AMA News: October 2025 Newsletter
01. AMA Board of Directors
The AMA Board Elections have finished for 2025-2026.
We want to sincerely thank Walter Schupfer for his time on the AMA board.
Please join us in welcoming Emily Heller and Ruth Levy to the AMA Board.
As shared in our Annual Update, we’re officially welcoming producers as AMA members. This expansion reflects today’s industry, strengthens collaboration across the production pipeline, and ensures the AMA represents the full spectrum of professionals who bring creative projects to life.
Please join us in welcoming Amy Kanagaki and Tara Trullinger, the first producers to serve on the AMA Board of Directors.
President – Mary Dail (Big Leo)
President Emeritus – Pat Bates (Pat Bates & Associates)
Vice President + Treasurer – Laura Hinds (Beauty & Photo)
Communications Director – Heather Elder (Heather Elder Represents)
Director of Programming – Stephanie Pesakoff (Illustration Division)
Membership Director – Emily Heller (Jellybean Partners)
Partnership Director – Dean Snyder (Print & Contact)
Director of Business Affairs – Erica Chadwick (ETC Creative)
Director of Producer Affairs – Amy Kanagaki (Tann Services)
Director of Events – Jonny Bell (Giant Artists)
Director at Large – Stacy Fischer (Exposure NY)
Director at Large – Vanessa Stevens (VS+Co)
Director at Large – Ruth Levy (Mark Seliger)
Director at Large – Tara Trullinger (Get It Productions)
Advisor - Gregg Lhotsky
Business Affairs Advisor – Denise Gilmartin
Thank you to all our members for taking the time to vote!
02. AMA Webinar
Are you fully covered? Your insurance and tax questions answered.
Thursday, October 30 10AM PT / 1PM ET
Please join us for a practical Q&A covering what insurance coverage is reasonable, what policies actually do, and key tax changes that may affect your business.
What we'll cover:
- Insurances: Common policies such as workers comp, general liability cyber, errors + omissions and more.
- In-house production insurance
- Big Beautiful Bill: Positives + negatives, gig worker insurance (esp. CA), and 100% depreciation for equipment purchases.
Speakers:
Ross Taylor, Insurance Broker - Taylor &Taylor
Chandler Adasko, CPA - Barash, Friedman, Friedberg & Adasko
There is a fee for non-members to attend. Details below.
AMA Members + Partners: Free
Non-Members: $50 for 1 log-in + $25 for each additional
Please email Jenn at the link below for more information.
Registration for the event closes at 11AM ET on October 30th. *All sales are final*
Note: This webinar is for educational purposes. Please consult your broker or tax advisor for guidance on your specific situation.
03. Join a Committee!
Committees are the heart of our association’s collaborative spirit.
They bring together passionate members from across the AMA community to help shape the direction of our programs, resources, partnerships, and advocacy efforts for the year ahead. Each committee is guided by a board members and energized by volunteers from member organizations.
Our committees offer a welcoming space to share ideas, set priorities, and make a real impact without a huge time commitment. Meetings are once a month for 30-45 minutes, with most work accomplished during that time.
Events Committee, led by Director of Events Jonny Bell (Giant Artists)
Legislative Committee, led by Director of Business Affairs Erica Chadwick (ETC Creative)
Membership Committee, led by Membership Director Emily Heller (Jellybean Partners)
Partnership Committee, led by Partnership Director Dean Snyder (Print & Contact)
Programming Committee, led by Director of Programming Stephanie Pesakoff (Illustration Division)
Production Committee, led by Director of Producer Affairs Amy Kanagaki (Tann Services)
If you’re looking to have a meaningful voice in our future and connect with peers who share your vision, we invite you to join a committee and help move our industry forward.
04. Calling the AMA Community
In conjunction with our petition on unlicensed AI training, we have drafted a series of letters for our community to send to their state representatives.
We are asking lawmakers to protect creatives from the unauthorized use of their work in the training of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
There are two letters:
- One for your Congressperson / Senator. You can utilize Resist Bot to research who that is for you.
- Second is directed to Adam Schiff, US Senator from California. He introduced Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act (H.R. 7913), which requires AI models to disclose the images used in training and provides artists with the ability to seek compensation for their use. We agree this is a great first step, but are also asking that he prohibit AI models from taking additional images in the future without obtaining written permission from the artist in advance of their introduction to the training model. We are asking lawmakers to take the following actions:
- Require explicit consent before any copyrighted work is used in AI training;
- Ensure fair compensation for the use of creative works by AI developers
- Reject any legislation that seeks to override strong state-level protections with weaker federal standards.
Please join us in sending letters far and wide. Please share this within your community and with your artists as well.
We are stronger together.
05. Hiring?
Don't forget that the AMA has a job board where industry professionals regularly check for opportunities.
The Artist Management Association is visited by 17,000 unique visitors every year, and one of them could be your next indispensable hire!
