Joining a Film Union · The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839
Animation: how to join IATSE
Animation artists, writers, and technicians build performance and worlds frame by frame, in 2D and 3D. In Los Angeles the craft is The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, and membership follows employment: you're hired at a signatory studio, then you join.
Good to know
In Los Angeles the craft is The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, and membership follows the job: you are hired at a signatory studio first, then you join. That makes it different from the day-count crafts, so the practical target is landing at a signatory studio, where the guild contract kicks in with the offer.
How to join, step by step
Know your union
- In LA the craft is The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839.
- Membership follows the job: you are hired at a signatory studio, then you join.
Build a portfolio
- A reel or portfolio in your discipline (2D, 3D, story, design) is everything.
- Freelance and non-signatory work is where you sharpen it.
Get hired at a signatory studio
- A signatory studio offer is what brings you under the guild contract.
- Unlike the day-count crafts, there is no roster to grind: the job is the trigger.
Join on hire
- When a signatory studio hires you, you join Local 839 as part of the deal.
- Keep your offer and start paperwork.
What you’ll need
- A current reel/portfolio for signatory-studio hiring
- A covered job offer: membership follows the hire
- Initiation + dues once you start
Find your local
The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 membership runs through a local for your market. Look up the one that covers where you work on the union’s site.