On Saturday, May 16, members of Local 700 working in sound and music came together both virtually via Zoom and in person at the Guild’s Los Angeles and New York offices for the Guild’s much anticipated Sound & Music Town Hall.
The tone for the town hall was established early by Local 700 President F. Hudson Miller, who opened the discussion by highlighting the historic significance of his role.
“My name is F. Hudson Miller, and I am the first Sound Editor to be elected president of the Editors Guild in its 90-year history,” Miller said. “ Let’s hope that this get together can also be an agent of change for our members who work in sound and music. We are here to listen to you, our members, and discuss the issues that are affecting our sound community.”
The message throughout the day was clear: the Guild is committed to listening to the Sound and Music community.
National Executive Director Scott George echoed Miller’s sentiments during his opening remarks.
“All crafts are a crucial fundamental part of the Guild,” George said. “Every craft deserves to be a priority for us.”
Local 700 Sound and Music representatives were also present taking the stage to introduce themselves and reaffirm their commitment to supporting members working in sound and music. Together, their message was unified: we are here, we are present, and we are committed to being available to our members.
As the town hall transitioned into its Q&A portion, members from the Los Angeles office, New York office, and those who joined virtually voiced questions, insights, frustrations, and concerns affecting the sound community. The conversations were candid and, at times, difficult, but they reflected the importance of creating a space where members could openly share their experiences.
In one specific heartfelt exchange, where a member voiced her frustrations with the union contract, among other things, Scott acknowledged both the validity of her frustrations and the responsibility leadership has in addressing them moving forward, replying, “You have every right to be frustrated … thank you for being honest with me.”
Despite the challenges of the discussion, George emphasized that fostering these kinds of conversations has been a priority since stepping into the role of National Executive Director last year. His goal, he explained, has been to help create an environment within the Guild where difficult but necessary conversations can take place.
While smaller roundtable discussions with sound and music members had been held previously, this marked the Guild’s first-ever Sound & Music Town Hall — a significant step toward continued dialogue and action surrounding the issues facing the sound and music community.
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