In 2021, an Instagram account emerged that harnessed the frustration of crewmembers fed up with the status quo of sprawling hours on film and television sets.
Debuting Aug. 1 of that year, IATSE Stories (@ia_stories) shared anonymous tales of workplace conditions from self-described crewmembers in stark black-and-white. The often-shocking stories shared on the page — ranging from people nodding off at the wheel after long workdays, to one crewmember allegedly laboring for 39 days straight — touched a nerve at a time when crew union IATSE was negotiating rest periods with studios in a new labor contract. The page — which would quickly attract more than 100,000 followers — channeled a fresh brand of Hollywood labor fervor, one that would erupt that year as IATSE members authorized a strike (less than two years before the industry’s actors and writers made history with their work stoppages).
