The Chicago Activator

Issue: #18

Sept. 9, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE Want to Play Basketball?

Audiobooks: The Next Chapter

Save the Date - Oct. 21

Walk to End Alzheimer's Freelance Tidbit

The Annual SAG-AFTRA Blood Drive is October 21.

Singers Committee Radio Players Oct. 9 Stay Connected

Keep reading The Activator for details on free headshots, flu shots and massages.

Union-Made Appliances

MORE INFORMATION SOON. Want to Play Basketball?

SAG-AFTRA Chicago is putting together a team for the five-on-five men's league. Play starts on Friday, Sept. 20 and runs through mid-November. Maximum cost per player is approximately $75, less if more than five guys sign up.

Where: Lake Shore Gym at Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, (very accessible via public transit and walking distance from the SAG-AFTRA office.)

When: Friday, Sept. 20 through mid-November. First game each week is at 6:15 p.m., last game is at 8:15 p.m.

What: Five-on-five men's basketball. Games are two 20-minute halves with no shot clock. After the regular season, there will be playoffs with every team guaranteed a spot.

The Competition: Per the park district, "Most teams are made up of guys who work or live in the area. The league is pretty friendly with a recreational atmosphere."

The Cost: $225 to register the team and $20 each week for the referee. Cost per player is approximately $75, possibly less.

Deadline: Registration is open now with a maximum of eight teams. To sign up or for more information, please call or email Randy Choiniere, SAG-AFTRA Chicago Broadcast Representative at (312) 573-8081 EXT 544 or randy.choiniere@sagaftra.org.

Audiobooks: The Next Chapter SAG-AFTRA Chicago presents a series of workshops covering the business and practice of audiobook narration. Registration is for the entire series and open to SAG-AFTRA Chicago members in good standing only.

Workshop 1: The Basics of Audiobooks, presented by Adam Verner 6 - 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, 2013 Audiobook narrators will outline the actual experience of narrating from start to finish.

Overview of the industry: where it came from and where it's going.

The recording process: recording in your home studio vs. a "real" studio, technology and industry terms.

Rates: explaining "per finished hour" and what goes into audiobook production.

How to get work: what goes into a good demo and how to market yourself, ACX and royalty share, self-producing, genres.

Professional associations: the APA, APAC, and online communities and resources.

The reality of recording: How could this fit into your life as a performer? What does it take?

Listening to the pros: Hear samples of narrators and examples of styles.

Q&A. Workshop 2: Inside/Outside in two parts 6 - 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, 2013 Part 1: Setting Up Your Home Studio presented by Joe Wright Part 2: Utilizing An Outside Engineer/Studio (guest TBA) Learn the basics for setting up a home studio or recording in an outside studio from consultants and professional sound engineers. Topics covered will include: Choosing a space in your home.

Mics: descriptions of the different features and prices.

Headphones.

Other equipment: worktable, chair, mic stands, speakers.

Soundproofing.

Software: free vs. purchased, pros and cons.

Cost-effective ideas.

Working with a professional engineer at their studio: when and how.

Q&A. Workshop 3: Dialects presented by Tanera Marshall 6 - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, 2013 This workshop is a SAG-AFTRA Conservatory event. Those interested in audiobooks are encouraged to attend.

Workshop 4: Audiobook Narration Master Classes with Adam Verner 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4 or Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013 Register for only one: Nov. 4, Newbie Master Class OR Nov. 5, Advanced Master Class (Please note: The prerequisite for the Advanced Master Class is that atendees must have recorded at least one audiobook by Oct. 31.)

Assignments will be given for you to prepare prior to the class.

One-on-one performance coaching on the three main genres: first-person fiction, thirdperson fiction and nonfiction.

Listening to the pros: samples of each genre.

Punch and roll recording: what is it and how do you do it?

Self-direction: how to listen to the text.

More in-depth marketing discussion and ideas.

All workshops are at the KMRC, 1 E. Erie, Suite 660, Chicago, IL 60611. There will be light snacks available. Please RSVP to Jolene Jones at jolene.jones@sagaftra.org. Space is limited. Firstcome, first-served basis.

Park for $10 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. You will need both tickets to exit the parking structure. Cash only.

Adam Verner is a full-time narrator and voice talent with more than 100 titles recorded for companies such as Blackstone, Brilliance, AudioGo, Tantor, Oasis, Audible, Highbridge, eChristian, Dreamscape, McGraw Hill and Zondervan. He is the recipient of the AudioFile Earphones awards for Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck, The Good Cop by Brad Parks, and The Big It by A.B. Guthrie Jr. He holds an MFA in acting from the Chicago College of the Fine Arts at Roosevelt University.

Joe Wright of JoRon 2000 Studios has produced or recorded and mastered more than 20 custom CD projects, including various audiobooks with narrator Barbara Ann Martin. Joe also facilitates SAG-AFTRA members in the creation of their own personal studios. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and is an Audiobook Committee member, in addition to serving as co-chair of the Singers Committee.

Walk to End Alzheimer's: Actors and Artists Unite in Chicago to End Alzheimer's Join your fellow SAG-AFTRA and AEA union members and the Chicago community for the first year of the Actors and Artists Unite to End Alzheimer's Chicago team.

When: Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 8 a.m. - Check in and festivities 10 a.m. - Walk kick-off Where: Montrose Harbor Montrose Avenue and Simonds Drive Chicago, IL 60613 Founded in 2011 by AEA National Councilor and SAG-AFTRA member Nancy Daly, Actors and Artists Unite is for anyone who has had a loved one with Alzheimer's. Everyone is welcome: actors, artists, friends and family. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 10 a.m.

Registration: Click here to register on the Actors and Artists Unite Chicago team page. The National team page can be found at alz.org/ActorsUnite.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement by the union nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Freelance Tidbit Do not ever fill out your contract or timesheet in pencil. Always carry a pen with you!

New Leadership for the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Singers Committee The SAG-AFTRA Chicago singers have elected new leadership. The committee's new co-chairs are Greta Pope and Joe Wright. Vice chair is Kevin Smith. The new leaders are looking forward to working closely with Chicago-area singers.

Several events are currently being planned. Some of the topics include: Understanding and utilizing SAG-AFTRA contracts.

Improving your visibility as a SAG-AFTRA singer.

Alternative income streams for SAG-AFTRA singers.

We hope that all SAG-AFTRA singers will come out and join in these important and exciting events. Watch The Activator for upcoming meeting dates.

From the AFL-CIO and Union Plus How to Find Union-Made Appliances Looking for a new appliance? Use this union-made shopping list to buy American and support IUE-CWA and UAW members.

You can also text APPLIANCE to 22555 to receive the list on your phone.

Stay Connected with SAG-AFTRA Keep your contact information current with the union so you can receive important career information and timely payments of residuals. By providing your email address to SAG-AFTRA, you'll receive contract updates, e-newsletters, casting information, career workshop and seminar announcements, and email messages from your elected leaders.

Submitting Your Email for the First Time Mail or fax your: Current professional name SAG-AFTRA ID number Professional signature Email address To: SAG-AFTRA 5757 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036 Attn: Data Processing Department FAX: (323) 549-6792 To Update Your Email Address: If you would like to change your email address, please send an email to emailupdate@sagaftra.org and include the following information: Current professional name SAG-AFTRA ID number Prior email address listed with the union New email address Remember to also keep your records current with the SAG-Producers Pension and Health Plans and the AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds, your agents and other industry professionals.

Don't Miss SAG-AFTRA Chicago Radio Players Oct. 9 The Egg and I Directed by Pat Vern-Harris The story is not really a chicken joke, but it comes close. Bob picks a peculiar time - his and Betty's wedding night - to inform his bride that he has purchased a poultry farm. Betty, a New York City native who knows nothing about making a life off the land, finds that being a good sport wears thin when she sets foot on the old, badly abused property and learns how much muscle it will take to make it a home and take a profit. Their neighbors, Maw and Paw Kettle and their 15(!) children, add to the mixture of anxiety and hilarity.

7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013 Claudia Cassidy Theater, 77 E. Randolph (at Michigan Avenue) Admission is free, however seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

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.