Playback - Spring 2014

p l a y4b a c k SAG-AFTRA

. CHICAGO . SPRING 2014

It's supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push this button.

- John Brunner

IN THIS ISSUE... = TUNED IN TO NEW TECHNOLOGY = A DAY IN THE LIFE = LIVE FROM MAYNE STAGE = CPM JOINS SAG-AFTRA

MEMBERS AT WORK AND AROUND TOWN

Stars of Calumet, Austin Pendleton and Ann Whitney.

Jack McCabe and Alexanna Blonski on the set of Raggedy Man.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago members doing what they love to do: PERFORMING, HAVING FUN AND CELEBRATING THE INDUSTRY!

DID YOU KNOW that in the days when Chicago radio was it, from the ‘20s through the ‘50s, the actresses, (that’s what they were called then) never entered a studio for work sans hat and gloves, even for rehearsals? In the evening, the actors wore tuxedos for live audiences, ladies in formal gowns, indeed the orchestra was also in full dress!

- Roz Alexander

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Bobbie O’Connor, Suzy Brack, Richard Pryor, Jr. and Kathleen Lawlor in 3 Squares.

Ann Sheehan, Ashley Lobo, David Eigenberg, Aemilia Scott, and Mary Kay Cook at the Best of the Midwest Awards.

Stan Adams and the set of Betrayal.

Lindsay Rathert, Mouzam Makkar and Kathiamarice Lopez in Pretty Little Girls.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago and Friends Play Ball Last fall, SAG-AFTRA Chicago played league basketball. The team was a combination of members, staff, friends, an agent and an audio engineer.

Pictured: Troy Pryor, Michael Joseph Thomas Ward, Randy Choiniere, James Shinkle, Clifford James and Sean Hennessey. Not pictured: Kevin Lingle, Chris Schrage, Jenny Sauer, Nick Harden, Brett Sechrist, and John Wong.

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

A Day in the Life of

Jeff Dumas

SAG-AFTRA Chicago member It was a Thursday like any other and I was heading down to O’Connor Casting, like so many other times before.

“What’s going on tomorrow?” my wife had asked.

“Nothing much,” I replied. “Have to go down to O’Connor’s for a commercial audition.” “What for?” she asked.

“No idea,” I said. “It’s for an unnamed car company.”

First, a little background. I’ve been working as an actor in Chicago for more than 20 years: on stage, in voiceovers and a little on-camera here and there. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to do more on-camera, but at five feet four inches, balding and stocky, I’m a pretty specific type. Like all of us, I’ve headed down to all of the casting agencies so many times it often feels more like a pilgrimage. Once, I had a neighbor who isn’t in the business ask me how we found work. The conversation went like this:

time I would end up telling them that it’s just what we do. We’re actors. We audition. Some times a little, sometimes a lot. Sometimes there are callbacks, sometimes there aren’t. Sometimes you book the job. Most of the time, you don’t. For me personally, I would keep things in perspective by remembering that an older actor who had been doing this a while once told me: “You know how to make this easier? You say to yourself, ‘Did I do everything I could to prepare for this audition? Did I do everything I could when I was in the room?’ And most importantly, always remember that if you do book a job, it’s probably because the guy they really wanted was sick that day.”

Like most Chicago performers, Jeff’s credits include a combination of stage work, (Wicked, The 39 Steps, The Merry Widow) television, (Chicago Fire) and commercials.

So, I went to the unnamed car commercial audition. We were brought into the room in groups of four. We were told what the scenario was. The lead character was a white guy who walked around a very glum office and trying to cheer his coAs Patsy in the first U.S. workers up while using a Jamaican national tour of Monty Python’s accent. Most of the commercial Spamalot, Jeff received the was then made up of the rest of the 2007 Helen Hayes Award Neighbor: “So, how do you guys find work? Does actors reacting to his accent, some for Outstanding Supporting

your union do that for you?” of them who adopt his accent (after Performer.

Me: “Not exactly.” their moods presumably changed) Neighbor: “So, how does it work?” and one of the actors chastising them for being late Me: “Well, my agent will submit me for a project returning to the office after lunch.

they think I’m right for, or the casting director will

request that I come in. Then, I go and audition.”

