ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – It’s been more than 115 days since actors in Hollywood walked off their jobs. While actors continue to struggle financially, so too are the many behind-the-scenes workers, including many people who call Georgia home.
Since 2017, Tamie Cook has worked as a personal chef for several Hollywood actors who’ve set up shop in metro Atlanta as they filmed TV shows and movies in the Peach State. But since the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, business dried up.
“It’s had a huge impact on our income. Big movies have big budgets,” said Cook.
Cook works out of her College Park studio she set up in a quaint bungalow situated close enough to MARTA’s tracks that you can feel the vibration as trains go by.
Her studio is where she creates, cooks, and prepares meals as part of her company Tamie Cook Culinary Productions. Cook specializes in recipe development, food styling, and making meals as a professional chef.
“I got a phone call asking me if I had any interest in being a personal chef for an actor who was going to be in town for a movie, but I wasn’t told who it would be, so I took a leap of faith,” said Cook.
That actor turned out to be Robert Downey Jr. Cook would go on to work with him for the last two Avenger movies, which were filmed in Georgia.
“It wasn’t just me. I wouldn’t just be cooking for him; I would be cooking for the rest of the cast who would love to come to his tent for meals. So, it enabled me to not only support other people to assist me in cooking, but it was an opportunity to support our local farmers,” said Cook.
This week, there’s been new movement in the negotiations. SAG-AFTRA says it responded to Hollywood studios’ “last, best & final offer,” which the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers sent out over the weekend. The actors’ union in a post to its website told its members there are still several key items that the two sides have yet to reach agreement on, including the use of artificial intelligence.
In its statement online, SAG-AFTRA, which represents about 160,000 actors, said they’re committed to reaching a deal.
“Please know every member of our TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee is determined to secure the right deal and thereby bring this strike to an end responsibly,” said the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee.
While the actors say they’re in it for the long haul, Cook is quick to point out she’s one of the lucky ones working behind the scenes in Georgia.
“The good thing is, I’m capable of being flexible and I think I also have the privilege of having a partner who has a good steady job that has nothing to do with the industry. So, I can fall back on that too,” said Cook.
SAG-AFTRA members walked off the job on July 14. At the time, they joined striking writers. Both unions have advocated for higher wages, greater residual payments, and restrictions on the use of AI.
The writers’ strike ended in early October with members of the Writers Guild of America union ratifying a new contract with the major studios that included assurances that AI cannot write or rewrite literary material.
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Hollywood actors’ strike impacting livelihood of Atlanta personal chef to the stars – Atlanta News First
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