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04/2009 ARTICLE: "Electrical Worker Online" re Don Easy IBEW Local 40 Hollywood work

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"'We don’t need the applause or the attention," said Don Easy, an IBEW electrician who works on movie sets around the world. 'But we do need adventure, and this job has plenty of that.' In the movie business, where the lights, the cameras and the action all require one basic thing—electricity—Easy and about 650 other members of Hollywood, Calif., Local 40 are the behind-the-scenes engine powering a multibillion dollar industry..."

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"On location, IBEW members like Don Easy have a critical role in making a movie happen. Easy—who has worked on movies like 'Star Trek,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3,' 'Mission: Impossible 3,' 'Amistad' and 'Vegas Vacation'—is in charge of keeping entire base camps, rows after rows of trailers and equipment used in movie production—up and running for weeks at a time. That means powering everything, big and small, from the massive camera equipment on set, all the way to the hair dryer inside a movie star’s trailer. Like most people in the industry, Easy—who has worked on five films with legendary director Steven Spielberg—has a list of stories about memorable encounters with celebrities. On one set, John Travolta rode his scooter. On another, a young Jodie Foster defended him to an overbearing boss. On yet another, Sir Anthony Hopkins encouraged him to 'just call me Tony.' But Easy says the most important part of his job is keeping the producers happy. 'We have to push ourselves as hard as we can to do a good job, to uphold the reputation of quality work that the IBEW is known for,' he said. 'We always have to show them we are the best.' At Warner Brothers, IBEW members have the same commitment to quality. One of their many jobs is running the big electric wind machines that sent a breeze through the outdoor set of 'ER' and helped rock George Clooney’s boat during the filming of 'A Perfect Storm.' The machine—basically an airplane propeller with six-foot wooden blades— is called a 'ritter' and provides everything from a quiet breeze to a powerful gust of wind. Running them is just one of the many tasks for the studio’s unified electrical shop..."

 

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