Art Directors Guild Elects Joel Cohen National Executive Director

The Art Directors Guild has elected Joel Cohen as its latest staff leader, replacing outgoing national executive director Chuck Parker.

Cohen, who served under Parker for more than two years as associate national executive director, was voted in during the union’s latest officer elections, the results of which were announced Wednesday. During his campaign, Cohen promised to fight for the Studio City-based labor group to have national jurisdiction over its covered crafts, to further protect members against infringements by AI tools, to encourage more organizing and to be transparent with members about union activities.

Specific data on the election results was not immediately available.

“This was something bigger than an election win,” Cohen said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s about making our voices heard and taking a stand together for fair treatment, stronger protections and a future where every member has a say in the decisions that shape our work and our lives.”

The Art Directors Guild represents more than 3,000 production designers, art directors, scenic, title and graphic artists, set designers, model makers, illustrators and matte artists who work in film and television.

The same elections saw the union’s director of field and organizing, Andrew Stumme, appointed as associate national executive director. The Art Directors council elected Mark Worthington and Oana Miller as board members and Michael Allen Glover as its chair, while the Illustrators, Storyboard Artists and Matte Artists council voted in Matthew Cunningham as their chair. Tim Croshaw was re-elected as chair for the Set Designers and Model Makers council and Sara Escamilla and Anastasia Sergeeva were elected as board members and Sarah Gonzalez as chair for the Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists council.

Each of the newly elected officers will serve three-year terms starting June 1.

ADG president Dina Lipton said in a statement that she looked forward to working with the union’s newly elected officers to “help lead a united organization ready to move forward and proactively address the challenges facing our industry.”

One of those challenges is AI: During the latest major contract negotiations for ADG’s umbrella union, IATSE, several union members signed on to a letter urging their colleagues to vote “no” on a tentative deal due to its AI provisions, which they considered weak. The tentative deal was ratified anyway, though concerns clearly still remain. On his campaign website, newly-elected national executive director Cohen said the current protections are “insufficient.” He added, “I will work to strengthen these protections and establish craft-specific safeguards.”