The secretariat was established in 1965, on the initiative of the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. It absorbed the International Congress of Broadcasting Unions, and adopted two existing bodies, the European Union of Film and Television Workers, and the Inter-American Federation of Entertainment Workers, as regional bodies. The first general secretary, Alan Forrest, believed that the funding for the new organisation came from the American government, and was intended to provide a less radical alternative to the
International Federation of Actors (FIA) and
International Federation of Musicians (FIM). These allegations were never proven, but influenced the perception of the organisation among many trade unionists, and it did not attract affiliations from any unions which held membership of the FIA or FIM. ISETU was initially based in Brussels, but later moved its headquarters to London, and then on to Vienna, and finally Geneva. In 1984, it affiliated to the
International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (FIET) and became known as the
International Secretariat for Arts, Mass Media and Entertainment Trade Unions (ISETU-FIET), but retained a high level of autonomy. At the start of 1992, the federation left FIET, and instead established the
International Committee of Entertainment and Media Unions with the FIA, FIM,
International Federation of Audio Visual Workers (FISTAV) and the
International Federation of Journalists, the
International Graphical Federation soon also joining. Relationships with FISTAV were particularly strong, and in 1993, the two secretariats merged, forming what became known as the
Media and Entertainment International. ==Affiliates==