You have no doubt heard by now that a large swath of the population got singed by the reported hack of Anthem Insurance. Almost every entertainment union had members that were affected, and the Animation Guild was no exception. Although there’s not much substantive to report, the guild sent the following to members: You are…

It isn’t just Robert Iger who’ll be ambling on Sony has just confirmed that Amy Pascal is stepping down from her position as co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and chairman of the Motion Picture Group, and that she will launch a new production venture at the studio. Pascal will transition to the new venture in…

The Animation Guild’s 401(k) Plan quarterly trustee meeting took place on Monday; herewith useful factoids for participants: Total Plan Assets 1st Quarter 2014 — $213,826,678 4th Quarter 2014 — $230,542,543 Average Participant Balance 1st Quarter 2014 — $87,778 4th Quarter 2014 — $92,476 Total Participants 2,493 The trustees met on Monday afternoon where they discussed…

Animation Guild Vice President Jack Thomas was elected President of the guild tonight at TAG’s January General Membership meeting. Mr. Thomas was nominated by the membership and elected by white ballot. Outgoing Animation Guild President Nathan Loofbourrow resigned as President at the end of 2014. As required by the guild’s constitution, an election was held…

Mr. Sito today on his facebook page: With the layoffs at Sony and Dreamworks, some animators fear this is “the End of All Things”. But layoffs are just another part of being in animation. I was laid off many times. When I first arrived in LA, the biggest, stablest studios were Hanna & Barbera, DePatie…

At the December Executive Board meeting, Guild President Nathan Loofbourrow announced his intention to resign his office. According to Article 6, Section 9(a) of our Constitution and By-Laws, the presidential vacancy must be filled at the January General Membership meeting. Any eligible member of the Guild has the opportunity to be nominated and elected at…

… today in Paris: Masked gunmen attacked the Paris offices of satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, killing 12 people before fleeing. French security forces launched a major manhunt in the capital after the gunmen fled the scene of the attack, The Guardian reported. Police are searching for two brothers from the Paris region…

Artists have to do it as much as anyone, here in the 21st century. … AS THE BUSINESS of comics syndication has changed, tethered as much as it is to the fate and fortunes of newspapers, it has been especially great to see cartoonists enjoy opportunities in other creative realms in 2014. “Doonesbury’s” Garry Trudeau…

I’m sorry, but I find this a bit odd. The key live-action title has gaining traction in the animation business after years of being seen as a largely live-action only task. This year the field of computer animation passed a milestone when Pixar’s Sharon Calahan became the first director of photography whose work has been…

As somebody who lives inside organized labor, this is heartening: Federal officials unveiled new rules on Friday that will streamline and simplify the union election process, a reform long sought by labor unions and fiercely opposed by businesses. Among other changes, the rules issued by the National Labor Relations Board will limit some of the…

And we don’t mean the double-breasted kind. Sony probably didn’t need any more bad news after last week’s brutal hacking that made the studio work like it was 1954, but it got some today. While not altogether unexpected, the three class-action suits over alleged anti-poaching and wage-fixing deals by Sony, Disney, DreamWorks Animation and other…

President Emeritus Tom Sito notes: Nov 24, 1941 — After suffering a strike and declining revenue because of the war in Europe, Walt Disney’s studio was in trouble. Animator Ward Kimball noted in his diary for this day: “100 layoffs announced. Studio personnel from 1600 down to a Hyperion level of 300. Geez, It this…