They had one actor reading “Dave,” (the Jamaican Neighbor: “Then you get the job?” accent guy) and three of us cycling through the other Me: “Not exactly.” roles. We went through it a few times. Ten minutes Neighbor: “OK …” later, I was continuing on to my next appointment.

Me: “See, if you make it past the first round of auditions,

you will get a callback. Then, they narrow it down The next day, I received a call from my agency, Stewart

some more and you may get put “on hold” Talent, letting me know I got a callback and that if I

or they’ll put you on “check avail,” which means you was booked, I would have to fly to Los Angeles two

have to let them know if your availability changes for days later and stay for five days. “No problem,” I said,

the shoot date. Then, after that, if you’re the one they thinking that I didn’t exactly need to worry about

want, you get the job.” rounding up a babysitter just yet. After all, like a lot of Neighbor: “So, how often do you have to do this?” actors, I’d received similar calls in the past.

Me: “Well, it depends. Sometimes you get a few auditions

a month, and if it’s busy, you can go in two or three I went to the callback, which was the

times in a week.” videoconferencing kind. Always a little weird, since Neighbor: “Why would anyone want to do that??” you don’t know if you should look at the enormous flat screen with the director on it, or the camera. We went I’ve had this conversation a number of times with people who through it a few times, switching back and forth, and aren’t familiar with how this business works. And most of the that was that.

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Jeff Dumas on set.

On Tuesday, I received a phone call from my agent. I was still in the running. It was between me and one other guy. Was I still able to fly out on Wednesday morning? “Sure,” I said, still, not really worried about child care. I’d received this call in the past as well. I hung up and took my son to the store for milk.

At around 6 p.m. that night, my phone rang.

“Dumas?” said Jenny, one of the on-camera agents at Stewart Talent. “Can you hear me?”

“Yep” I said.

“You booked it!” yelled the whole office, on speakerphone. “You fly out tomorrow morning!”

“You’re kidding me?” I said.

“No,” said Jenny, getting off of speakerphone. “Is everything OK?” she asked.

“Um, yeah” I responded. “I have to call my wife. And get a sitter.”

Eleven hours later, I was heading to O’Hare, getting on a firstclass flight to Los Angeles and then straight to fittings. There were two other actors from Chicago (which was really cool, of course), and about five others from L.A. We had been told that the unnamed car company was actually Volkswagen and while at the fitting, the inevitable question came up.

of nervous faces in suits that this was indeed a Super Bowl commercial. I also found out, on-the-spot, I was going to be the employee who chastises the other employees for being late.

We didn’t shoot my scene until the following day. We shot the scene from a number of angles, a few close-ups and finally, a crane shot. And, just as soon as it had started, it was over. We wrapped on Saturday. Sunday I was on a first-class return flight to Chicago, enjoying my bloody mary. It had been one hell of a week.

A few weeks later, some minor controversy involving cultural insensitivity and seven million YouTube views later, the commercial aired right before halftime of Super Bowl XLVII. I wish I could have seen my neighbor at that moment, the one who had asked why I would want to do this. I would have told him that we do this because you never know what might happen.

That the next audition could be the one you book. And, that next audition could be a Super Bowl commercial. That’s why we do it. That and the fact that we just don’t want to do anything else.

“Do you guys think this is a Super Bowl spot?”

Now, were there a hundred guys in Los Angeles or New York who could have been in my shoes? Of course there were. But, was it great that there were three Chicago actors flown out for this spot? You’re damn right it was. I think that’s about all there is to say.

My first call wasn’t until Friday. When I arrived on set, it was pretty obvious from the amount of nervous faces and the amount

Oh, I almost forgot about that guy. The one they really wanted.

Well, as it turns out, he was sick that day. www.sagaftra.org

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IN AGREEMENT: THE NEW MEDIA CONTRACT

Creating

,

or How a Web Series is Born

By Lisa Cordileone

The creation of a successful Web series can start with something as simple as a cup of coffee. More than a year ago at an event for one of her films, I met writer/ director Wendy Jo Carlton through a mutual friend. I knew of Wendy Jo because of her film Hannah Free. I remembered thinking, who is making films like this in Chicago? Cut to a few years later and we are creating the story for Easy Abby.

Easy Abby began as an idea over coffee.

In less than a year, it was written, cast, shot and we produced a 14-episode first season. The first 10 episodes have received close to 14 million total views.

