SAG-AFTRA NY - Spring 2015

N.Y. Spring 2015

The New York Local is…

6%

More than

Computer Lab

850

SAG-AFTRA events were held

The SAG MPPWF, adminstered by The Actors Fund, provided more than $127,000 in assistance to SAG-AFTRA members.

17%

19%

More than 69,000 members attended SAG-AFTRA events

The SAG Foundation awarded 18 scholarships to NY members totaling $67,000

Casting Access

EIF Voiceover Lab

24% The Business

More than

Total members served at SAG Foundation events

11,625

440

SAG Foundation events were held

34% Conversations PERCENT OF TOTAL ATTENDANCE BY PROGRAM

Letter from N.Y. President Mike Hodge > p3 Q&A: SAGindie’s Michael Sládek > p4

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Broadcast Spotlight: Liz Gonzalez > p5

AG-AFTRA and its affiliated charitable

Foundation. Learn about all the benefits available

organizations offer many resources to help

to you. Some can lead directly to paying jobs;

“I Am a New York Actor” Jay O. Sanders > p6-7

members advance their careers and assist

others can help you when jobs are scarce and bills

No Audition Required > p8

during tough times. Our move to 1900

are plentiful.

Broadway more than one year ago has allowed us to vastly improve and expand our programs.

Inside you will find information on SAG-AFTRA,

If you’re not hearing about these programs and services, you’re missing out! Check for e-blasts every week. Check our website. Check Twitter and

SAGindie, the Screen Actors Guild Motion Picture

Facebook. And make sure we have your correct

Players Welfare Fund and the Screen Actors Guild

contact information. Be educated. Be empowered.

Voiceover Lab > p9 Perspective: Lowell Peterson > p10 Staff Spotlight: Jennifer Peat > p11

SAG Foundation and SAG MPPWF

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he old adage says that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

The charitable organizations of SAG-AFTRA do both: They provide immediate financial assistance in a crisis, and they fund programs that empower members to build and sustain careers over the long term.

New Yorkers have been especially well-served by two organizations in particular: the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and the Screen Actors Guild Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund. Now celebrating its 30th year, the SAG Foundation has provided funds to New York members through its Self-Pay Assistance and Catastrophic Health Fund. These funds help members with their selfpay premiums and also in cases of overwhelming medical expenses due to life-threatening conditions.

The SAG MPPWF serves members in the New York region and all SAG-AFTRA locals east of Omaha, Nebraska. It provides grants to The Actors Fund, which administers SAG MPPWF programs that assist with rent, medical care and other basic living expenses. SAG-AFTRA members received more than $127,000 in assistance from the SAG MPPWF in 2014 through The Actors Fund.

Both organizations also work to empower

members for long-term career sustainability. The SAG MPPWF supports Career Transition for Dancers, a great resource for dancers who no longer work as dancers due to age or injury or who are seeking to transition to new career opportunities.

The SAG MPPWF also supports the Museum of the Moving Image, a wonderful place to learn about where the industry has been and where it is going.

The SAG Foundation gives scholarships to SAG-AFTRA performers and their families, and when it comes to educational programming, New Yorkers are enjoying the best of times: the SAG Foundation programs here have increased by 300 percent since 2010. In addition to the state-ofthe-art Actors Center, the SAG Foundation offers Conversations, The Business, and Casting Access, all provided at no cost to members, without using any dues money.

We encourage everyone to take advantage of these many educational programs. And if you are one of the lucky ones who are able to sustain a financially secure career, please consider giving back. But if you do experience tough times, know that you are not alone, and the SAG Foundation and the SAG MPPWF are here to help.

Visit sagfoundation.org and sagaftra.org/mppwf to find out more.

SAG-AFTRA NY VOL. 4 • NO. 1

NEW YORK COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Liz Zazzi Chair Jeff Spurgeon Vice Chair Anne Gartlan Mike Hodge John Metaxas Sharon Washington

•••

EDITORIAL STAFF Richard Baldwin Communications Coordinator Bernadine Robbins Manager, Member Outreach

Recognizing Hazards On Set S AG-AFTRA staff Field Services Representatives and several SAG-AFTRA members attended a special Hazard Communication and OSHA Regulation Training class on Feb. 28 in Astoria, Queens. Organized by the New York Production Locals, a team of unions whose members work on set, and sponsored by the IA Training Trust, the free event provided an education in how to recognize potential hazards, and the federal regulations that cover set safety. A test for certification was given at the end of the class.

