The Chicago Activator - November 14, 2016

Official E-Newsletter of the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local

November 14, 2016

IN THIS ISSUE KMRC Reveal with President Carteris SAG Awards Voting Privileges TV/Theatrical W&W Meetings Nov. Conservatory Dec. Conservatory

KMRC Reveal with SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris Today at 4 p.m.

Members in Action Local News 2017 IAP Grants

Today!

KMRC Reveal with Special Guest SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris Come out tonight to see the much anticipated reveal of the newly renovated Kaufherr Center. The event will feature SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris for a special meet-and-greet at the Center.

When: 4 - 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14 Where: Kaufherr Members Resource Center (KMRC) 1 E. Erie, Suite 660 Chicago, IL 60611 RSVP to Shayna Young at shayna.young@sagaftra.org Space is limited. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAGAFTRA members, please bring your membership card (paid through Oct. 31, 2016 or April 30, 2017) for admittance.

SAG Awards Voting Privileges Only active, paid-up union members are given the opportunity to vote for the recipients of the Screen Actors Guild Awards' coveted Actor statuette. November 2016 dues must be paid by Thursday, Dec. 1, in order for members to be eligible to vote and receive For Your Consideration materials. Visit the SAG Awards at sagawards.org.

Television/Theatrical Contract W&W Performer Meetings The TV/Theatrical wages and working conditions (W&W) process continues in preparation for negotiation of the TV/Theatrical Contracts that expire June 30, 2017. These formal meetings use the information and ideas gathered from the caucuses to create proposals for the 2017 contract negotiations.

If you have worked on a project under the TV or Theatrical Contracts as a principal performer in the past three years, you are strongly encouraged to attend one of the following meetings: When: Noon, Thursday, Nov. 17 5:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28 Where: SAG-AFTRA 1 E. Erie, Suite 650 Chicago, IL 60611 RSVP to kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org.

Park at 10 East Ontario. Enter on the north side of Ontario between Wabash and State, and then take a ticket. When you sign in, you may purchase a four-hour ticket for $13 cash, $14 Visa, MasterCard or American Express payment. You will need both tickets to exit the parking structure.

Email Suggestions: Can't make it to a committee meeting? You can still play an active part by emailing your ideas to wandw2017@sagaftra.org. All recommendations must be received by Friday, Nov. 18, 2016. All proposal recommendations will be reviewed by the Wages & Working Conditions Committee.

Attention members who are actively producing: SAG-AFTRA members who are actively producing cannot attend the W&W Committee meetings due to conflict of interest.

KMRC and SAG-AFTRA Conservatory Present: Functionary and Small Roles for Episodic TV/Film This interactive conservatory will focus on the best way to approach the one-liner for film and television productions and what type of techniques you should be using to prepare for auditions.

Guests: Rachael Patterson, director of Acting Studio Chicago and Adria Dawn, SAG-AFTRA actress/coach When: 6 - 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 21 Where: Kaufherr Members Resources Center (KMRC) 1 E. Erie, Suite 660 Chicago, IL 60611 RSVP to kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org to reserve your space.

Park at 10 East Ontario. Enter on the north side of Ontario between Wabash and State, and then take a ticket. When you sign in, you may purchase a four-hour ticket for $13 cash, $14 Visa, MasterCard or American Express payment. You will need both tickets to exit the parking structure.

This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAGAFTRA members, please bring your membership card (paid through Oct. 31, 2016 or April 30, 2017) for admittance.

KMRC and SAG-AFTRA Conservatory Present: Agent Speed Dating Here's your opportunity to get one-on-one advice from some of the top agents in town.

Each member will spend five minutes with an agent for on-camera auditioning, five minutes with an agent for voiceover critiques and 10 minutes with an agent discussing headshots and selfmarketing material.

When: 6 - 8 p.m. Monday, Dec.12 Where: Kaufherr Members Resource Center (KMRC) 1 E. Erie, Suite 660 Chicago, IL 60611 RSVP to kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org. Space is limited.

Park at 10 East Ontario. Enter on the north side of Ontario between Wabash and State, and then take a ticket. When you sign in, you may purchase a four-hour ticket for $10 cash. You will need both tickets to exit the parking structure.

This is going to be a fast-paced, closely timed conservatory, so we need to do some preproduction to make sure it all goes smoothly. Here's what you'll need to do:

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RSVP to Kathy Byrne at kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org.

Send a pdf of your headshot and resume. This will be shared with the on-camera agents, so they know what type of copy to bring for you.

For the voiceover agent, you will need to send an mp3 of no more than 30 seconds of whatever voiceover work you think you're best at (i.e. commercial, narration, etc.).

Don't have an mp3? No problem, just schedule a time to come to the KMRC by Dec. 5 and you can make one in the Audio Studio.

