TRAILER RELEASE! – Announcing the official release of our first teaser trailer. Click here to view it.
CHARLES RANGEL - Caeser interviewed controversial congressman Charles Rangel to discuss labor and race in America. After the interview the congressman said, "If I wasn't retiring I couldn't have been so honest with you."
CONGRESS – On a recent trip to Washington D.C, Caeser interviewed congressional leaders Gwen Moore, Jan Schakowski, and Mark Pocan.
CAROLYN B. MALONEY – Caeser interviewed congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney to discuss labor in America.
JESSE JACKSON - Although it took almost 50 calls and emails to arrange, a last minute interview was scheduled with Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Midtown Hilton in New York City. During the interview Jackson spoke about his experiences during the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, which led to the Martin Luther King assignation. Even at 7:30am and with a full schedule, Jackson was generous with his time, even offering to take pictures with each member of the crew.
DISASTER IN CHICAGO – While in Chicago to film interviews about the Haymarket Affair, disaster struck when $6,000 worth of equipment was stolen from the car. The loss included two cameras, a light kit, and an assortment of microphones. Because of the robbery the shoot had to be cancelled two days before completion. It was a very disouraging development, but the only thingto do was move forward...
DETROIT/BOB KING – Caeser had the honor of interviewing United Auto Workers president Bob King while in Detroit, MI. While there he also interviewed Desiree Conyers a union activist and nurse in the University of Michigan Health System, Eloise Moore, Detroit Public School Staffer and Activist for the American Federation of Teachers, and Albert Garrett, president of AFSCEM Council 25.
CAESAR CHAVEZ FOUNDATION - After the AFO-CIO Convention Caeser travelled to Keene, CA to film at the Caesar Chavez Center where he interviewed Paul Chavez (Son of Caesar Chavez) and Arturo Rodriguez (Caesar's brother-in-law). The center is also a beautiful national park, monument, and burial site of Chavez. After the shoot Pink drove north and filmed migrant workers picking grapes and peaches in the fertile farmlands
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN - On the third day of the AFL-CIO Convention a minor disaster struck when Caeser had an auto accident with a city bus. Although the vehicles were only moving at 10MPH, the weight of the bus crushed in the door of Caeser's Blazer. Afterwards he drove for 30 miles holding the door closed with his right arm so that he could find a truck stop where he could buy a crowbar to bend the door out enough to close. For the rest of the trip Caeser was forced to exit the vehicle through the passenger door.
FL-CIO CONVENTION – Caeser Pink attended the AFL-CIO National Convention in Los Angeles. Among the people interviewed at the convention were Donald Marcus International President of the Masters, Mates, and Pilots union, and George Nee President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO who worked with Caesar Chavez.
CROSS-COUNTRY SHOOT – Caeser Pink began a three-week cross-country road trip to shoot for the Strength In Union film. Due to a lack of funds the shoot was done with guerilla-style filmmaking. Most nights Pink slept in the back of his Chevy Blazer and showered at truck stops. In the first four days he drove from New York to Los Angeles, sometimes covering 800 miles per day.
KPFT Radio 3 - On Friday August 23rd at 9:30pm EST, Film director Caeser Pink and producer Dan Waingarten will be appearing on the Voices At Work radio show on KPFT 90.1 which broadcasts from Houston, TX.
Lance Henriksen - We got word that legendary sci-fi and horror actor Lance Henriksen will sign on as one of the narration actors in the Strength In Union film. Lance is known for films such as Aliens, The Right Stuff, Terminator, and the TV series Millennium.
Truthout.org - August 16, 2013 - "The labor movement will be televised!" Thanks go out to Truthout.org for their article on the Strength In Union film. To view the full article click here
WWRL Radio - New York City talk radio station WWRL recently broadcast an interview with Strength In Union director Caeser Pink and producer Dan Waingarten
New Hampshire Labor News - Thanks go out to the New Hampshire Labor News who wrote a nice article about the Strength In Union film. To read the full article click here
Global & Labor Solidarity - In August Strength In Union attended the Murphy Center Labor & Global Solidarity convention. While there we interviewed nine sociologists who study labor and globalism. This footage will be used for the final section of the film when we look at the future of labor.
Barbara Hershey - In July we had the honor of working with Oscar nominee, Emmy Award winner, and two-time Golden Globe winning actress Barbra Hershey (Beaches, Hannah & Her Sisters, Last Temptation Of Christ, Black Swan). Barbara believed in the Strength In Union cause enough to donate her time at a fraction of what she would usually get paid. She was a lovely woman to work with and her tremendous acting skills really brought the narration text to life. She is playing the role of a mill worker during a strike in Lowell, Mass.
Labor Research Action Conference - The Strength In Union team attended the Labor Research Action network Conference at the Georgetown Law Center. The conference brought together labor leaders, activists, and labor studies professors from top universities. We filmed 10 interviews and had a chance to build connections with a range of important people within the labor movement, included a brief meeting with AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka. We also snuck out of the conference to film a few quick interviews at the 'audit the IRS' Tea Party rally.
LAWCHA Labor History Conference - We had the great opportunity and pleasure to attend the 2013 LAWCHA Labor History conference in Manhattan. The conference brought historians and labor studies experts from around world together to discuss the future of labor. During the conference we filmed 18 hour-long interviews with people such as Dr. Frances Fox Piven,Dr. Daniel Katz, Judith Ancel, and Dr. Jeffrey B. Perry.
Pete Seeger Shoot - The Pete Seeger shoot was an amazing experience that none of us will ever forget. Pete was great in every way. He did his narration part like a pro actor, during his interview it was amazing to hear the stories of his life, including experiences with Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax. Afterward Pete hung out and sang songs and told stories.
Reg E. Cathey - Our narration recording session with Reg E. Cathey was both very successful and a fun time. Reg's voice was amazing and his delivery fantastic. He was also a cool, down to earth guy who believes in the cause of labor.