Editors Guild Chief Cathy Repola to Retire in January

Cathy Repola plans to retire as national executive director of the Motion Picture Editors Guild at the end of January, following more than three decades with IATSE Local 700.

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She’s been with the Guild for 32 years and has served in her current role since 2016.

“Cathy has been an indispensable leader for the Guild these past eight years. She has helped lead us successfully through some of the most hard-fought and intricate contract negotiations in our history, and through many challenging times, and done it all with remarkable courage and grace. Whoever succeeds her will have some very big shoes to fill,” said Guild president and Oscar-winning editor Alan Heim, who has appointed a search committee to find a replacement for Repola.

The final candidate is subject to approval by the Guild’s board of directors.

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Repola recently represented Local 700 during the negotiations for a new three-year Basic Agreement, which was ratified in late July. Based in Los Angeles and New York, the Editor Guild has approximately 9,000 members, including picture editors, sound editors, mixers and other job categories. It’s the second largest Local that works under the Basic Agreement.

In 2020, Repola received American Cinema Editors’ Heritage Award at the Society’s 70th ACE Eddie Awards.

“Working for the Guild has been an extremely rewarding career,” Repola said in a statement. “I have always had a profound commitment to the Guild and our mission and a deep affinity for our members. Now, I have reached a place in my life where I want to shift my priorities to my loved ones and friends.”

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