Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
{{Short description|American business executive (born 1970s)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
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| birth_place = Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| occupation = National executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA
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| employer = SAG-AFTRA
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Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is an American business executive and the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA. He joined the trade union in 2000 and has also held the roles of general counsel and chief operating officer. Crabtree-Ireland has been a judge pro tem of the Los Angeles County Superior Court and an adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law. He is a board member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the Entertainment Community Fund, and the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
Early life and education
Crabtree-Ireland was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Dallas.{{cite news |last1=Dalton |first1=Andrew |title=As actors restart talks and writers return to work, here are key players in the Hollywood strikes |url=https://apnews.com/article/hollywood-strikes-lombardini-drescher-stutzman-iger-zaslav-00c17264129cebb17d10b80b9c51aa3e |publisher=Associated Press |date=October 3, 2023 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205210853/https://apnews.com/article/hollywood-strikes-lombardini-drescher-stutzman-iger-zaslav-00c17264129cebb17d10b80b9c51aa3e |url-status=live }} He studied Gender Studies at Georgetown University, and earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis, in 1998.{{cite news |last1=Sperling |first1=Nicole |title=Longtime Union Leader Steps Fully Into Hollywood's Spotlight |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/business/media/actors-strike-duncan-crabtree-ireland.html |work=The New York Times |date=October 1, 2023 |access-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002030319/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/business/media/actors-strike-duncan-crabtree-ireland.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Duncan Crabtree-Ireland '98 Co-Leads Actors' Strike |url=https://law.ucdavis.edu/news/duncan-crabtree-ireland-98-co-leads-actors-strike |publisher=UC Davis School of Law |date=July 18, 2023}} He had considered joining the U.S. Foreign Service and becoming a professional diplomat.{{cite journal |last1=Maddaus |first1=Gene |title=SAG-AFTRA's Top Negotiator Trained as a Diplomat. Can He Close the Deal? |journal=Variety |date=November 7, 2023 |url=https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/sag-aftra-negotiator-duncan-crabtree-ireland-diplomat-1235782953/ |issn=0042-2738 |oclc=810134503 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114091352/https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/sag-aftra-negotiator-duncan-crabtree-ireland-diplomat-1235782953/ |url-status=live }}
Career
Crabtree-Ireland worked as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for two years, before joining SAG-AFTRA in 2000. He became general counsel in 2006, and was named chief operating officer in 2014. Crabtree-Ireland also served as deputy national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).{{cite news |last1=Robb |first1=David |title=Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Confirmed As SAG-AFTRA's Next National Executive Director, Succeeds David White Next Month |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/duncan-crabtree-ireland-sag-aftra-national-executive-director-succeeds-david-white-1234764505/ |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=May 26, 2021}} He has held the roles of national executive director and chief negotiator since 2021.{{cite news |last1=Sakoui |first1=Anousha |title=SAG-AFTRA names Crabtree-Ireland national executive director, chief negotiator |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-05-26/sag-aftra-names-crabtree-ireland-national-executive-director-lead-negotiator |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 26, 2021 |access-date=2024-04-16 |archive-date=2024-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418111943/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-05-26/sag-aftra-names-crabtree-ireland-national-executive-director-lead-negotiator |url-status=live }}
Crabtree-Ireland represented the trade union during negotiations of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which was adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2012 and regulates copyright for audiovisual performances and expands performers' rights. He also played a major role in the merger between SAG and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in 2012.{{cite news |last1=Littleton |first1=Cynthia |title=SAG-AFTRA Chief Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Extends Contract with Union Through 2028 |url=https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/duncan-crabtree-ireland-sag-aftra-contract-extension-1235527236/ |work=Variety |date=February 17, 2023 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325040410/https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/duncan-crabtree-ireland-sag-aftra-contract-extension-1235527236/ |url-status=live }} He worked on an international treaty on intellectual property, and negotiated with Telemundo to create the first labor contract in the United States for telenovela actors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Crabtree-Ireland worked on safety measures and participated in negotiations with studios on return-to-work agreements in 2020. He was the lead negotiator during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. He heads the union's bilingual initiative, and co-hosts the podcast SAG-AFTRA en Español, alongside Ana Carolina Grajales.