Thanks to Hulu, Netflix, Google, Amazon and major networks offering online streaming platforms for content, and in some cases competitions or opportunities to pitch original content, it is my belief that digital new media is gaining momentum in the direction of highquality Web series. Web TV is the future.

possible options for monetization of Web content, I have found the business side of my acting career. I realize that maybe my purpose is to be a part of the community of actors in Chicago that produce independent film projects, while putting a spotlight on the talent that lives here. It’s not about New York or Los Angeles talent; co-producing this project has been about putting Chicago actors to work.

It was my intention to become a Lisa Cordileone and signatory and work under the SAG-AFTRA New Media contract for several reasons: to hire talented union actors, to help nonunion actors work to earn SAGAFTRA eligibility and to stamp our After almost a year of research into project with the legitimacy that working the new media platforms available and under a SAG-AFTRA contract provides.

After meeting with our local, I learned exactly what I needed to do to apply and become a signatory for our project. I went to the production center pages of the SAGAFTRA. org website, filled in all of the preproduction information, Lisa Cordileone and Amy Dellagiarino in Easy Abby. submitted it to the

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New Media department and was assigned a representative.

Overall, the new media contract made production run smoother. All of the templates for principal actors, TaftHartley forms, sign-in sheets, etc. were available to print out and include in our production binder. We also had a dedicated production manager who kept track of all contracts and sign-in sheets so we were organized by the end of

Mouzam Makkar in Easy Abby.

production. I was able to tie up any loose ends with actors in post-production and email everything to my representative in the New Media department. It took some time but was as simple as that.

I would recommend this contract to any actors or producers looking to create Web series content. For Easy Abby, it was a perfect fit!

Lisa Cordileone joined AFTRA in 2009 for V/O work on a radio spot for Einstein Bagels and SAG for a Famous Footwear commercial. Originally from upstate New York, she earned a BFA in acting from East Carolina University. Lisa then moved to Chicago and trained at the Second City Improv and Music Improv conservatories.

KMRC

LIVE FROM

Mayne Stage Benefiting the KMRC & Supporting the Performing Arts in Chicago

On May 19, the Mayne Stage in Rogers Park is the backdrop for the second annual Live From Mayne Stage event to benefit the Kaufherr Members Resource Center (KMRC).

This year’s line up includes critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and SAG-AFTRA National Vice President, Recording Artists Dan Navarro, comedian Russ Williamson, chanteuse Claudia Hommel accompanied by Bob Moreen, song-and-dance man Dennis Kelly, rhythm and blues vocalist Lynne Jordan and world-class entertainer Greta Pope.

Chicago broadcast legend Richard Steele is the evening’s master of ceremonies.

The KMRC is a multipurpose facility available at no cost to SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity members. Its mission is to support Chicago’s professional performers in enhancing their skills and marketing their talents.

The KMRC has a deep and profound commitment to Chicago’s actors, singers, theaters and the arts.

“Chicago-area performers are very fortunate to have access to this comprehensive resource. The KMRC contributes greatly to the rich performing arts scene in Chicago, giving performers the tools for excellence,” said Greta Pope, SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Board member and benefit chairperson.

Dan Navarro

Monday, May 19 6 - 9 p.m.

Mayne Stage

1328 W. Morse Ave. Chicago Tickets: $25, $50 at the door To purchase by mail, send a check payable to the KMRC to: KMRC c/o SAG-AFTRA Chicago 1 East Erie, Suite 650 Chicago, IL 60611

Or at kmrc2014.eventbrite.com.

Greta Pope

This event is being produced and administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Members KMRC Kaufherr Resource Center

Joe Wright and performers in the finale of the 2013 event.

Like us on Facebook facebook.com/kmrcchicago Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/KMRCChicago

KMRC

Chicago

Visit us @ KMRCChicago.com

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Telling the Story and the Next Chapter in Audiobooks Reflecting the commitment by SAG-AFTRA and the National Audiobook Steering Committee to organizing audiobook recordings, the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local formed an audiobooks committee in December 2012. Co-chairs Lisa Cordileone and Chuck Stransky, along with staff liaison Jolene Jones, have hit the ground running.

Guided by the committee’s mission to “further the opportunity for narrators, increase contract knowledge, expand networking possibilities and support the increase of companies under SAG-AFTRA contracts,” Chicago Local members have already benefited from two events.

