Film and TV art crews are facing an unemployment crisis. Here’s what it’s like for workers

The Art Directors Guild just suspended its Production Design Initiative program due to high unemployment. For some workers, it confirmed what they already knew.

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) recently sent an email to aspiring film and television professionals with a bleak, shockingly candid message. Citing 75% unemployment among its 3,000-strong membership, the ADG not only announced in an email to prospective candidates a suspension of its Production Design Initiative (PDI)—which offers paid, on-the-job training in a variety of art department roles—but the email also stated: “Given this situation, we cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue our profession while so many of our members remain unemployed.”