IATSE Local 856

What IATSE Local 856 does

IATSE Local 856 is a regional labor union representing specialty artists, technicians, and freelance craft workers in Manitoba's film and television production industry. The local is chartered under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a parent federation with over 100,000 members across North America. Headquartered at 332 Bannatyne Avenue, Suite 500, Winnipeg, Manitoba, the local governs 22 craft departments spanning Animal Wrangling, Art, Grips, Lighting, Sound, and other technical specialties. Its core function is collective bargaining, skills training, and the dispatch of qualified workers to active productions.

The local's operating model centers on membership dues ($500/year or $125/quarter), working dues (2% for members, 7% for permittees), a $600 application fee, and a $225 transfer fee, supplemented by per-capita remittances to the parent IATSE federation. The union coordinates apprenticeship, trainee, and mentorship programs, administers a scholarship program (including a recent $15,000 disbursement to Sisler CREATE Film Students in 2025), and engages in industry partnerships around sustainability (Green Production Guide, ALBERT, Reel Green, DGC Green) and workforce development (Manitoba Film and Music). Distribution of work is executed through a dispatch system that connects qualified members with production companies operating in the province.

Local 856 is governed by a 2025-2028 Executive Board and maintains roughly 13 staff based on visible contact details. The local is affiliated with broader labor federations including the Winnipeg Labour Council and Manitoba Federation of Labour, providing institutional access to cross-sector labor and policy networks. The local also hosts Truth and Reconciliation events to engage Indigenous communities. There is no disclosed revenue, membership count, or staff growth figure in the source material.

Name

IATSE Local 856

Legal name

IATSE Local 856

Website

https://iatse856.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IATSE Local 856 is a Winnipeg-based labor union representing Manitoba film and television industry craft workers across 22 departments, providing collective bargaining, training, dispatch, and member services funded by membership and working dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IATSE Local 856 generates revenue through membership dues. Members pay 2% working dues (deducted by payroll), while permittees pay 7% working dues. Annual dues are $500/year or $125/quarter. There is also a $600 membership application fee and a $225 transfer fee for members transferring from other IATSE locals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IATSE Local 856 is a labor union local chapter representing specialty artists, technicians, and freelance craft workers in Manitoba's film and television industry across 22 departments including grips, lighting, sound, makeup, costumes, construction, transportation, and special effects. The union provides job dispatch services to producers, collective bargaining on behalf of its members, training and mentorship programs, and administers health/wellness and retirement benefits through partner providers.

Product overview

IATSE Local 856 is a labor union representing specialty artists and technicians working in film and television production in Manitoba, Canada. The organization does not offer a software product in the traditional sense, but rather provides union services including membership management, job dispatch, training programs, health and welfare benefits administration, and retirement planning through partnerships with third-party providers such as Canada Life and CEIRP. Key member-facing services include a member login portal, producer login portal, training reimbursement programs, mentor and trainee programs, approved certification courses (WHMIS, First Aid), and a scholarship program for film students. The union maintains a production listing of unionized projects and provides various resources for career development in the film industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership
• Job Dispatch Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Trainee placement period: 2-6 weeks typically
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Winnipeg Labour CouncilcoreOthersIATSE Local 856 is a member of the Winnipeg Labour Council, providing affiliation with the broader labor movement in Winnipeg.
• Manitoba Federation of LabourcoreOthersIATSE Local 856 is a member of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, providing provincial labor movement affiliation.
• Green Production GuideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn industry online toolkit designed to reduce the film, television, and streaming industry's carbon footprint and environmental impact. Provides a worldwide database of vendors for sustainable goods and services, plus tools like PEAR carbon calculator and PEACH checklist.
• ALBERTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA碳 calculator and Carbon Action Plan tool for productions to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. Objectives include inspiring the industry to create sustainable content and enabling positive environmental contributions.
• Reel GreenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA resource centre with best practices to help productions reduce environmental impacts. Licensed to Manitoba Film and Music for local access through IATSE 856.
• DGC GreenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirectors Guild of Canada initiative with practical tips for sustainable film production and access to 'The Spark' sustainable production primer.
• Creative BCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that hosts the original Reel Green initiative, which has been licensed to Manitoba Film and Music for local access.
• Manitoba Film and MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial film and music industry organization that has licensed Reel Green for local access, partnering with IATSE 856 on sustainable production initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IATSE Local 667: Toronto-area IATSE film local representing motion picture technicians in Ontario. Closest Canadian peer in scale and mandate, with identical department structure, training programs, and dispatch operations across a larger English-Canadian production hub.
• ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists): National Canadian performers' union representing actors and broadcast professionals. Comparable as a Canadian entertainment-industry labor union with parallel collective bargaining, dues structure, and member-benefit operations, though serving the on-screen talent segment rather than below-the-line crew.
• Writers Guild of Canada (WGC): National Canadian union representing screenwriters in film, TV, and digital media. Comparable as a Canadian entertainment-industry labor union with parallel collective bargaining and member-service structures, though serving a distinct creative constituency.
• Directors Guild of Canada (DGC): National Canadian guild representing directors, assistant directors, production managers, and related crew. Comparable as a Canadian entertainment-industry union peer that frequently partners with IATSE locals on productions and shares sustainability initiatives such as DGC Green.
• IATSE Local 891: British Columbia's largest IATSE film local based in Vancouver. Directly comparable as a fellow IATSE film-production local in Western Canada with similar dispatch, training, and benefit structures serving a larger production market.
• IATSE Local 871: Vancouver-based IATSE local representing production coordinators and assistants in film/TV. Comparable as a film-industry union local within the same IATSE family, addressing a related but distinct crew constituency.
• Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA): National Canadian union representing live-performance professionals in theatre and English-language opera/dance. Comparable as a Canadian entertainment-industry union with similar membership, dues, and collective bargaining operations, focused on a different production segment.
• IATSE Local 411: Toronto-area IATSE local representing studio mechanical department workers. Comparable as a smaller specialized IATSE local in Canada serving a distinct production technical craft with similar training and dispatch models.

Broad incumbents

• SAG-AFTRA: The largest U.S. entertainment union representing both performers and broadcast professionals. Comparable as a much larger entertainment-labor incumbent with parallel collective bargaining and benefit infrastructure, but operating in the U.S. market with a broader mandate.

Others

• Teamsters Canada: National Canadian labor federation representing transportation, logistics, and production drivers. Comparable as a labor union organizational model (dues-funded, collective bargaining, member benefits) that sometimes shares jurisdiction with IATSE on film production drivers and transportation crews.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IATSE856
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iatse-local-856/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Instagraminstagram.com/iatse856/?hl=en
• Xx.com/IATSE856

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IATSE Local 856