Last summer, nearly 100 members attended How to Tell the Story … Audiobooks Today, a workshop lead by SAG-AFTRA staff audiobook negotiators Jane Love, associate executive director, Washington – Mid Atlantic Local, and Rich Larkin, New York associate executive director, labor counsel news and broadcast, with special guest Sean Pratt, a narrator of more than 700 audiobooks. Originally planned to be a one-day event, an additional afternoon was added to accommodate the Chicago members overwhelming demand for this information.

In the fall, the committee presented a follow-up, Audiobooks: The Next Chapters, a four-part series covering the business of audiobook narration. Running September through November, the workshops included an industry overview, the recording process, setting up a home studio vs. utilizing an outside engineer, dialect training and more. The final session was a master class with the students recording, pulling all of the pieces together.

The workshops were presented to a full house every week. The content appealed to members with little or no experience in this field, but also was challenging and valuable to the experienced audiobook talent.

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Union Plus Benefits for SAG-AFTRA Members The AFL-CIO created Union Privilege in 1986 to provide union members and their families with valuable consumer benefits.

With Union Plus benefits, your union membership “pays” at work and at home. By using the collective buying power of unions, Union Plus is able to offer valuable, discounted products and services exclusively to working families. Savings, service and solidarity.

SAG-AFTRA members are automatically eligible for many Union Plus benefits and discounts. Visit unionplus.org and start using them today!

Some of the most popular benefits include: • AT&T wireless discount • Union Plus scholarship • Consumer Reports online • Car rental discounts 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.

Yard Signs Now Available Have you noticed the “Proud Union Home” signs popping up across Chicagoland? The red, white and blue displays were created by the Chicago Federation of Labor as a way for households to show solidarity and express their pride in being union members. The response has been overwhelming, said Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez.

While supplies last, the 18-by-24-inch signs are available for free at the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local office. While the option of a yard stand is available, the signs look great in a window, too.

Show your pride in America’s labor movement and middle class by displaying a sign in your front yard or window. Pick one up today!

A Fan Letter to the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Radio Players Although I am not a member of SAG-AFTRA, I attend many of the radio re-enactment programs at Claudia Cassidy Theater with my 15-year-old grandson, Michael. We were at the performance of The Thin Man. As part of the program, two fellows performed the famous, “Who’s on first?” bit. Michael has listened to Abbot and Costello from time to time. But this little skit blew him away. He talked about it the next day at high school and wants me to get the script and practice it with him.

Tony Castillo and Cedric Young.

SAG-AFTRA @ Creative Chicago Expo SAG-AFTRA members Tony Castillo and Cedric Young conducted a workshop, Marketing for the Individual Artist, at this year’s Creative Chicago Expo. The event connects the creative community in Chicago with a variety of valuable resources needed to thrive. More than 140 exhibitors and 30 workshops made this event a success.

Thanks for all the fun and please extend our thanks to all of the performers who were part of the program, especially the fellows who did, “Who’s on first?” We had a chance to talk with Bob Baron before the show. He was both gracious and engaging (what a voice!). Michael was easily the youngest chap in the joint but that did not bother him a bit — he loved it.

Thank you, Radio Players. My grandson and I are looking forward to sharing your next show.

Bud Miller – Naperville Don’t miss the Senior Radio Players next performance, directed

by Guy Barille and produced by Ernie Lane and Connie Foster.

Admission is free, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) Tuesday, May 20 Claudia Cassidy Theater, 77 E. Randolph, Chicago Tony Castillo and Lorrisa Julianus answer questions at the CCE.

!

Just Say Sí!

Presented by the SAG-AFTRA Spanish Language Media Committee, MOVE LA and MOVE NY, Just Say Sí! live-streamed panel discussions taking place in Los Angeles, New York and Miami to locals across the country. !

John Paul Tapia and Lisandra Tena watched Just Say Si! at the Kaufherr Members Resource Center.

Volunteer at GCFD on May 29 SAG-AFTRA is returning to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Join staff and members from 1 - 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 29. The GCFD is at 4100 West Ann Lurie Place in Chicago. This event is open to everyone. Please ask family (14 or older) and friends to join you. Email Linda Swenson at linda.swenson@sagaftra.org. to volunteer or for more information.

Judy Blue (center) with GCFD staff at last year’s event.

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!

REPRESENTATION

Agent or Manager?

SAG-AFTRA regularly receives inquiries from concerned members asking for clarification about the distinctions between franchised talent agents and largely unregulated personal or talent managers.

Throughout the United States, SAG-AFTRA “franchises” talent agents. A franchised agent is someone who has entered into an agreement with the union, setting forth certain terms and conditions of a SAG-AFTRA member’s relationship with an agent.

Although agents primarily seek out work opportunities for actors, they often do much more. They also help to ensure performers are working under safe conditions and assist the union in enforcing its contracts. There’s a reason so many actors thank their agents in their acceptance speeches at awards shows.

The right agent becomes a friend and partner in nurturing a successful career.

Many performers also work with managers. In the past, managers have been neither franchised nor regulated by the union. And they are rarely regulated by state law. Here is a basic breakdown of the difference between an agent and a manager:

AN AGENT:

• Should be franchised under SAG-AFTRA’s franchised agency agreements.

• Is generally licensed by the state as a talent or employment agency.

• Primarily focuses on procuring employment and negotiating wages and working conditions.

• Is only paid when a performer gets paid by an employer.

• Is generally limited to charging a 10-percent commission, as well as by the scope of what is commissionable under union rules.

• May not charge any upfront or administrative fees.

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SAG-AFTRA Introduces its First-Ever Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct Ready for Signing In March, SAG-AFTRA finalized its Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct, a voluntary agreement that is designed to promote honest and ethical relationships between the union’s members and the managers they choose to represent them.

The code has been years in the making and, over the last several months, included close work with the talent management community. Its purpose is to further enhance relations with personal managers and ensure SAG-AFTRA members have access to appropriate representation.

More information and a copy of the Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct can be viewed at sagaftra.org/managers.

To assist members in their relationships with any personal managers, the former SAG-AFTRA Agency Department has been expanded and is now the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department.

A MANAGER:

• Is not licensed by the state or franchised by the union.

• May counsel, advise and provide general career direction.

• May not procure employment unless (s)he is doing so under the control and at the direction of a licensed talent agent.

• Generally charges 10-15 percent.

You should always have an attorney review a management contract before signing. Since they are not franchised and are often unregulated, it’s important to fully understand the terms and conditions of the relationship.

Please call the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local, (312) 573-8081, if you have any questions.

Congratulations, Alma!

CHICAGO LOCAL

Craig Dellimore, President Ilyssa Fradin, 1st Vice President Richard Steele, 2nd Vice President Regan Rohde, 3rd Vice President Martin Halacy, Secretary

SAG-AFTRA member Alma Washington was honored by the Chicago Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) at the 35th Annual Florence Criley and Olga Madar Awards on March 20. Alma was this year’s Olga Madar Award winner. Madar was the first woman to be elected to the UAW International Executive Board and CLUW’s first president.

NATIONAL BOARD Ilyssa Fradin, Nat. Vice President John Carter Brown Richard Shavzin

Marking the celebration of International Women’s Day, the event was a chance for CLUW — a labor coalition founded 40 years ago this March — to pay tribute to its recipient’s activism for women’s rights.

Alma Washington

A longtime member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, Alma is currently serving her third term on the Chicago Local Board.

She has also been a convention delegate and participates in several SAG-AFTRA committees. Demonstrating her strong advocacy for women’s rights, she is a board member of Working Women’s History Project and the Illinois Labor History Society.

CLUW was formed when 3,200 women union members gathered in Chicago to address issues affecting all women in the workplace. Their slogan: “We didn’t come here to swap recipes.” The result of their efforts was a grassroots organization which became the Coalition of Labor Union Women.

CHICAGO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bob Baron Tony Castillo Doug Cunningham Ashley J. Dearborn Jay Disney George Elliot Todd Hissong Denise Jaeckel Razz Jenkins George Manisco Garry Moore Anton Peters Greta Pope Troy Pryor Gail Rastorfer Steve Scholz Richard Steele Maureen W. Steindler Alma Washington Ann Wilkinson Cedric Young

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Standing Committees Background Jay Disney January Stern Broadcast Steering Craig Dellimore COCO Ilyssa Fradin Diversity Tony Castillo Cedric Young KMRC Lacy Katherine Campbell Michael Joseph Thomas Ward Singers Greta Pope Joe Wright Emerging Media Razz Jenkins Radio Players Connie Foster Parker Gronwold Conservatory Denise Jaekel Alma Washington

PLAYBACK COVER

Front: Richard Steele, Ilyssa Fradin, Alma Washington, Mercita DeMonk and Greta Pope.