The day of the Conservatory, bring additional hard copy headshots and resumes for the agents. YOU MUST BE ON TIME. We will be scheduling members in half-hour increments. If you miss your time slot, there's no way to make it up. (Just come early and you'll have no worries).

If you attended the Speed Dating event in 2014, you are welcome to RSVP, but will be waitlisted in order to make room for members who have not had the opportunity to participate in this limitedcapacity event.

As these events are free, reservations fill up fast. A waiting list will be used. If you can't make it, please cancel your reservation with as much notice as possible - minimum 24 hours - so another member may benefit by attending this event. Failure to do so may result in your being denied a reservation slot in upcoming events.

The purpose of this event is for you to receive unbiased, third-party critique of your work. As a byproduct, performers have found an agent during this process; however that is not the intent of this Conservatory.

Work the perk! Agent Speed Dating - like all SAG-AFTRA Conservatory and KMRC programming - is a benefit of your union membership and offered to all SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. Please bring your membership card (paid through Oct. 31, 2016 or April 30, 2017) for admittance.

SAG-AFTRA member Marshall Bean on the set of Corpse Bong in October. (Photo Credit: Ben Handler) Local News SAG-AFTRA Members Made a Difference We gave out 32 free flu shots and collected 19 units of blood. With these generous donations from members of SAG-AFTRA, 57 PEOPLE WILL BE HELPED. For that we are truly grateful.

Keep Your Agent in the Know If you book a project through your agent, please let them know when production contacts you directly. For example: If you book one of the nighttime dramas shooting here, your agent calls to say you got the part. Then production calls you to arrange a fitting, change your shooting date, ask you to do something that may resemble a stunt or other training. If production contacts you directly, chances are your agent is not aware of the changes and therefore cannot negotiate further provisions or pay in some circumstances, and he or she can't make sure you are being paid properly when your check comes in.

Background Committee Find out what's going on nationally and locally concerning background actors. Share your concerns, learn how you can be involved with a commercial background initiative and help plan activities for the upcoming year.

The SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Background Committee meets quarterly and is looking for additional members. Please contact Sean Hennessy at (312) 867-2549 or sean.hennessy@sagaftra.org, if you are interested in attending a meeting or joining the committee.

2017 DCASE Individual Artists Program Grants The Individual Artists Program aims to assist Chicago's professional artists and creative entrepreneurs in creating work that elevates their careers and brings value to the City of Chicago.

This year's IAP program will include significant updates to guidelines and eligible program categories. All applicants are required to attend an Application Assistance Workshop in order to apply for a grant.

The free workshop schedule is as follows: Workshops at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago         

Monday, Nov. 7, 6 - 8 p.m., 2nd Floor Claudia Cassidy Theater Thursday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m. - Noon, 5th Floor Washington Room (sign language interpreter will be available at this workshop.)

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2 - 4 p.m., 5th Floor Garland Room Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2 - 4 p.m., 2nd Floor Claudia Cassidy Theater Thursday, Nov. 17, 10 a.m. - Noon, 4th Floor Sidney R. Yates Gallery Thursday, Nov. 17, 2 - 4 p.m., 4th Floor Sidney R. Yates Gallery Thursday, Nov. 17, 5 - 7 p.m., 4th Floor Sidney R. Yates Gallery Tuesday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. - Noon, 2nd Floor Claudia Cassidy Theater Monday, Dec. 5, 6 - 8 p.m., 2nd Floor Claudia Cassidy Theater

Click here to sign up for one of these training sessions.

Workshop at Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St., Chicago 

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7 - 9 p.m.

Click here to sign up for this training session.

Workshop at Comfort Station, 2579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7 - 9 p.m. (Space is limited)

Click here to sign up for this training session.

Workshops will review updates to grant guidelines and eligibility requirements, review criteria and provide guidance to help applicants prepare the strongest, most competitive applications.

Following the presentation, there will be time for applicants to speak with DCASE staff and ask questions.

IAP guidelines will be available at chicagoculturalgrants.org on Nov. 1. The IAP application period opens on Dec. 1 and the deadline for applications is Jan. 13, 2017. Absolutely no extensions will be granted.

In response to members' requests to stay informed, The Activator may include notice of rallies, pickets and other actions by unions and the labor movement that have not been sanctioned by the National or Chicago Board of Directors of SAG-AFTRA. This information is provided as a convenience.

The information contained herein regarding workshops, vendors, special offers and the like is provided for informational purposes and is not intended to imply endorsement by SAG-AFTRA of them or the information, material, products or services provided. SAG-AFTRA makes no warranties or representations regarding the use of the material or the quality of the services or service providers.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago: (312) 573-8081 Email: chicago@sagaftra.org Website: SAGAFTRA.org