‘A major slowdown’: Actors, writers joint strike hits Alberta productions

The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have shut down productions across the entertainment industry, including in Alberta.

A burgeoning screen and film industry in Alberta is seeing its growth prospects trimmed back with an historic event.

On Thursday, the leaders of Hollywood’s actors’ union voted to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades.

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes have shut down productions across the entertainment industry, including in Alberta.

“We already had a slowdown in May from the writers strike, but now that the actors are on strike, all of the projects that require SAG-affiliated actors or WGA-affiliated writers cannot shoot. So we’re experiencing a major slowdown right now,” Damian Petti, president of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 212 said.

IATSE represents technicians, artisans and craftspeople who work in live theatre, motion picture and television production, and counts 1,500 members in Calgary.

Petti said two “large” productions are laying people off as they mothball operations and other productions eyeing the province that are now taking a “wait and see” approach.

“This time of year we probably would have seven or eight fairly large projects and right now we have one project. So it’s a significant reduction in work.”

The past couple of years have been banner years for productions in the province, with shows like HBO’s The Last of Us, Apple TV’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and Predator sequel Prey shooting in Alberta.