File:Secretary Blinken Attends World Economic Forum (53473632473).jpg, Antony Blinken (fifth from left), and other labor union leaders in Davos in 2024]]
Crabtree-Ireland has led several departments at SAG-AFTRA, including: administration and information technology; diversity, equity, and inclusion; government affairs; governance; legal; professional representatives; and public policy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he "helped land the first augmentation of streaming payments to include worldwide usage and the first health and retirement plan contributions from streaming payments".{{cite news |last1=Kilkenny |first1=Katie |title=SAG-AFTRA Names Duncan Crabtree-Ireland National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-names-duncan-crabtree-ireland-national-executive-director-1234959891/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |issn=0018-3660 |oclc=44653726 |date=May 26, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225043432/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-names-duncan-crabtree-ireland-national-executive-director-1234959891/ |url-status=live }} Crabtree-Ireland is also a judge pro tem of the Los Angeles County Superior Court and an adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law.
File:CES 2025 - Duncan Crabtree-Ireland 01.jpg
Crabtree-Ireland received the Peggy Browning Award and the Co-President's Award from the LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. In 2023, he was included in Out magazine's annual Out100 list,{{cite journal |last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Duncan Crabtree-Ireland |journal=Out |url=https://www.out.com/out100/disruptors/duncan-crabtree-ireland |issn=1062-7928 |access-date=2024-04-16 |archive-date=2024-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404053442/https://www.out.com/out100/disruptors/duncan-crabtree-ireland |url-status=live }} as well as Variety{{'s}} annual list of the 500 most influential business leaders in the media industry.{{cite journal |title=Duncan Crabtree-Ireland |journal=Variety |date=16 December 2013 |url=https://variety.com/exec/duncan-crabtree-ireland/ |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812173119/https://variety.com/exec/duncan-crabtree-ireland/ |url-status=live }} He was among the recipients of the Impact Award at the 7th Astra Film Awards in 2024.{{cite web |title=Astra Film Awards adds Impact Award, Publicist of the Year Award, & the Hidden Empire Independent Filmmaker Award |url=https://theastras.com/press-releases/astra-film-awards-adds-impact-award-the-hidden-empire-independent-filmmaker-award/ |publisher=ASTRA Awards |access-date=2024-04-16 |archive-date=2024-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305173213/https://theastras.com/press-releases/astra-film-awards-adds-impact-award-the-hidden-empire-independent-filmmaker-award/ |url-status=live }}
=Board service=
Crabtree-Ireland was appointed to SoundExchange's board of directors in 2012.{{cite magazine |title=SoundExchange Names Three New Board of Director Members |magazine=Billboard |date=July 13, 2012 |issn=0006-2510 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/soundexchange-names-three-new-board-of-director-members-1084675/ |access-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-date=July 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240703140050/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/soundexchange-names-three-new-board-of-director-members-1084675/ |url-status=live }} He is chairperson of the SAG-AFTRA & Industry Sound Recordings Distribution Fund's board of trustees, as well as co-chair of the American Federation of Music & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund's board of trustees. Crabtree-Ireland is also a board member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan,{{cite news |title=Board of Directors |url=https://sagaftra.foundation/about/board/ |newspaper=SAG-AFTRA Foundation |date=5 July 2014 |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405033604/https://sagaftra.foundation/about/board/ |url-status=live }} the SAG-Producers Pension Plan, and the Motion Picture & Television Fund,{{cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=https://mptf.com/about-us/ |publisher=Motion Picture & Television Fund |access-date=2024-04-16 |archive-date=2021-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209111559/https://mptf.com/about-us/ |url-status=live }} and he is on the board of trustees of the Entertainment Community Fund.{{cite web |title=Board of Trustees |date=11 February 2016 |url=https://entertainmentcommunity.org/about-us/board-trustees |publisher=Entertainment Community Fund |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201040017/https://entertainmentcommunity.org/about-us/board-trustees |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Crabtree-Ireland and his husband were among the first 100 same-sex couples to get married in San Francisco in 2004 before the unions were annulled by the Supreme Court of California. The couple live in Los Angeles, and have adopted five children.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.sagaftra.org/about/executive-staff/duncan-crabtree-ireland Duncan Crabtree-Ireland] at SAG-AFTRA
- [https://www.c-span.org/person/?115337/DuncanCrabtreeIreland Duncan Crabtree-Ireland] at C-SPAN
- {{imdb name|nm4546249}}
Category:American business executives
Category:American chief operating officers
Category:Georgetown University alumni
Category:LGBTQ people from California
Category:LGBTQ people from Tennessee
Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles