could pre-qualify you for training classes. That has changed! In the past, this process (of providing proof of 30 days worked in the past two years) was tied to registering for Skills Training. Now, TAG 839 members can prove eligibility for Skills Training through Contract Services even if they aren’t…