Art Directors Guild suspends Production Design Initiative program

According to an email sent to potential applicants obtained by IndieWire, the Art Directors Guild is suspending its Production Design Initiative program, which is intended to provide hands-on training and job placement opportunities for those seeking a career in the field. (Read the full statement below.)

In the email, the ADG cited 75 percent unemployment among its members as the reason and concluded: “Given this situation, we cannot in good conscience encourage you to practice our profession while so many of our members remain unemployed.”

The ADG is one of the largest IATSE local organizations, with approximately 3,000 members, and is home to a wide range of art department careers, including production designer, art director, set designer, illustrator, model maker, and matte, scenic, previs, and graphic artists.

The industry has not fully resumed, Production numbers are returning to pre-strike levels, and it remains unclear whether a return to this status quo is possible in a Hollywood characterized by ever-higher costs, ever-decreasing revenues and increasing production abroad.

This comes at a time when IATSE is renegotiating a new three-year contract with the AMPTP to avoid a strike and as the crew is too focused on the labor issues facing their profession. Like others in the IATSE, ADG members have endured a particularly difficult period: job losses during the pandemic, strikes at WGA and SAG, and the current downturn that has slowed television and film production and moved more of it offshore.

In the current negotiations, the main issue for AMPTP and IATSE will be the financing of health and pension benefits, which will be financed directly from residual funds. Signatory companies to the Basic Agreement expect a $670 million shortfall in health and pension benefits over the next three years due to fewer overall productions and/or more content produced outside of the Basic jurisdiction.

The language used in this message, which came after the ADG’s five-and-a-half hour annual membership meeting, is eerily similar to what prospective PDI trainees have received. “While I do not want members to leave our union family, I know quite a few who are on the verge of bankruptcy or losing their homes,” ADG leadership wrote to its members in late April. “I have spoken to several who are wondering whether they should move on to other ventures. This information could be very useful to them as they think about their future.”

In 2022, there were 24 PDI program participants; in 2023 there were 26. Participants were expected to work 260 consecutive or non-consecutive days to train them for roles in the art department. They could be assigned to work on feature films, episodic productions, commercials, reality shows, live events or theme park initiatives – and were paid and insured as full production assistants.

This is a major blow to creating a consistent pipeline of future talent. In the ADG’s own language, this was “one of the most ambitious initiatives by a Hollywood union… Through this opportunity (participants) will be informed of the contributions of the many members of the art department, including production designers, art directors, set designers, model makers, illustrators, previs- , graphic, stage and title artist.”

IndieWire has reached out to the Art Directors Guild for further comment. Read the entire statement below.

Dear PDI applicants,

Due to historical and unprecedented circumstances in the entertainment industry, we must suspend review of all PDI applications for the 2024 calendar year. We are aware that this decision will come as a surprise and disappointment to many.

Since Covid, our industry has been in a state of historic change and evolution. The reason for our decision to suspend the 2024 PD Initiative is the severe decline in current employment opportunities for our members, both in North America and globally. Currently, more than 75% of our members are unemployed and many have been out of work for 18 months or longer.

Due to these circumstances, there are currently even fewer employment opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Given this situation, we cannot in good conscience encourage you to practice our profession while so many of our members remain unemployed. There are several reasons for this: the strikes in 2023, the ongoing labor negotiations in 2024 and a once-in-a-lifetime generational shift in the entertainment industry
The industry is looking for new business models for content creation and distribution. We hope this is a temporary situation and intend to restart the PD initiative in 2025. At this time, you may reapply if you remain interested.

In the meantime, we encourage you to work on your portfolios and training your work skills. This decision also does not prevent you from contacting current and future productions and their designers directly if you see an opportunity for employment as a production assistant in their artistic departments.

Most importantly, stay informed and continue to expand your personal networks. We are discussing hosting a webinar for our PDI community and also for you to provide an overview of our current situation and its future trends. We will let you know as soon as we have a confirmed schedule, date and designer panelists.

Best regards,

The ADG PDI leadership team