Baird Steptoe Sr. has been elected national president of the International Cinematographers Guild, it was announced Friday. Steptoe defeated Jamie Silverstein for the coveted position, and he’ll replace John Lindley, who opted not to seek a second term.
Steptoe won the election with 1106 votes (43 percent of ballots cast), while Silverstein garnered 909 votes, Diane Farrington received 416 votes, and Casey Shaw siphoned off 121 votes. Voter turnout was said to be roughly 32.4 percent.
Steptoe is a first assistant cameraman whose credits include The Sixth Sense, Pleasantville, That Thing You Do! and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. He is the first Black president in the history of the ICG and has long served on the guild’s national executive board — most recently as a second national vice president. He also serves as co-chair of the guild’s Inclusion Committee, and he received the Life Achievement Award from the Society of Camera Operators in 2013.
Elsewhere in ICG election news, Stephen Wong was re-elected as national secretary-treasurer in Los Angeles, Patrick Quinn was elected national assistant secretary-treasurer in New York, while Betsy Peoples was elected national sergeant-at-arms for the Central Region. The union also elected Chris Silano as national vice president in New York, Deborah Lipman as first national vice president for the Central Region, and Mark Weingartner as second national vice president in L.A.
The ICG (IATSE Local 600) is the largest of the 13 IATSE locals that bargain the Basic Agreement for film and TV workers, with more than 9,000 members. It is also one of three of those unions with a nationwide jurisdiction. The ICG’s election results will be submitted for approval at the next board meeting on June 18-19, which is also when Lindley’s term expires.
Earlier this week, Rebecca Rhine announced that she will step down as ICG’s national executive director in September.