Safety issues can arise from many chemical and environmental factors, and instructor Monona Rossol, an industrial hygienist renown in the entertainment industry, covered various ways that

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SAG-AFTRA members may potentially inhale, ingest or come into contact with potentially toxic materials. Topics examined included air contaminants such as smoke, gas, dust and mist, as well as noise exposure, special effects products and cases where older buildings may contain lead-based paint and asbestos. Attendees also learned the basics of fire prevention, emergency response action, physical safety and industrial product (OSHA) labels.

Upon request, producers are required to provide SAG-AFTRA with Safety Data Sheets, which list the ingredients of potentially hazardous materials that may be used on set. Members should contact the union if they continues on page 11 >>>

Questions?

Comments?

Compliments?

We’d like to hear from you!

Send your suggestions and comments to newyork@sagaftra.org Please write

NEWSLETTER in the subject of your email.

The Volunteer Core Dear Member,

O

kay, first things first: I hope we don’t have a winter like this for at least another 50 years or more. I mean, I love winter, but this was just cruel.

Anyway, I really want to welcome you to the second year of your new home at One Lincoln Plaza at 1900 Broadway. Not only is it the home of the New York Local, it is also home to the year-old Screen Actors Guild Foundation Actors Center. The Center offers voiceover workshops, computer classes and Casting Access, where casting directors give training in things like cold reading and audition techniques.

And at locations around town, the SAG Foundation also offers the Short Film Showcase and Conversations, all for free.

Over on the union side, I would like to spotlight several of the member volunteerled committees that offer great resources to New York members. The Open Door program, which offers members a chance to meet one-on-one with casting directors and agents, is run by the Open Door Committee. Last fall, they set a new record for meetings between members and the industry. And if you attended, you know how much volunteer work went into that.

Our MORE and MOVE New York committees are both educationally oriented and designed to insure you get the information you need to make your career and your union work for you. MORE (Member Outreach Relations

& Education) is committed to the idea that a self-empowered member is a more employable member. MORE hosts two-hour member orientations giving a rundown of all the incredible things SAG-AFTRA has to offer, does academic outreach to pre-members and seminars designed to inspire self-empowerment in your business.

MOVE (Member Organizing Volunteer Efforts) New York educates members about contracts and the SAG-AFTRA Constitution, and works to mobilize members to organize and build national solidarity. Recently, it formed the NextGen Performers subcommittee, which works to develop, serve and connect the emerging generation of SAG-AFTRA membership.

I don’t have enough space to list all of these incredible seminars, but they are always quite successful thanks to the great staff and wonderful member volunteers. Last fall, we held seminars for the background community on its work and its contracts. These seminars have been so valuable that we intend to do contract seminars for all of the major contracts and areas of work.

If you’ve experienced one of our December holiday events, that was the work of the New York Host Committee.

This committee also arranges our participation in the Labor Day Parade and organizes many other projects in the service of building greater relationships with each other, our employers and our

A LETTER FROM THE NEW YORK PRESIDENT

MIKE HODGE partners in the labor movement. In March, the committee hosted New York industry and labor leaders at a reception designed to strengthen our relationships with all of our labor and business partners.

Thank you to all who design and manage these great events. They are elected volunteer board members and members at large who simply volunteer. They are supported by an extraordinarily welltrained professional staff.

Like I said, I don’t have nearly the space to tell you all the wonderful things they do for you here at 1900 Broadway. You decided to become a member of the family of performers and broadcasters that is SAG-AFTRA, and we want you to think of this as your second home. It is our goal, at least here in New York, to make this as enduring and endearing and educational for you as we possibly can.

So come. Join us. I think you will be glad you did.

— In solidarity

MARGARITA CORPORAN

Broadcasters Cocktail Reception SAG-AFTRA broadcasters from around the country attended a cocktail reception in their honor on March 6 at the New York office. Hosted by the New York Local Board, the evening provided an opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, and reinforced the idea of SAG-AFTRA as a national union of distinct but united work categories. National Executive Director David White remarked, “This was a fantastic event, and it’s great to see broadcasters connecting not only with their peers, but also with actors, recording artists and staff who are all part of our SAG-AFTRA community.”

