The Activator - May 23, 2013

Issue: #11 IN THIS ISSUE HOW TO TELL THE STORY AUDIOBOOKS TODAY Agent Speed Dating SIGN UP NOW! Sidney Hillman Health Centre SAG-AFTRA Chicago Staff Directory Clarification of the Commission Rule for Network Prime-Time Reruns Union Plus Travel Discounts Holiday Schedule

May 23, 2013

Second Annual

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Membership Meeting When: Monday, June 10, 2013 6 p.m. social hour 7 p.m. meeting Where: Film Row Cinema at Columbia College 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605 Special guests and more; details to be announced.

This meeting is open only to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. No RSVP necessary. SAGAFTRA MEMBERS, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD (paid thru April 30, 2013 or Oct. 31, 2013) FOR ADMITTANCE.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local is Proud to Present: HOW TO TELL THE STORY ... AUDIOBOOKS TODAY - Come hear, learn and earn!

8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, June 15 Kaufherr Members Resource Center (KMRC) 1 E. Erie, Suite 660, Chicago, IL 60611 Event GuestsSAG-AFTRA Staff Audiobook Negotiators: Jane Love, Associate Executive Director Washington - Mid Atlantic Local Rich Larkin, Associate Executive Director Labor Counsel News and Broadcast And Special Guest: Sean Pratt Renowned audiobook narrator of more than 700 titles, multi-award-winner of AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award, and frequent nominee of the prestigious Audie Award.

Pratt is sharing his narrating expertise and knowledge of audiobook publishers/producers. He'll discuss many of the technical aspects of audiobook narrating, take a look at the current industry and share what he sees for the future and how it applies to union talent.

As a special event bonus, several lucky audience members will have a chance to participate, via lottery system, in a one-on-one brief coaching session during the event.

Other topics include an overview of the more than 24 SAG-AFTRA agreements with audiobook publishers and producers, plus various additional audiobook issues.

Open to SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local members in good standing. No walk-ins permitted.

RSVP to Jolene Jones at jolene.jones@sagaftra.org. Please put "audiobook event" in the subject line. Include your name, phone number and SAG-AFTRA membership number. You will receive a confirmation email. Space is extremely limited. First come, first serve basis only. If you must cancel, please do so at least two days before the event, so that we may accommodate members on the waiting list.

To learn more about SAG-AFTRA and audiobooks, please visit SAGAFTRA.org/audiobooks.

SAG-AFTRA Conservatory Presents: Agent Speed Dating 6 - 8 p.m. Monday, June 24 Kaufherr Members Resource Center (KMRC) 1 E. Erie, Suite 660 Chicago, IL 60611 Here's your opportunity to get one-on-one advice from some of the top agents in town! Each member will spend five minutes one-on-one with an agent for on-camera auditioning, five minutes one-on-one with an agent for voiceover critiques and 10 minutes with an agent discussing headshots and self-marketing materials.

Agents scheduled to participate are: O/C: Dawn Gray - Gray Talent Group, Stephanie Potakis - Lily's Talent Agency V/O: Brett Sechrist - Naked Voices, Ed Cox - Ambassador Talent Headshots: Wade Childress - Stewart Talent Don't forget: You must be a SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local member in good standing to participate.

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.

1. RSVP to Kathy Byrne at kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org. Space is limited.

2. Send Kathy 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.

3. 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).

4. Don't have an mp3? No problem, just schedule a time to come to the KMRC by June 5 and you'll get assistance in making one.

5. The day of the event, please bring additional hard copy headshots and resumes for the agents.

YOU MUST BE ON TIME. We are 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.

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.

Open Enrollment during June, SIGN UP NOW! Health Care at Sidney Hillman Health Centre for SAG-AFTRA Chicago Members!

Did you miss signing up for the Sidney Hillman Health Centre last year? The enrollment window is open for the month of June. Applications are being accepted now.

While this is not major medical insurance - no hospitalization is included - SHHC offers SAGAFTRA members and their spouses/partners and dependent children high-quality complete outpatient health care for $63 per month. There is no additional charge or co-pay for office visits, lab work and most other services. This includes primary care visits for children and adults, OBGYN, cardiology, physical therapy, counseling, basic X-ray, labs, podiatry and much more. A 24/7 emergency answering service with an on-call doctor is also available.

Participation is Limited!

There are a limited number of spots available now. To sign up during the June enrollment window, call the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local office for more information, (312) 573-8081, or email Kathy Nelsen at kathy.nelsen@sagaftra.org.

Services are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Questions must be handled by the providers. SAG-AFTRA does not endorse any of these services.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Staff Directory Eric Chaudron, Executive Director Main number: (312) 573-8081 Christine Czernecki - ext. 502 Assistant to Executive Director Eric Chaudron, Governance Paula Weinbaum - ext. 548 Broadcast Kathy Nelsen - ext. 541 Natasha Beals - ext. 712 Membership, Work Calls Kathy Byrne - ext. 508 Jolene Jones - ext. 507 TV/Theatrical, KMRC audio and video suite reservations Jamie Marchi - ext. 540 Sean Hennessy - ext. 549 Commercial, Co-Ed, New Media Linda Swenson - ext. 545 Communications Clarification of the Commission Rule for Network Prime-Time Reruns Reruns of Chicago Fire are in full force. Your agent is entitled to commission any and all reruns or residual payments of network television prime-time shows (i.e. Chicago Fire) that rerun on network prime-time television. Your residual payment for shows originally made for network television prime time is based on your original session fee. As long as the original session fee is paid over scale, the residual payment will be calculated at an over scale rate and is therefore commissionable.

Please contact SAG-AFTRA Chicago Director of TV/Theatrical Kathy Byrne at kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org or (312) 573-8081 if you have any questions.

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Holiday Schedule for Office and KMRC SAG-AFTRA Chicago and the KMRC will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 24 and be closed all day Monday, May 27 in celebration of Memorial Day. 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 Hotline: (312) 867-3710 Email: chicago@sagaftra.org WEBSITE SAGAFTRA.org.