Atlanta Training Session Aims at Keeping Worker Skills Up to Date

Local 700 members gather in the offices of Local 479 for Avid training designed to keep skills fresh. PHOTOS: MUNEEB HASSAN
Local 700 members gather in the offices of Local 479 for Avid training designed to keep skills fresh. PHOTOS: MUNEEB HASSAN

In November, the Guild sponsored a two-day Avid workshop in Atlanta to help members there keep their work skills up to date. The workshop was held in the IATSE Local 479 education conference room and was led by New York-based assistant editor Louis Armistead.

The hands-on workshop reviewed best practices for efficient assistant editor workflows on scripted projects. It was uniquely rewarding, Armistead said later, to connect with Atlanta members while sharing workflows and strategies he had learned from his varied narrative project experiences in film and streaming television.

“It is reassuring to know that we have the backing of the New York local union,” one attendee commented. “I am optimistic for the future. The instructor was excellent; he made the lesson entertaining and relaxed.” For the Guild, the training session is an indicator of growth. “It’s significant that the membership numbers in Atlanta have grown large enough to warrant holding this training,” said Cathy Repola, the National Executive Director of Local 700. Muneeb Hassan, the Eastern region post-production training coordinator, joined forces with field rep Brian Johnson to set up the event.

— Muneeb Hassan