The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has become the latest entertainment organization to appoint a technology chief, naming video engineer Jillian Arnold as the union’s first labor and technology intelligence officer.
In this role, Arnold will shepherd how IATSE navigates new technologies and their impact on the organization’s entertainment workers and their crafts. She previously chaired the union’s AI subcommittee during its 2024 negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and, in 2020, became the first woman and first video engineer to lead IATSE Local 695 in its 90-year history.
“Jillian has been a leader on artificial intelligence and its impact on the labor movement,” IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement. “In this new role, she’ll be a resource and a voice representing members on both sides of the border as we navigate public policy and workplace challenges relating to the development and implementation of these new tools.”
“Technology has been a defining part of my entire career,” Arnold said. “I’ve seen firsthand how technological innovation can expand what workers are capable of achieving. I’ve also seen why workers need a meaningful voice in determining how technologies are developed and integrated into the workplace. I’m excited to bring those experiences together in this new role and help ensure that technological progress strengthens our crafts and the people who perform them.”
Arnold’s appointment is the latest in a series of new roles across the entertainment industry focused on technology in the AI era. Disney hired Karandeep Anaud as its first chief technology officer last month, while Ticketmaster hired its first senior vice president of data science and machine learning as the company embraced the technology. Amazon MGM and Lionsgate also both hired their first AI leaders in the last two years.