Local 802 is pleased to announce that Joanne Phillips will be taking on the role of the union’s liaison and representative to the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition.

Since 2013, we’ve worked with the coalition on a number of projects and events, and 802 members have attended many of its networking nights and programs. We’ve been a formal member since 2015 after we collaborated on a screening at Lincoln Center of Judy Chaikin’s film “The Girls in the Band,” which celebrated some of the fabulous instrumentalists who fought discrimination over the years. Local 802 member Ayumi Okada was the recipient of a special mention at the coalition’s 2019 Collaboration Awards, and Local 802 members were represented at the coalition’s online event during the pandemic: “2020 Vision: the Year we Saw Everything.”

The coalition has brought together unions, guilds, organizations and individuals for over 30 years to address issues of concern to women in the arts, media and new media. The group is committed to collaborating on topics that affect women in our industry through advocacy, networking, awards, and events.

Joanne, a member of Local 802 since 2003, is already a board member of the coalition and is the founder and executive director of J-Bird Music for the Arts Inc., a nonprofit that supplies instruments and resources to schools and qualified music programs throughout New York. Her org also presents an annual, award-winning music festival.

Joanne knows both music and business. She was an associate producer of the 2007 film “Knock Knock” and she is currently a co-producer of the Broadway-bound musical “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.” She frequently serves as a judge with Virtual Enterprises Inc., a national organization that teaches business marketing to high school students. She won an award from New York State for being an “Extraordinary Woman of Nassau County” as well as the prestigious national ARTY award. She’s also a credentialed journalist.

Joanne tells us that she wants to use her new role partly to help music students gain a larger awareness of Local 802, including the benefits of joining the union as they further their careers. She also wants to let all women musicians know that they can join the coalition. “I like an upbeat synergy and win-win for everyone,” she tells us.

If you’re interested in getting more involved with the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, send an e-mail to info@womenartsmediacoalition.org or reach out to Joanne Phillips at joannejbirdphillips@gmail.com

To find out more, see www.womenartsmediacoalition.org.