Welcome to NYWIFT Talks, a weekly series to bring updated news and vital information about the impact of COVID-19 on the media and entertainment industry. Industry professionals will be in conversation discussing what you need to know about theatrical releases, digital advances, virtual tools, festival opportunities, production updates and more.
NYWIFT Talks are free for all to attend.
On this week’s NYWIFT Talks, the pandemic has started the conversation on changing the work environment in many different careers. But, what about the crew behind the scenes? We speak with IATSE members in film/television to discuss unhealthy work environments in the industry and what the strike means to its members.
This conversation will include Marisa Shipley (VP and Member of Local IATSE) and Jendra Jarnagin (IATSE Local 600). Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member, Leslie Fields-Cruz.
Date: Wednesday, October 6th, 2021
Time: 4PM ET
Cost: Free
Panelists
Marisa Shipley is the Vice President of Local 871 and a freelance Art Department and Set Dec Coordinator for tv/film in Los Angeles. She initially got involved with the Local as a member of the ad-hoc Art Department Coordinators Public Relations Committee, working to get signatures on a petition showing support for better wages for her craft prior to 2018 negotiations. As the chair of the Local 871 #ReelEquity pay equity committee Marisa continues to focus on a collaborative approach to tackling pay equity issues affecting women in entertainment, particularly those working behind the camera.
Jendra Jarnagin is an award-winning and in-demand director of photography, who has spent the last 25 years trailblazing across the world of entertainment. The NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate has photographed a wide range of projects including feature films, episodic television, online series, commercials, music videos, documentaries, virtual reality, and art films. Her recent DP work, Asking For It, is a 2021 Tribeca Film Festival selection. The bold and stylistic female vigilante drama stars Kiersey Clemons, Ezra Miller, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Radha Mitchell, Luke Hemsworth, David Patrick Kelly, and Gabourey Sidibe. Jendra’s cinematographic talents can be seen in Entangled (2018), TRI (2016), The Opposite Sex (2014), and the online series, In Between Men (2010-2013). Her work can also be seen in TV series for ABC, FOX, PBS, and Hulu, and ad campaigns for well-known brands including Maybelline, Estée Lauder, Shea Moisture, Adidas, Canon and Lincoln. Jendra’s talents have led her to be featured in publications including American Cinematographer, having even graced the covers of Moviemaker and the magazine of the Polish Society of Cinematographers. At the start of her career, Jendra’s passion for lighting led her to work as a gaffer and electrician as a side job for 10 years. Working on projects such as Sex & the City, Law & Order, The Sopranos, Analyze That, and Vanilla Sky developed her strong foundation in lighting and crew leadership. Her work has been showcased at the Whitney Museum, the UN, and numerous film festivals worldwide including Sundance, Tribeca, and the Camerimage International Festival of Cinematography. Jendra’s work and passion for travel has brought her to 27 countries, and she enjoys sharing her experiences and inspiring others as a speaker, panelist and instructor all over the world. Jendra is represented by APA, and you can see her work on her website www.jendrajarnagin.com
Leslie Fields-Cruz (moderator) started at Black Public Media, formerly National Black Programming Consortium, in 2001 managing grant making activities that supported the production and development of documentary programs for PBS. By 2005, she was the Director of Programming, leading the distribution of all funded programs to public television. In 2008, with six independent titles in need of a public television broadcast, Leslie launched AfroPoP: The Ultimately Cultural Exchange, a documentary series highlighting the variety and depth of the global black experience. AfroPoP has garnered several awards and is the only national public television series focused solely on stories from the black experience. In the fall of 2014, Leslie became BPM’s third Executive Director. Though she keeps the pulse on the development of program content and its distribution across public media platforms, she is focused on growing BPM’s resources to enable it to support more stories about the Black experience.
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