Back: Cedric Young, Craig Dellimore, Richard Shazvin, Eric Chaudron and John Carter Brown.

The cover design is original art by SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Board member Jay Disney.

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NEWSWORTHY

Chicago Public Media Professionals Vote to Join SAG-AFTRA On Dec. 18, staff members at Chicago Public Media (CPM) voted to join 165,000 media and entertainment professionals in choosing SAG-AFTRA as their union. The vote was 40-7 in favor of joining SAG-AFTRA.

The new bargaining unit will cover 49 public media professionals who produce, report, host and present content for WBEZ, Vocalo, Sound Opinions and CPM’s digital services. CPM employees are looking forward to negotiating a first contract.

“Chicago Public Media Are you a SAG-AFTRA Chicago is a valuable resource member and a WBEZ/Vocalo listener to all Chicagoans,” and supporter? Let us know. Send said Rob Wildeboer, an email to SAG-AFTRA Organizer criminal and legal Bill Hendrickson at affairs reporter for william.hendrickson@sagaftra.org.

WBEZ. “The staff of CPM cares deeply We look forward to hearing about this organization from you. and its mission. Public radio is more than a job. Staff at CPM are deeply committed to the station and we love our work. We have great leaders and a committed board and we believe organizing as staff members is an important step to achieving the goals we all share here: producing excellent journalism that serves the public and making this important local institution even stronger than it is today.”

During their organizing campaign, the Chicago Public Media staffers received widespread support from fellow SAG-AFTRA broadcasters, including letters from broadcasters at National Public Radio, KPBS in San Diego (which also recently voted to join SAG-AFTRA) and the union’s Broadcast Steering Committee.

“Each of us can attest to the difference that our union has made in our lives and our careers,” the letter, signed by 29 members of the Broadcast Steering Committee, read. “We have ensured that some of the most powerful companies in the world treat the talent that is responsible for creating their content with respect.

In all sectors of our industry, we’ve maintained our right to ensure the integrity of our work product, created and maintained fair compensation structures and benefits systems, and ensured high-quality working conditions.”

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The letter from NPR members echoed the BSC thoughts, adding, “Forming your union with SAG-AFTRA can give you a stronger voice to negotiate improvements in pay, benefits and working conditions. We’re committed to the growth of public media journalism and entertainment programming. As new innovations and technology transform the landscape, it is important that those of us on the front lines ensure the highest standards of professionalism and quality programming.”

The Chicago Public Media staff joins a large family of local Chicago news and broadcast members working under SAG-AFTRA contracts at more than 20 local radio and television stations, as well as the growing list of public media outlets nationwide electing to join the union.

Parker Emcees Benefit for ARISE

Paula Weinbaum and Lisa Parker

NBC 5 News anchor Lisa Parker; Paula Weinbaum, SAG-AFTRA Chicago director of broadcasting; and several other SAG-AFTRA members and staff attended ARISE Chicago’s annual fundraising breakfast. ARISE Chicago builds partnerships between faith communities and workers to fight workplace injustice through education and organizing and advocating for public policy changes. Parker emceed the fundraising event again this year.

GET INVOLVED

Is It Time for You to JOIN A SAG-AFTRA There are many opportunities to get involved at SAG-AFTRA Chicago, including joining a committee. A union is only as strong as its members, and member involvement is the key to all successful unions. Your participation is encouraged and necessary to strengthen our union and create opportunity for all of our members.

Committee participation is a great way to let your voice be heard and it will put you in touch with other performers with shared interests. Most committees meet quarterly, others only when a project or work deems it is necessary.

It is the work of our committees that brings strength to this local. You are encouraged to join with your fellow SAG-AFTRA members on a committee that matches your interests. To join a committee or for more information, contact the Chicago Local at (312) 573-8081 or chicago@sagaftra.org.

AGENCY COMMITTEE Chairs: John Carter Brown and Dan Frick An “as needed” committee between the member and talent agencies to clarify pertinent union objectives and plans.

AUDIOBOOK Chairs: Lisa Cordileone and Chuck Stransky The mission of the Audiobook Committee is to further the opportunity for narrators; increase contract knowledge; expand networking possibilities and support the increase of companies under SAG-AFTRA contracts.

