Local film and TV productions were on hold for six months. But with the end of the Screen Actors Guild strike last Thursday, and the end of the Writers Guild of America strike in late September, Hollywood is slowly coming back to life.
“Slowly” is the key word. Below-the-line workers — who aren’t actors or writers — aren’t getting many calls to work gigs yet.
Melissa Wahe is a stunt driver and actor, which makes her a part of SAG. Since picketing ended, she’s been preparing her headshots for her agent again. But she expects she won’t really get back to work until January.
“We're going to have Thanksgiving break next week. And then things don't really shake out until after the holidays,” Wahe says. “Hollywood goes on a holiday break, usually.”
With no productions happening, Wahe started studying how to become a commercial driver who could operate trucks and big rigs for stunts. Her exam for a commercial driver’s license is this Thursday. She also saved money while working for a high-end valet company. “I've been using all of my skills,” she says.
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For Matthew Atzenhoffer, a set dresser, his phone hasn’t been ringing much, either. He predicts work in Hollywood will really accelerate when the new year arrives. “I haven’t worked since February, so it’s been a while,” he notes.
During that time, Atzenhoffer used disability insurance to receive physical therapy for back and tendonitis in his elbow, as well as knee replacement surgery, which his union advised him to do at the start of the strikes.
“We knew we're going to be shut down for a long time and they said, ‘Take care of all the physical things that we've avoided and ignored when we're working,’” he says.
As a set dresser, Atzenhoffer is part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Though IATSE is separate from SAG or WGA, Atzenhoffer says his union will still be impacted by their new contracts.
“When separate unions negotiate their own contract, it invariably helps other unions,” he says. “We're not in the same union, but we're incredibly linked to one another because we're in the same business.”
Atzenhoffer attends Local 44 meetings for IATSE and has noticed a recent “sea change” with his local union leadership. “I feel like we're getting more and more involved. And that's a good thing,” he says. “We've got a good group of people who are trying to get everybody together and organize our local, so we know what we're going to ask for, so we can get it the next time.”
“I'm hopeful that we've learned from these two negotiations with the writers and SAG — that we will make some more strides. … All I can do is stay hopeful,” Atzenhoffer adds.