Inset, broadcaster David Ushery, left, and SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard.

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Broadcasters Mentor Students

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he 11th annual SAG-AFTRA New York Broadcast Mentoring Program took place on April 11 at the union offices in New York. Twelve dedicated SAG-AFTRA members — broadcasters at the top of their fields — agreed to mentor 70 student mentees from area colleges and Mac King (WNYW-TV), Broadcast Liaison Rick Sommers, universities. The mentees Associate Executive Director and Broadcast Labor Counsel ranged from freshman Rich Larkin, Amy Lawrence (CBS Sports Radio), Chris Cimino to graduate journalism (WNBC-TV) and Dana Tyler, Dave Carlin and Larry C. Mullins students, and came (all from WCBS-TV). from as close as Hunter College and Columbia University to as offered to maintain contact with the far away as the University of Maryland attendees, so students not only received to take part in this special event. inspiring advice throughout the day, Students benefited from valuable one-onbut developed a network of current one time with the mentors in small group professionals as well as fellow students, their sessions as well as panel discussions on future colleagues in the broadcast industry. career paths and how to get a job in the We look forward to the day when the competitive broadcast industry. The mentees become broadcast professionals SAG-AFTRA member mentors generously and SAG-AFTRA members.

Take advantage of the best deal in town!

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he New York Conservatory offers seminars, workshops, events and classes, giving SAG-AFTRA members the opportunity to expand their craft and broaden their business knowledge.

Programs take place at the 285-square-foot studio at 1900 Broadway, 5th floor.

A nominal membership fee goes to pay for such things as studio equipment, printing and mailing expenses. Registration is ongoing, and you must be a paid-up member of SAG-AFTRA. Applications are available online at sagaftra.org/nyconservatory and can be mailed to or dropped off at the SAG-AFTRA New York office.

Fellow actors just like you volunteer their time to run this fine program. If you have expertise and experience and would like to volunteer to teach, instruct or assist, applications are available online or you can call 212-827-1448 to schedule an interview.

Q&A: SAGindie NY’s Michael Sládek What is the mission of SAGindie?

Our official tagline states that SAGindie is “a gentle and loving union between the hardworking thespians of the world and the passionate filmmaking mavericks who buck the system.” What this means is that we actively work to educate independent filmmakers about SAG-AFTRA’s Low Budget Agreements as well as demystify the process of working with the union. We also help filmmakers troubleshoot and serve as a bridge of communication when necessary.

What level budgets do you work with?

The Low Budget Agreements currently cover feature-length films made for under $2.5 million as well as shorts made for under $50,000. These are the only agreements we address.

What are some misconceptions people have about filming union?

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Many low budget filmmakers assume that hiring union actors is financially out of their reach and causes unnecessary red tape. Not only is the process manageable, it actually helps productions to be more efficient.

these are three of the most important aspects of producing. And considering how much performance it takes to charm people into supporting the insane process that is filmmaking, actors may even be better equipped than “regular” producers.

Have you worked with many SAG-AFTRA New York members as filmmakers?

I’m a New York-based filmmaker and I know of numerous union actors who have been working on both sides of the camera.

Being a multi-hyphenate is a wonderfully empowering thing, and SAGindie highly supports actors transitioning into filmmaking.

What message would you like to communicate to members about SAGindie?

In addition to being independent from SAG-AFTRA, the beauty of SAGindie is that we have all worked in the filmmaking side of our industry. We speak the language of the filmmakers while understanding the realities of union actors. This little organization is a totally original idea and we’re always happy to be in a position of helping move indie films forward on both sides of the camera.

Do you see a difference between regular producers and actors who self-produce?

Generally speaking, actors are smart people who have been trained to observe, ask questions and make choices, and

— Michael Sládek is the New York rep for SAGindie and an indie filmmaker.

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Liz Gonzalez

ll news broadcasters serve their audiences by reporting the important stories of the day. But Emmy Award winner Liz Gonzalez and her colleagues at Telemundo 47 New York/WNJU see themselves as both reporters and advocates for a group that is often vulnerable and underrepresented. Immigrants and those in the Spanish-language community face obstacles and discrimination in their daily lives; they frequently don’t understand how American society works and they are distrustful of authority, Gonzalez said. Reporters like Gonzalez work to provide them with a reliable source of information.

