Theorist Media Creatives Announce Joint Union Drive with Motion Picture Editors Guild and Writers Guild of America West
Los Angeles – After building overwhelming support, creative workers at Theorist Media are calling on owner Lunar X to recognize their unions. The organizing effort includes workers performing a wide range of work—from editing and writing to sound design to thumbnail creation and digital production.
Workers first reached out to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), while the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) joined the campaign to coordinate organizing efforts for writers. The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700, is leading the effort for the IATSE-represented classifications.
This signals a major step forward for workers across the fast-growing digital media sector.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve watched terrific creators and their content shape YouTube into one of the most powerful platforms on Earth,” said Nicole Cepeda, who works in graphics at Theorist. “Now it’s time for Theorist and other production companies to take it to the next level.
“By unionizing, our goal is to help raise professional standards and bring them in line with the broader entertainment industry. The work we do is real, and it deserves real protection.”
"My aunt was the first female president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, where she fought for collective bargaining rights for educators. She was a force to be reckoned with, and I'm proud to be continuing her legacy by helping bring the labor movement to YouTube,” said Daniel Zemke, Writer at Theorist. “We're fighting for fair wages, better working conditions, and a voice on a platform that is sorely lacking in worker rights.”
Despite being petitioned by a supermajority of its relevant workers, Theorist Media—now owned by Lunar X—has declined to voluntarily recognize the unions and is pushing for an NLRB representation election.
“All workers have a right to union representation,” said WGAW President Michele Mulroney. “The creatives behind Theorist programming are bringing audiences, advertisers, and profits for Theorist — it’s time for the good union jobs to follow.”
Theorist workers remain undeterred and will continue to demand that Theorist Media and Lunar X do the right thing and voluntarily recognize the unions and quickly negotiate fair contracts for their workers.
“With all its successful enthusiast sites, Theorist has proven that a huge audience exists for professionally produced content on YouTube,” said Alan Heim, ACE, president of Motion Picture Editors Guild. “Now it’s time for management to prove that they will do the right thing by the hard-working craftspeople who make all that great content possible.”
About the Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700
The Motion Picture Editors Guild is a national labor organization representing more than 7,500 post-production professionals, including picture editors, sound engineers, and other crafts essential to the film, television, and digital media industries. The Guild is dedicated to promoting fair working conditions, equitable pay, and respect for all workers in the entertainment industry.
About Writers Guild of America West
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.