Three Systems Into One, A Digital Home for 10,000 Film Industry Professionals
Results
+93%
active portal users
+63%
total site views
+82%
Public Site Users
3 → 1
systems consolidated
Focus
Challenge
The International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600 represents more than 10,000 cinematographers, camera operators, and publicists working in the entertainment industry. The union’s digital presence is how members track health coverage eligibility, find work, and stay informed, yet that presence was split across three disconnected systems: DotNet Nuke for the main site, WordPress for content, and eMembership for the member portal. Members juggled multiple logins to accomplish basic tasks and often weren’t aware of the full range of benefits available to them. Union staff duplicated every content update across systems, and departments could not update their own sections without going through intermediaries.
With major contract negotiations approaching, ICG needed a modern platform that could keep members informed during a critical period, and a partner who understood member organizations.
Solution
We consolidated all three systems into a single Drupal platform hosted on Pantheon, with custom features built around how union work actually happens: a Health Preserver system for tracking work hours toward insurance qualification, a member directory with filtering across nearly 10,000 active members, Available Lists that let 1,700+ producers source union talent per contractual requirements, and single sign-on so members reach everything through one login.
API connections to WinMill’s eMembership backend eliminated duplicate data entry and kept member information current across systems. The new structure also gave departments direct ownership of their own content, removing an administrative bottleneck between departments and the membership.
Project Approach
Working with ICG’s leadership and Website Working Group, we grounded the project in a dedicated requirements engagement before any build work began. One principle from that phase shaped every design decision that followed: an informed member gets more from their union.
The build itself ran in 2-3 week sprints organized around essential features first, so the platform would be valuable from day one rather than waiting on every feature to ship at once. Three staged releases kept feedback flowing: an alpha release tested by the Website Working Group, a beta release opened to a limited group of members, and the full public launch. Every feature was held to WCAG accessibility standards and tested across browsers and devices, with a mobile-first design approach reflecting that over 40% of member traffic comes from phones and tablets, often from a set or location shoot.
Starting With Requirements
ICG arrived with strong foundational research from previous partners: member surveys, needs assessments, site architecture inventories, and API design documentation. Rather than repeat work that had already been done well, we built on it. Through a dedicated requirements engagement, we reviewed every page across all three existing systems to understand how each function related to the eMembership backend, evaluated the sitemap against real member needs, and redesigned critical layouts for the member experience: dashboard, directory, profiles, and producer features. All of it became detailed user stories, feature specifications, and visual prototypes. That phase saved ICG time and cost, and it meant development began with validated answers instead of assumptions.
Replacing the Member Portal Through Real-Time API Work with WinMill
The riskiest part of the project was replacing eMembership, the portal where member records, dues, and insurance data lived. That data could not simply migrate, because WinMill’s backend remained the system of record for union operations. We worked directly with WinMill to shape their API around every member function the new portal needed, then built real-time connections so member data stays synchronized without anyone re-entering it. The result is a portal that feels like one system to members while respecting the operational infrastructure the union depends on.
Custom Tools Built Around How Union Work Actually Happens
A general-purpose CMS could not serve a labor union’s contractual obligations out of the box. The Health Preserver system tracks each member’s work hours toward insurance qualification. The member directory filters across nearly 10,000 active members, and Available Lists give 1,700+ producers a compliant way to source union talent, a requirement written into the union’s contracts. Members now see their health coverage standing, available work lists, upcoming trainings, and announcements on one personalized dashboard.
Performance Work That Kept Pace After Launch
Launch was the start of the partnership’s next phase, not the end of the project. In the months following the March 2025 launch, we completed 75 improvements, cut API calls across the member portal by 10x, and improved response time in the login-to-dashboard flow by 85-100%. The platform recorded zero downtime through that period, and every public URL reports a Core Web Vitals score of 90 or better. Monthly deployments continue to keep the site secure and current while new features ship.
Members who once needed a separate login for every task now sign in once and see everything: health coverage progress, work opportunities, trainings, and union news in one place.
The platform launched in time to support member communication during a period of major contract negotiations, when transparent access to updates and voting information mattered most. Since launch, member engagement has climbed: site views up 63%, active users up 82%, active portal users up 93%, and views of news and safety content up more than 250%.
The partnership continues through ongoing retained services. Recent and upcoming work includes multi-factor authentication, Drupal 11 readiness, member profile enhancements, and a producer portal initiative that extends the platform to the production companies who hire union members. The union now has a digital foundation built to grow with its membership.
Serving a membership that depends on you? See how we work with member organizations or let’s talk.