IATSE Local 479

What IATSE Local 479 does

IATSE Local 479 is an autonomous 501(c)5 nonprofit labor union local chartered on October 1, 1986, by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). It represents professional below-the-line film, television, and commercial production technicians — grips, electricians, art department workers, costume designers, sound technicians, and other crafts — working across the states of Georgia (excluding Savannah) and Alabama (excluding Mobile). Headquartered at 4220 International Pkwy #100 in the Atlanta Tradeport near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the local serves as a southeastern hub co-locating five other IATSE locals (161, 700, 798, 834, 927) and AFL-CIO Region 5. Its facility includes offices, an auditorium, workshops, classrooms, and a rooftop solar array used for member training.

The local's core offering is union membership bundled with collective bargaining representation, contract enforcement, and a portable benefits package administered through National Benefit Funds (NBF) covering health insurance (Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield), retirement (Principal), vision (Davis Vision), dental (Delta Dental), prescriptions (CarelonRx), and disability/life (MetLife). Revenue is generated transactionally via a 3% work dues assessment withheld weekly from member paychecks (via Form PD-1 or PD-2 for Cast & Crew productions) plus one-time fees: $1,400 initiation and $100 non-refundable application for new members, or a $700 transfer fee for members relocating from other IATSE locals. Supporting services include a state-of-the-art training facility where veteran members mentor new entrants, an online member dashboard portal, and 24/7 field representative staffing that connects signatory studios with vetted crew. Membership reportedly grew alongside Georgia's film tax incentive-driven production boom of 2008-2018 and was extended geographically to Alabama in 2016.

IATSE Local 479 sits within a broader network of 360+ IATSE locals and 168,000+ entertainment industry professionals across the United States and Canada. Its go-to-market is community-led: members build careers through personal industry networks while the local supplies referrals, compliance support, and embedded stewards on active productions. The organization does not operate a traditional software product; its competitive position is anchored in negotiated labor standards, craft training, and the collective bargaining agreements that establish mandatory minimum wages, hours, working conditions, and benefits across the Georgia-Alabama production corridor.

Name

IATSE Local 479

Legal name

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada, Local 479

Website

https://iatse479.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IATSE Local 479 is a 501(c)5 nonprofit labor union local representing professional below-the-line film, television, and commercial production technicians across Georgia and Alabama, providing collective bargaining, portable benefits, and craft training under the IATSE international umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Skilled Trades, Safety & Compliance Certification Prep (OSHA, HAZMAT, welding, electrical, HVAC) (EDANAIAM)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Entertainment industry technicians
• Film production crew
• Collective bargaining services
• Below-the-line workers

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Work Dues Assessments: Members working on union productions have work dues assessments withheld from their paychecks. The standard work dues assessment is 3% of earnings, collected weekly through payroll deduction via Form PD-1 or Form PD-2 (for Cast & Crew productions).
2. Membership Initiation and Application Fees: New members pay a $100 application fee (non-refundable) and a $1,400 initiation fee, plus remaining quarterly dues for the current year. Transferring members pay a $700 transfer fee plus remainder of quarterly dues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IATSE Local 479 is a labor union that provides collective bargaining representation, contract negotiation, and worker advocacy for professional below-the-line technicians in film, television, and commercial production across Georgia and Alabama. The union supplies employers with access to a trained, vetted workforce through field representatives and member referrals, while providing members with portable benefits (health, dental, vision, retirement, disability), training programs, and 24/7 representation services.

