The Zack Arnold Podcast Hollywood on the Record: The Real Story Behind @IA_Stories | with Marisa Shipley & Amy Thurlow
At the epicenter of the conversation last August during the most contentious portion of the IATSE contract negotiation was perhaps the IA stories Instagram account where literally hundreds of thousands of IATSE members discovered they weren't alone in enduring the horrors of working in Hollywood: Burnout, abusive working conditions, and sacrificing everything - including even their lives - to simply keep their jobs in the entertainment industry was apparently everyone’s story. Pandora’s Box opened, and it was clear people demanded change. Among those people are my guests today from Local 871 - Script Coordinator Amy Thurlow, and Art Department Coordinator Marisa Shipley.
Marisa Shipley is the President of Local 871, as well as one of the founders of the IA Stories page. She has been on the front lines of the living wage and pay equity fight since 2018 and is committed to finding a collaborative approach to tackling these issues.
Amy Thurlow was elected to represent Script Coordinators on the Board of Directors of Local 871 in December of 2021, and has been outspoken about the pay equity issues that have plagued her classification for decades.
This conversation has been a long time in the making, and we go deep into the stories of abusive practices in their local, the criminally low wages they have endured, and the systemic nature of these problems across many other IATSE locals. You'll also hear Marisa describe the severe toll that running the IA stories page took on her health and well-being (which is ironic given how hard she works to protect the well-being of others), as well as her deep struggle with the negative blowback she received during the IATSE contract negotiations. Trust me when I say that standing up for what you believe is never easy. But our industry and the world needs more Marisa’s and Amy’s advocating for all of us.
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Here's What You'll Learn:
- Why Local 871 has the moniker of The Island of Misfit Toys.
- What a script coordinator does and what their day to day looks like.
- The duties of the art department coordinator.
- The importance of these two roles to making sure things run smoothly between departments.
- What the hours and schedules are like for both of these jobs.
- The difference between being flexible and putting up boundaries.
- Why Marisa hates the words "can't you just..."
- The challenges that come with running a huge Instagram page like IA Stories.
- How Marisa got involved in pay equity issues in Local 871 and beyond.
- What motivated her to start the Instagram page IA stories and the intentions behind it.
- The incredible responsibility Marisa felt in taking on IA Stories.
- Dealing with the blowback of contract negotiations and how that affected Marisa.
- Why they made the intentional choice to not post about the specific contract negotiations and only focus on the stories.
- KEY TAKEAWAY: Setting boundaries is a personal responsibility that can also be supported collectively.
- Why it's important to get more involved in your guild's local.
- The unintended expectation that came from the IA Stories page and why it caused such anger in people after the contract vote.
- How different perspectives determine whether the contract was a win or a loss.
- KEY TAKEAWAY: We need systemic culture change AND we need personal responsibility.
- Optimize Yourself aims to show people HOW to set boundaries and take responsibility to create better working lives.
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Dear Hollywood: We Don’t Want to “Go Back to Normal." Normal Wasn’t Working.
IATSE Stories (@ia_stories) • Instagram photos and videos
How I burned out as a burnout coach (and then bounced back)
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Guest Bio:
Marisa Shipley is the President of Local 871 and a freelance Art Department Coordinator, Set Dec Coordinator and Construction Estimator for tv/film in Los Angeles. She initially got involved with the Local as a member of the ad-hoc Art Department Coordinators Public Relations Committee, working to get signatures on a petition showing support for better wages for her craft prior to 2018 negotiations. As the chair of the Local 871 #ReelEquity pay equity committee Marisa has focused on a collaborative approach to tackling pay equity issues affecting women in entertainment, particularly those working behind the camera.
Amy Thurlow is a writer and filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles, California. Amy has worked in television for many years. She started her career as a Writers' PA on the groundbreaking show GOSSIP GIRL and most recently Script Coordinated for Fox’s OUR KIND OF PEOPLE. Her other credits include TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES, SLEEPY HOLLOW, WITCHES OF EAST END, KRYPTON and NO TOMORROW. In December 2021, Amy was elected to represent Script Coordinators on the Board of Directors of Local 871. Amy graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a degree in Film and Television Production. Her work has been recognized by the WB Writers’ Workshop, Sundance Institute, Austin Film Festival and Final Draft Big Break Contest. Outside of writing and activism, Amy has a myriad of interests including performing the occasional stand up routine, teaching friends how to cook the perfect roast chicken, and deciding to run marathons even though she hates running.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.
The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
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