Chicago TV Series Keep Teamsters Working Year-Round
Teamsters Local 727 members are having their busiest television season ever with four network shows filming concurrently in Chicago.
More than 100 Teamsters are hard at work on Fox’s ratings juggernaut “Empire” and the NBC franchise of “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Med” — both on set at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and on location throughout the city.
“Chicago has truly become a force to be reckoned with in the TV industry,” said John Coli Jr., President of Local 727. “Our incredibly talented and hardworking labor force is unmatched, and now we have the products to show for it.”
“Empire,” which premiered in January and increased viewers each week of its first season, is the top-rated series on television and shows no signs of slowing down in its second season.
“Chicago Fire” is filming its fourth season, “Chicago PD” is in its third, and “Chicago Med” is in its first full season after airing as a spinoff episode of “Chicago Fire.”
USA Network’s “Sirens,” the original Netflix series “Sense8” and Showtime’s “Shameless” also filmed in Chicago this year. Three pilots — “Runner,” “Love Is A Four-Letter Word” and “Chiraq” — also were produced here.
Local 727 members work for 10 months on each 22-episode network TV show, consistently putting in 12- or 14-hour days while hauling equipment, trailers and even cast and crew between locations.
“We encourage Teamsters and their families to keep watching these locally produced programs,” Coli said. “Not only are they immensely entertaining, but they also help guarantee more steady, good-paying union jobs for hundreds of workers in our city and our state.”
Teamsters Local 727 represents more than 9,000 hardworking men and women throughout the Chicago area.
Category: MOTION PICTURE