Product overview

IATSE Local 479 is a trade union (501(c)5 nonprofit) providing membership services for professional below-the-line entertainment technicians in Alabama and Georgia. The core offering is union membership with collective bargaining representation, supplemented by a state-of-the-art training facility, 24/7 field representative services, an online member dashboard portal, and comprehensive benefits administration through National Benefit Funds. The organization does not operate a traditional software product; its 'products' are membership services, training programs, worker representation, and administrative forms for union operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IATSE Local 479 Membership Services Trade union membership representing professional below-the-line technicians in film, television, and commercial production in Alabama and Georgia, providing contract negotiation, worker representation, and collective bargaining services.
• Member Training Programs Training facility combining veteran member mentorship with industry standards and best practices, offering courses in various specialized crafts for professional development of film and television technicians.
• Field Representative Services Team of full-time union representatives available 24/7 to provide support services to embedded stewards and all members, including producer roster requests and crew referrals for employers seeking qualified technicians.
• Benefits Administration Benefits administration through National Benefit Funds (NBF) providing health insurance (Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield), retirement (Principal), vision (Davis Vision), dental (Delta Dental), prescription (CarelonRx), and disability coverage through MetLife for all members in good standing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portable benefits that move with workers from employer to employer
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Benefit Funds (NBF)coreOthersThe IATSE uses National Benefit Funds (NBF), a non-profit company, to administer employer-contributed benefits on behalf of members. NBF is governed by a board of trustees including IATSE and contributing employers. NBF uses Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield for health insurance, Principal for retirement, Davis Vision for vision, Delta Dental for dental, and CarelonRx for prescriptions.
• IATSE Locals 161, 700, 798, 834, 927coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOther IATSE locals are co-located at the Atlanta IATSE Center, creating a southeastern hub for industry labor representatives. This facilitates coordination among entertainment industry unions in the region.
• AFL-CIO Region 5minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFL-CIO Region 5 is also housed at the Atlanta IATSE Center, representing the broader labor federation's presence in the southeastern United States.
• Signatory Studios and Production CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudios and production companies that have signed standing agreements with IATSE to meet minimum standards for wages, hours, working conditions, and benefits for crew members. These agreements enable the union to represent workers and negotiate contracts on their behalf.
• MetLifecoreOthersMetLife administers Local 479's short-term/long-term disability program. Local 479 pays for all members in good standing to receive this benefit at zero cost to the member. Coverage includes Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), and Basic Life Insurance.
• Cast & Crew Inc.minorOthersCast & Crew is a payroll company used by many productions. Local 479 provides a specific Form PD-2 for Cast & Crew to withhold work dues assessments from crew members' paychecks.
• Industry Partners (Charitable/Community)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVarious industry partners collaborate with Local 479 on community fundraising events and charitable initiatives, including NASCAR partnerships and other entertainment industry businesses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IATSE Local 44 (Affiliated Property Craftspersons): IATSE-affiliated union local for property craftspersons and other below-the-line technicians in Los Angeles. Directly comparable to Local 479 as a sister local under the same international umbrella representing similar craft workers in a different regional production market.
• IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild): IATSE local representing cinematographers, camera operators, and related film technicians across the US. Directly comparable as a craft-specific union local within the IATSE international structure serving the same production ecosystem.
• Teamsters Local 399: Teamsters local representing transportation drivers, location managers, and animal wranglers in the entertainment industry. Comparable as a labor union providing below-the-line representation to film and TV productions in the same industry with similar collective bargaining models.
• Directors Guild of America (DGA): Labor union representing directors, unit production managers, and assistant directors in film and television. Comparable as a peer entertainment industry union negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the same signatory studios.
• Writers Guild of America (WGA): Labor union representing writers in film, television, and digital media. Comparable as a peer entertainment union operating in the same studios and productions, sharing collective bargaining dynamics and the same strike/exposure profile as Local 479 members.
• Studio Mechanics Local 476 (IATSE): IATSE local covering studio mechanics and related crafts in New Mexico. Comparable as a regional IATSE local serving a competing tax-incentivized production hub, illustrating both the geographic peer structure and competitive overlap within IATSE.

Broad incumbents

• SAG-AFTRA: Major entertainment industry union representing performers, broadcasters, and recording artists across the US. Comparable as a fellow entertainment labor union with overlapping membership and joint collective bargaining, though focused on above-the-line talent rather than below-the-line craft workers.
• AFL-CIO: National labor federation that includes IATSE as an affiliate. Region 5 is co-located at Local 479's Atlanta IATSE Center. Comparable as the broader organizational umbrella representing labor union interests at the federal level.

Others

• Entertainment Partners: Provider of payroll, residuals, production accounting, and workforce management software for the entertainment industry. Comparable as an adjacent service provider that interacts with union productions on payroll processing (similar to Cast & Crew Inc.) but is not a peer union.
• Cast & Crew Inc. Payroll and production services company used by entertainment industry productions, including Local 479 signatory productions via Form PD-2. Comparable as a service provider partner in the union's payroll deduction workflow but not a peer union.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 479