They narrowly avoided the biggest strike Hollywood has seen since World War II. And now, Hollywood crew workers have a new contract with the production studios that hire them. The contract was ratified by a 256 to 188 vote of delegates, the union announced on Monday. But 50.4% of members that represent the popular vote rejected the deal. Read more >>
Here's what else we're reading in the news:
- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be in L.A. for CoMotion's in-person event.
- Within Health, an L.A.-based health tech startup, has launched its virtual program to treat those suffering from eating disorders. We spoke with their co-founder last month about what lies ahead.
- SpinLaunch, an L.A.-based rocket startup, says it has successfully launched a rocket using energy produced from its spinning technology.
- Closed Loop Plastics, a Long Beach-based plastic renewables startup, is expanding its operations to another location in California.
- The Salton Sea, a shallow body of water some 160 miles southeast of L.A., is attracting drilling for lithium, a critical ingredient in electric vehicle batteries.
- Snap has signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to let users add song clips to Snaps and Stories, including those on its AR lenses.
What's in the Hollywood Union IATSE Contract?
The new contract boosts wages for some of Hollywood's lowest-paid workers and mandates longer weekend rest periods, but it also extends a controversial agreement that established lower payouts for certain "new media" streaming productions, such as shows created for services like Apple TV Plus.
Canoo Is Leaving Southern California
Electric vehicle maker Canoo is abandoning its Torrance headquarters for Walmart's home turf. The company announced as part of its third quarter earnings call Nov. 15 that it will soon move its corporate headquarters to Bentonville, Arkansas as it moves up their production timeline.
USC, Cal State LA to Digitize and 3D Print Mesoamerican Artifacts
A massive effort is underway at USC and Cal State Los Angeles to digitize and preserve tens of thousands of Mesoamerican artifacts, books and photographs — some nearly 3,000 years old. The digitized archives will eventually be shared freely via the Cal State digital library, the USC digital library, Calisphere and the Digital Public Library of America.
Exclusive: How the Nacelle Company Is Building to Be the Next Viacom
In a dot.LA exclusive, Brian Volk-Weiss talks about his obsession with pop culture, how COVID has changed the entertainment industry and how his company, The Nacelle Company, could one day rival a giant like Viacom.