Baird Steptoe Sr. elected president of the Guild of Filmmakers

Baird Stepto Senior was elected national president of the International Guild of Cinematographers, IATSE Local 600. Stepto, currently the Guild’s second national vice president, will be the first African American to hold the office.

He won the presidential election in a four-way run with Jamie Silverstein, Deputy National Guild Secretary, Treasury member Diana Farrington and cameraman Casey Shaw. Of the more than 9,000 authorized members of the Guild, 32.4% received the final grade: Stepto, 1,106; Silverstein, 909; Farrington, 416; and Shaw, 121

Stepto replaces John Lindley, whose one-term presidency expires on June 18 while the Guild is in transition. Earlier this week, Rebecca Rain announced her resignation as CEO when her contract expires at the end of September. In a letter to union officials and council members on Sunday, she wrote: “I choose to say it now, so I have no idea that my decision is related to the outcome of the 600 local elections that are taking place at the moment. “

Lindley’s presidency began in March 2020, when the industry was just starting to shut down in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and he was deeply involved in industry-wide negotiations, which he renewed a few months later with strict protocols. block. Covid. . His tenure also coincided with a renewed push for shorter working hours and more humane working conditions, which ended last November with a controversial vote on the ratification of contracts. Local 600 was one of five local residents of IATSE’s 13 west coast studios to vote against the contract, which was still tightly ratified. His tenure also coincided with George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, sparking a national and industrial movement for social justice and equality. The accidental death of director Halina Hutchins in October last year in the New Mexico film set in Rust also inspired the search for greater security in film and television productions.

Stepham wrote in his election statement that “our next negotiations are in less than 2 years and we need to consolidate our members and strengthen solidarity with other IATSE business units to achieve our goals.” The union’s responsibility to membership is to negotiate and fight for safe and respectable working conditions, wages, health care and pensions. To be effective leaders, we need to listen and understand what our members need: reach all the rankings and hire more representatives on the ground across the country. “If I am elected president of Local 600, I will do everything possible to achieve the goals of this union and membership.”

Steptoy, who also chairs the Guild Engagement Committee, noted that as second vice president, he represented not only the guild’s western region, but all members of the Local 600, including members of all ages and genders, underrepresented veterans, LGBTQAI +. And all ethnic groups. This is who we are. “

Stepto is the first assistant to a veteran cameraman whose films include many Planet of the Apes Dawn, Pleasantville, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Happening Y This is what you do! In 2013 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Camera Operators.

Members also elected Chris Silano as National Vice President in New York, Deborah Lipman as First National Vice President in Central Region, and Mark Weingartner as Second National Vice President in Southern California. The current Stephen Wong has been re-elected Secretary General of the Treasury, also based in Los Angeles. Patrick Quinn was elected Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in New York and Betsy Pills was elected National Sergeant in the Central Region.

Elections for financial trustees, delegates to the National Executive Committee and IATSE district and international conventions were also held.