The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced details of its Industry Recovery Task Force Virtual Global Town Hall, set for Wednesday, July 29, 2020 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM PDT. The Industry Recovery Task Force (IRTF) was formed in May of this year as a critical HPA Board initiative, aimed at understanding how content creation can be enabled in an world impacted by the pandemic crisis. This is the first in a series of virtual Industry Recovery Task Force global town hall events planned for the following months and will feature major voices from the creative, health and political arenas. Industry veteran and IRTF Chair Leon Silverman and HPA Board member Craig German are chairing the event.

In focusing on the purpose and form of the July 29 Town Hall, Silverman said, “By bringing together a multi-disciplinary group of experts, the Town Hall will explore the intricacies of building a bridge for the industry to safely return to work. While production has begun in spots around the world, parts of post have never stopped while many have been sidelined. We will address, in a fact-based, expert led discussion, how to stabilize our return and the steps that are required for individuals and companies in our business to safely work and sustain themselves in the process. The Town Hall presents knowledgeable experts whose insights will help guide us and fuel discussion. We decided upon a town hall format not just to present panels, but to encourage dialogue across the global community.”

The July 29 Town Hall is a virtual, interactive event, and is free to attend by registering. The event will feature a panel of experts who will share the latest scientific, technical and creative best practices to encourage global community dialogue. HPA President Seth Hallen will introduce the Town Hall.

Panelists include:

• Carolyn Giardina, Tech Editor, Hollywood Reporter, Moderator
• Michael Cioni, Global SVP of Innovation, Frame.io
• Doug Kent, President, Westwind Media
• Steve Rivkin,ACE, President, American Cinema Editors
• Dr. Daniel Z. Uslan, Co-Chief Infection Prevention Officer for UCLA Health
• Zev Yaroslavsky, Director, Los Angeles Initiative, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; Past Member, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, District 3 (San Fernando Valley and Hollywood)

German noted, “The important conversation we’re having is a global one. There are companies and individuals at work, or hoping to return to work, in Mumbai, London, Paris and many spots around the world, as well as NY and LA. We are all directly impacted by these events. By pulling together our HPA community, we aim to encourage a global conversation about the entire process – from pre production through editing, visual effects, archiving – and develop a path that will keep our industry safely and successfully moving forward.”

The key objectives of the HPA Industry Recovery Task Force are: 

• To serve as a forum for collaboration, communication, and thought leadership regarding how to resume global production and post production in a sustainable fashion. 
• To understand and influence evolving technical requirements such as the impact of industry remote collaboration, ‘work from home’ and other workflows which have been highlighted by the current crisis. 
• To provide up-to-date information and access to emerging health and safety guidelines that will be issued by various governments, municipalities, unions, guilds, industry organizations and content creators.

For further information and registration, visit hpaonline.com. Additional details and speakers will be announced shortly.