Joining a Film Union · IATSE Local 600, Cinematographers Guild
Unit publicist: how to join IATSE
Unit publicists and still photographers document and promote the production from the inside: the set stills, the electronic press kit, and the approved images that feed marketing. On covered shows they sit under IATSE Local 600 alongside the camera crew.
Good to know
The surprising part: unit publicists and set still photographers sit in ICG Local 600, the same local as the camera crew. It is a small, relationship-driven group, so the usual way in is building trust on the stills and electronic-press-kit work marketing depends on, then documenting those covered days.
Roles in this craft
The jobs that make up this craft, each with its own page on pay, the day-to-day, and how to break in.
How to join, step by step
Know your union
- Unit publicists and set still photographers are ICG Local 600, the same local as the camera crew.
- It is a small, relationship-driven group.
Build a stills and EPK portfolio
- Set stills, unit photography, and electronic-press-kit work are the craft: build a body of approved images.
- Marketing and publicity contacts are how the jobs come.
Work covered days
- In LA, covered days register through Contract Services; elsewhere, apply to the local.
- Non-union and indie shows are where those first days and relationships form.
Roster and join
- Documented covered days put you on the Local 600 roster.
- Keep every credit and pay stub.
What you’ll need
- 30 union days (past year) or 100 non-union days (past 3 years) in your classification
- W-2 payroll records or signed employment-verification letters
- Initiation funds (~$5,000+, varies by classification)
Find your local
IATSE Local 600, Cinematographers Guild membership runs through a local for your market. Look up the one that covers where you work on the union’s site.