Currently the consumer investigative reporter at WNJU for Telemundo Responde (Telemundo Responds), a unit charged with standing up for consumers who have been wronged, Gonzalez has been with Telemundo for 16 years. Born in New York, she speaks fluent Spanish and English, as well as some Portuguese and French. Her proficiency with language led to her first broadcasting job even before she finished college.

While pursuing a degree in television journalism at Florida International University of Miami, Gonzalez learned from one of her professors that a local news agency, Visnews, was looking for a bilingual student to assist the office, which was responsible for all news reports from Latin America.

The office was so understaffed that her entry-level position quickly grew to include writing synopses of stories, acting as the assignment desk editor, editing videos, coordinating camera crews and booking international satellites. She was also sent as a field producer to Nicaragua, Peru and Guatemala. She was offered a staff position and took it. “It was an amazing learning experience,” she says. Gonzalez is especially grateful to the mentors she worked with at the station who invested in her, sharing everything they knew about journalism and broadcasting.

After Visnews, Gonzalez packed up for Latin America to work as a freelance field producer. Admittedly “raring to go” and not always measuring the danger involved, she found herself in the middle of political upheaval and terrorism. Eventually, she decided to become a reporter, which began her association with Telemundo as the network’s national television correspondent in Peru.

At the time, Peru was embroiled in conflict between the government and two violent groups, the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) and the Shining Path. Both groups frequently set

off car bombs, and one night a bomb went off just blocks from her house.

She ran outside in pajamas and a coat to cover the story.

By far the biggest story Gonzalez covered in Peru was the hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador. The MRTA held hundreds of high-level diplomatic, government and military officials hostage for 126 days, and Gonzalez covered it from the moment it started until it ended.

The high-profile story showcased her reporting skills and Gonzalez easily landed a freelance job at CBS when she returned to New York. It was in this position that Gonzalez joined AFTRA, an important moment for her because she needed health insurance and hadn’t yet been vested in a pension. Gonzalez served two terms on the AFTRA New York Board.

Gonzalez returned to Telemundo as a general assignment reporter for WNJU, which is a SAG-AFTRA shop, and then moved to the education beat for four years, a position that fulfilled her desire to serve the community. Working now with Telemundo Responde, Gonzalez believes that everything she has done has led to this point in her career. She feels that there is a great need for advocacy reporting and she really enjoys doing it. “We show the news in a different light. We are the voice of the people who don’t have a voice,” she said.

Gonzalez recently covered an announcement that Papa John’s pizza franchise had to pay more than $2 million after short-changing hundreds of mostly Hispanic delivery workers and shaving hours from their paychecks.

Gonzalez also believes that SAG-AFTRA is an important advocate for those who are vulnerable. In addition to the health and pension plans, which are especially valuable to freelancers, the union provides a strong, unified voice at the bargaining table. Gonzalez was a shop steward at Telemundo during a protracted contract negotiation with the station and appreciated the commitment of staff and her fellow broadcasters.

Gonzalez is the recipient of several awards, including a 20082009 New York Emmy for Outstanding News Special for Milagro en el Hudson (Miracle on the Hudson) and she has received various community recognitions, including the 2014 Latino Achiever Award presented by ASPIRA of New York. “I love what I do,” she says. “I enjoy it every day, and I feel lucky.” New Yorkers of all communities are lucky to have such a fearless, committed and compassionate advocate working on their behalf.

TELEMUNDO 47

BROADCAST SPOTLIGHT:

“We show the news in a different light. We are the voice of the people who don’t have a voice.”

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‘I AM A NEW YORK ACTOR’ Liz Zazzi Interviews Jay O. Sanders

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amily. That’s what’s most important to Jay O. Sanders, who graciously invited me to his West Village apartment to chat about his career, which has spanned over four decades as a professional actor, and even further back, counting his stage debut at the tender age of 10.

“I ran across the stage in full clown makeup and costume,” Jay gleefully recalls. The middle child of five, whose parents spent their lives immersed in social initiatives as well as artistic pursuits, his family moved around quite a bit.

“We were raised Quaker, and they were sort of modern-day, non-denominational missionaries.

Passionate, community-minded people of conscience. I could write a book about them.

Dad was a civil rights and peace activist from way back in 1930s Texas.”