BACKGROUND COMMITTEE Chairs: Jay Disney and January Stern This committee was formed to focus on background performers in our region. Though this market does not have television/ theatrical background jurisdiction, the goal of the committee is to collect local data, educate our members and work with National Background Committee members to promote the necessity for national background coverage.

Chicago Local COMMITTEE?

COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMUNITY ORGANIZING (COCO) Chair: Ilyssa Fradin This committee’s purpose is to develop relationships in the visual media community. COCO is active in the Illinois Production Alliance, Association of Independent Commercial Producers and Independent Film Producers in our efforts for external outreach. COCO is responsible for New Member Orientation — a pragmatic welcome to the new member, explaining union contracts, services, agents, governance and committee system.

DIVERSITY Chairs: Tony Castillo and Cedric Young The focus of this committee is to support diversity in the arts by union governance, contract terms and casting. The committee is formed so the union is adequately aware of those needs protected by the region’s Human Rights Acts and Title VII. EMERGING MEDIA Chair: Razz Jenkins This committee keeps the actor and KMRC abreast of the latest technologies that could further the actor’s career.

KMRC Chairs: Katherine Lacy Campbell and Michael Joseph Thomas Ward The committee’s focus is to fund and update the KMRC with the latest technology to assist members in his or her profession, and to encourage its use by all the committees.

PUBLICATIONS This committee is the informational voice of the union, publishing articles and reports from staff, officers and guest writers. It is responsible for Playback and The Activator.

BROADCAST STEERING Chair: Craig Dellimore Concentration on the unique needs of the broadcaster.

SENIORS/RADIO PLAYERS Chairs: Connie Foster and Parker Gronwold Members 50 and older re-enact classic radio programs for the public.

CONSERVATORY Chairs: Denise Jaeckel and Alma Washington This committee is responsible for continuing education for the artist. Although its seminars or presentations focus on the general performer, efforts also work to advance diversity in the arts.

SINGERS Chairs: Greta Pope and Joe Wright, vice chair Kevin Smith Concentration on the unique needs of the singer. Committee members assist the union with KMRC technology, seminars, websites, etc., relevant to this talent. www.sagaftra.org

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CHICAGO PRESIDENT First, I want to thank the members of this great local for allowing me to remain your president for another term.

There is a lot of great work ahead of us.

If there is one area that shows how members of this union are united across our various professions, it’s the way new media has affected our work. The products of our Craig Dellimore labor — whether it is news broadcasting, acting, narration or music — are now being brought to the public via an ever-increasing number of platforms. Who’d have thought, even a few years ago, we would be fighting for our rights on our work appearing on telephones?

There were times, years ago, when it seemed that freelance actors and broadcast journalists didn’t have very much in common when it came to labor issues. People who cover the news, like me, were concerned with things like weekly salaries and severance pay —

and whether reporters must carry cameras. Freelancers have had to contend with issues like the prevalence of non-union work and residuals. But, all of our work appears somewhere, somehow. And that is where many of our future battles lie.

Many years ago, Cable News Network started drawing reporters from broadcast networks and TV stations, and a number of people and union leaders felt this new “cable” would be an experiment likely to fail. People paying for television when they could get it for free? Perhaps we didn’t see the future as clearly as we should.

But, CNN got away from us, and we have had to fight for every inch of ground we have gained in cable, on the Internet and everywhere else where our “content” is used. My brothers and sisters who are actors have been protecting their work on DVDs and in video streams and online subscription services. And is there anywhere that commercials have not appeared?

In the end, we can finally see we are fighting exactly the same battles, in many cases against the same companies. That is a major reason why SAG and AFTRA needed to become one. And, for all the stresses and strains we have now, it is a major reason why this union needs to grow as one. We are stronger and we can prevail.

CHICAGO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “When written in Chinese, the word crisis [wei jii] is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents [the word critical point or] opportunity.”

– John F. Kennedy

Eric Chaudron So here we are in 2014, a year that sounds almost like science fiction. Shouldn’t we be traveling between the stars at light speed by now? When I was young, the year 2000 seemed like an eternity away and all the years after it were unfathomable.

We aren’t traveling at light speed, but we are still today at a point that even most

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futurists could not have predicted 30 or 40 years ago. Technology has meant so many good things to mankind. Imagine people in remote villages in Asia, Africa and South America having a telephone or access to the Internet on a computer.

