Spending by film, TV, and digital media production in New Mexico surpassed $2.2 billion dollars over the last three fiscal years. That’s according to figures released Tuesday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who noted that industry wages are now at record highs.
However much of that production is at a standstill because of strikes by the Writers’ Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union. KUNM spoke with Tom Schuch, first vice president of the SAG-AFTRA New Mexico chapter, about what those strikes mean for the state and its workers.
TOM SCHUCH: It's affecting New Mexico in the sense that all production is shut down right now. So nothing's being shot. It is possible for certain independent producers to still shoot, but they have to get a waiver from the union for that. Any producer that's involved with AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers], which is the association in motion picture, filmmakers, and producers, anybody who's associated with them cannot shoot, or use our actors.
KUNM: What changes are actors in New Mexico looking to come from this strike?
SCHUCH: The biggest thing is AI, which is coming very fast. That's a big issue with the Writers' Guild as well. Because AI essentially can replace actors, it can replace voices, it can replace, words, scripts, all of that can be produced without the use of a human being. So that's a big, big concern for us. Another concern are residuals from streaming productions. There really isn't a person in this world probably now [who's] not watching something on the streaming platform. And that came so fast and furious that it failed to be negotiated in our last couple of contracts. So that's another big issue for us. And then there's many, many smaller issues, too numerous to illustrate now, but those are the big ones.
KUNM: How do streaming services affect the income of actors and writers?
SCHUCH: Well, we get paid for the work we do. So the day rate or whatever it is, while we're shooting. But after it goes to the streaming service, we don't get the normal residuals that we would get in, say, a film that goes into the movie theaters or film that goes on cable TV. So because streaming is so prevalent now. And because actors are not being paid residuals on that work, that has become just a very, very big issue.
KUNM: How long does SAG AFTRA intend to be on strike?
SCHUCH: All strikes are conducted with a sense that we will strike as long as we need to. We have no idea. The last major strike that we were on was the commercial strike of 2000. And that went for 60 days. There have been people predicting that this is going to go longer, it could go through the end of the year. It's just a real unknown. And so we will be on strike as long as it takes. Because right now, they're not at the negotiating table. There's nothing being talked about right now.
KUNM: How do you see this affecting the economics of New Mexico?
SCHUCH: What it affects is not only the actors, but every ancillary business that is connected to the studios and film shooting. So paint stores, lumber companies, thrift shops that provide costumes, food vendors, coffee vendors, all of these various industries, businesses that are connected to the film business are stopped also. So it's not only affecting the actors, but it's affecting the total economy in New Mexico. So we're gonna see probably a lot of those people in our picket lines, and at our rallies because this strike is affecting them as well.
KUNM: Does this strike mean crew members will be out of work?
SCHUCH: IATSE is the big crew union. They can still work because they're not on strike. But they're supporting us. And so they will be on our picket lines, they will be at our rallies. And we're coordinating things with the New Mexico Federation of Labor, so that the other sister unions, we can keep them apprised of what we're doing, and what the Writers' Guild is doing so that we can be it can be a concerted, combined effort between all the other sister unions here in New Mexico. So we're talking about IATSE. We're talking about Teamsters, the Writers' Guild Directors Guild, and so forth.
