Members of the Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) have re-elected national executive director Chuck Parker. Joel Cohen, currently a business representative, was elected as associate national executive director, replacing the mono-monikered dooner. Both Parker and Cohen will serve a three-year term.
National president Nelson Coates said, “I am pleased ADG 800 members have recognized the accomplishments and leadership of national executive director Chuck Parker in this election. I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of our 3,100 members to build an even stronger Guild. I also wish to thank outgoing associate national executive director dooner for his years of service and welcome incoming associate national executive director Joel Cohen to the ADG staff.”
In other election news from the ADG, Evan Rohde, AD Council chair and Board member, Susan Bolles, Council vice chair, Nikki Rudloff, Council secretary, Oana B. Miller, treasurer; and Mark Worthington and Dina Lipton, ADG Board members, and Korey Washington and Michele Yu as Council members, were named to serve on the Art Directors Council.
Members of the Illustrators, Storyboard Artists and Matte Artists Craft voted for Tim Wilcox as their Council chair, Jarid Boyce as Council vice chair, Casey Bernay, Council treasurer and Chris Brandt and Fae Corrigan as Council members.
Set Designers and Model Makers Craft members voted for the following: Kristen Davis as their Council chair and Board member, Adriana Dardas as Council vice chair, Carol Bentley as Council secretary and Marco Miehe as Council treasurer. Member seats went to Rebecca Coulter and Sam Ogden.
Finally, members of the Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists Craft voted for Clint Schultz as Council chair and Board member and TJ Searl as Council vice chair. Alex Maziekien and Eric Rosenberg were voted onto the ADG Board, while Johnny LeBlanc and Anastasia Sergeeva were named as members of the STG Council.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More