Almost unimaginable just 20 years ago, technological equality is more and more becoming a reality.

This has been good news to a world that has historically consisted of the haves and have-nots. It has also meant incredible efficiencies in all industries around the world. It has most recently been seen and felt in the entertainment industry.

Whether it is the phasing out of filmed entertainment in favor of digital capture

or the proliferation of digital technology in the viewing of content, the changes have been overwhelming and lightning fast.

Every day our members face wei jii. They face a changing technological landscape as well as changing tastes in how, when, where and what type of entertainment and information is consumed. In order to be on top of our game, whether in broadcast, filmed entertainment and information, or sound recordings, our members are becoming incredibly technologically savvy.

Your union stands ready to help and, in some cases, protect you.

SAG-AFTRA has made a massive commitment to technology on behalf of our members. From our enterprise software investments to make our offices connected and efficient to our royaltytracking programs, we have committed our time to making sure our members stay on top of an extremely competitive and constantly changing business.

NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Here’s what I know about new media: It’s not going anywhere.

It’s here to stay and it’s growing by the minute, literally.

It has taken almost a generation of creativity to make new media not so new, but just another platform. We went from podcasts and banner ads to streaming scripted content and interactive ads.

There are a whole host of things still yet to be discovered.

But you can be assured that no matter the project or platform it’s viewed on, your union — SAG-AFTRA — has you covered.

Our legacy unions declared and won Internet and new media jurisdiction as early as 2000. That means that if you, as a union performer, are asked to work in a new media project, it must be covered by a union agreement. The producer must be signatory to that new media agreement — entertainment or commercial.

Our new media contracts are fairly simple. For example, new media entertainment provides negotiable rates otherwise known as freely bargained rates. “Made for” or “move-over” commercials have rates based on one-year or eight-week buys of reuse. It’s truly a bang for the producer’s buck, but it’s also our union’s way of being flexible and growing with the trends of new media, while

Locally, we have created training facilities for our performers that help them improve their skills. Every year, we offer numerous programs through our conservatory series that deal specifically with sharpening our members’ performing skills and business acumen in the changing entertainment and information environment.

Combine the many benefits of union membership that help you to improve your skills and protect yourself on the set with the current increase in work in our area, and it makes for exciting times.

In times like these, we should embrace and welcome wei jii. There is a clear path to opportunity both as individuals and as union members. Our job is to take advantage of the new opportunities presented to us in Chicago. At the same time, we have to work together to protect our members from those who would try to undermine our ability to practice our craft with dignity and economic security.

making sure our members are not missing out on potential work opportunities, remaining covered and ensuring our rights are protected.

Let’s be honest. With all this new technology, it’s more common for a new generation of our members to create and produce their own content.

Most of these projects are a labor of love and have no Ilyssa Fradin budget attached. The member is either having fun with friends or hoping that some bigger entity will discover their genius and pay lots of money to take it to the next level. We all must keep in mind, while this is the future, our union exists to not only secure wages and provide protections, but our contracts also protect our exposure and image. If a union member knowingly works in a new media platform without a contract, not only are they in violation of Global Rule One, but they could be risking their exposure to a platform that doesn’t delete or erase anything. You may be putting yourself in a position of being overexposed and creating a conflict you didn’t even think about when you said yes to that friend who had a little something they were working on for fun.

Think about it. If you are being recorded for viewing on any platform and it’s not you on vacation with your family, you need to be covered by one of the various SAG-AFTRA contracts.

Simple, right? So call your Chicago staff, (312) 573-8081, and get it covered.

On a personal note, I want to take a moment to say thank you to all the members who have given me such tremendous support and feedback over the last few years, whether in an email or on Facebook or at an audition. I was proud to serve as your Chicago Local president. It has been an amazing experience and an honor to volunteer on your behalf. I’m not going anywhere … like new media, I’m here to stay, only not as president but as one of your national board representatives and as a national vice president.

Please continue to stay in touch with me and be engaged in your community. Ask questions and educate yourself. You are the union. We are stronger together than we are divided.

Congratulations, Ilyssa Last September, Ilyssa Fradin was elected national vice president, mid-sized locals at SAG-AFTRA’s inaugural convention. www.sagaftra.org

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