Jason Schnaffer
Director, Business Development

Jason C. Schaffner is a 25-year veteran in the Film and Television Industry. As an IATSE studio mechanic working at all levels of the grip department, his production credits in film include: The Greatest Showman, Spiderman 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wolf of Wall Street, Blue Bloods, and in television, Orange is the New Black, Person of Interest, FBI: Most Wanted, The Americans, as well as Netflix-Marvel productions such as Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Iron Fist, Daredevil and Luke Cage.

Though most of his career was based in Los Angeles and New York City, for family reasons, he relocated to Arizona in 2016, where he continues to work on major productions. With the newly implemented Arizona Film Tax Incentive in 2023, Jason was tapped to work directly with the local and state film offices, government agencies, investors, and citizens to further develop Arizona’s burgeoning film industry.

As Liaison to IATSE Local 336 in Arizona, Jason has been working with the union to expand its membership. Recently, he was Chair of the Union Production Coalition of Arizona, an organization focused on unifying the collaborative creative labor force in the state. He continues to work with film industry professionals, producers, show runners, creators, and laborers throughout the United States to discover Arizona and how high-end film and television productions can take advantage of the beautiful weather, topography, film incentives and easy proximity to Los Angeles.

Executive Summary

High-performing film and television industry veteran with 25 years of experience supporting major production studios, delivering strong installations, movie quality lighting, expert camera movement, and transformative team environments

Core Competencies

Collaborative Communications, Nationwide Union Support, Premiere Production Technical Support, Inclusion & Diversity, Networking & Outreach, Film and Television Industry Training, Budget Accountability, Building Awesome Teams (Virtually & In Person)

Professional Work Experience

Mysticor, LLC

Owner and Project Lead, Jun 2022 – Present

Phoenix, Arizona

  • Spearheading the build of Sound Stages for Film & HETV in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Unifying the community of creatives in Arizona, to ensure that the high end television and film industry has the infrastructure needed to create.
  • Strengthen and train the technical workforce.
  • Educating the investment arena to the needs of the industry.
  • Leveraging complimentary companies to support the industry.
  • Building confidence within the political platform to allow the industry to thrive and grow for decades to come.
  • Unifying the community of creatives in Arizona, to ensure that the high end television and film industry has the infrastructure needed to create.

IATSE Local 52

Studio Technician, Sep 2011 – Present

Greater New York City Area

  • Performed as a valued technician across all stages of production for production companies such as Universal Television, LLC, Warner Bros. Television Productions, San Vicente Productions, Inc., Bonanza Productions, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corporation and CBS Studios, Inc.
  • Building sets, Rigging stages, Lighting. Camera assist and motion specialist. Dolly’s, jibs, cranes and mounts.
  • Performed as Best Boy for major productions.
  • Managed trucks, equipment and on-set union workforce.
  • Maintained a solid understanding and working relationship with production personnel.
  • Team building

iWeiss Theatrical Solutions

Theatrical Rigging Technician, 2014 – Sep 2017

Greater New York City Area

  • Worked with IWeiss and an extremely talented crew of individuals on an array of theatrical projects across NYC.
  • Helped gut and rebuild iconic Broadway theaters.
  • Worked on new construction performance and Blackbox builds.
  • Kept junior-high and high school theaters safe, inspected and updated.

Xtreme Power

Mid-Voltage Battery Technology Mechanic, 2009 – 2011

Kyle, Texas

  • Built and delivered customized battery solutions for: FirstWind (wind farms in Maui and Oahu, HI) and Ford Motor Company (Solar energy storage in Denver, CO, project)
  • Performed quality control testing for state-of-the-art dry cell battery technology.I deliver customized battery solutions for: FirstWind (wind farms in Maui and Oahu, HI) and Ford Motor Company (Solar energy storage in Denver, CO, project) I performed quality control testing for state-of-the-art dry cell battery technology.

Larry Levinson Productions

GripGrip, Jul 2002 – Nov 2006

Simi Valley, California

  • Worked on twenty midlevel productions in four years.
  • Managed a truck and supervised $100,000 worth of equipment.
  • Performed clerical duties on behalf my team, both full time and temporary hires.
  • Assured communication between my department and production was seamless and correct and that all necessary equipment was on hand to allow the creatives to mine for gold.

Volunteering

Union Production Coalition of Arizona

Chair,  August 2023-Present

Member, 2023 – Present

Endeavoring to unite the unions of Arizona.

Mission Statement: The Union Production Coalition of Arizona (UPCAZ) is an entertainment industry, multi-media organization with the purpose of providing a unified union presence in the state of Arizona. We represent union members in the entertainment industry who live and work in the state of Arizona. The UPCAZ advocates for continued incentives and state legislation to support film and media production in Arizona.

SGI USA

Vice-Regional Men’s Division Leader,  2022 -Present

Member, 2015 – Present

The Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist organization that promotes peace, culture and education centered on respect for the dignity of life. Its members study and put into practice the humanistic philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism.

Mission Statement: Through advocacy and education, we work to strengthen connections between individuals, civil society and the UN to help create the culture of peace.

IATSE Local 336

Liaison to Local 336 Film Committee

Member, 2021 – Present

Chartered in 1962, Local 336 has been providing crews for Theater and Stage, Convention Decorating, Wardrobe, Hair and Make-up, Industrial Meetings, Commercials, Video, Media and Film for over 60 years.

Mission: To providing Professional, Reliable, Dedicated and Experienced crews for your production continues to be our top priority.

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