James Olcutt Sanders worked with many humanitarian and arts organizations, including Karamu House, an integrated cultural arts center he administrated in a predominantly AfricanAmerican neighborhood of Cleveland that produced plays with colorblind casting. Jay notes, “In the 1960s, it was unheard of to have, say, a black Willy Loman. It offered the community audience the chance to embrace these stories as their own. I started out doing a lot of children’s theater and kid’s’ roles in adult plays. From the age of 10, those talented, deeply committed black actors were my first artistic role models.”

In 1966, his family moved to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, where his father oversaw the teacher training program for the Peace Corps.

They returned to the states in the late ’60s, to Chappaqua, N.Y., in time for high school. Jay’s father was now the executive director of the Westchester Council of the Arts and attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a brand-new state university focused on the performing arts — SUNY Purchase.

“I knew I wanted to train as an actor in college, but I was taking off for a year of work and travel around South America first, and many schools only offered a small mid-year window for their auditions, but SUNY Purchase was delighted to see me. Turns out, I was the very first student to ever audition for the program, and (they later told me) the first they ever accepted. With my brothers and sisters eyeing various Ivy League schools, it came as a relief to my dad that I was going to get a great, affordable education.”

Jay advises, “Help someone else up and eventually you may find them helping you.” He pays it forward by teaching a master class every year at his alma mater. “I talk to the freshmen

about making the most of the four years ahead of them. Put up with teachers who you think don’t ‘get’ you, because all of that changes. Get beyond that prerequisite of measuring yourself against fellow actors.” To those about to graduate? “I talk about life, about being an artist of vision and fulfillment, but remember you need to eat and pay the rent, too. I’m like an actor-parent talking to his kids. Take care of yourself. Treat your body right. The most important things an actor needs are resilience and fearlessness.”

When I ask if all the moving he did as a child was unsettling, Jay replies “No, because I felt like I had many families. I always had my own family of course, and I was able to find other families wherever we went. In Colombia, my mom, who had grown up bilingual and bicultural in Argentina, stepped in for a year as the choral director of the men’s and women’s choruses of the University of the Andes. These amazing singers would rehearse regularly in our living room, and I thought, ‘This is my Colombian family.’ We all became fluent in Spanish.” Yet, in speaking about family now, his wife, actress Maryann Plunkett, and their aspiring actor son Jamie, he says, “Maryann and I enjoy working in a culture of seeing the whole world as home, but we also love coming back here to our real home in New York — our nest.”

Jay has probably worked every SAG-AFTRA performer contract in all its varieties: audiobooks, commercials, documentary narration, television series and everything from indie films to blockbusters. “I love being a part of people’s passion projects. I feel so rich to have so many talented friends who are actors, writers, directors. If someone asks me to do a reading, I’m in! I’ll even read the stage directions. As long as they are passionate about it, I want to be a part of it.”

His passion for the stage is also undeniable. Fresh out of college, he got his Equity card under Joe Papp’s direction in Henry V at the Delacorte.

“It’s magic. Free Shakespeare, outside, with great actors. It’s heaven.” He refers to his stage comrades as his theater family, and then beams as he brings up wife Maryann again. “Our next job is so exciting. We’re touring Europe with the Apple Family plays in repertory.” Originally created and performed at the Public, in these four plays about a family he’ll play with his real family and favorite costar, Maryann. “I have often traveled away from my family to be part of the ‘family’ in the world of a play, movie or TV show, but this time I get to have both.”

Jay got his Screen Actors Guild card doing a week’s work in the feature film Starting Over, working with Burt Reynolds. “I was frozen, terrified. As a stage actor, everyone warned me that I was going to be ‘too big.’ Eventually I figured it out: The camera lens is the proscenium. So in a close-up, your face fills the ‘stage’ (that’ll teach you to be small), but in a wide shot you’d better be waving your arms if you want to be noticed.”

He adds, “While traditional education and training is so important, there are things you learn as you go. No one taught me how to narrate documentaries or shave seconds off a VO spot. I learned it on the job.”

While he prefers the stage, Jay talks of movie blockbusters and independents with equal gratitude. “I just want to tell stories. I don’t care what the budget is. I filmed Daylight with Sylvester Stallone, a disaster epic set in the Holland Tunnel,” which he points to from his window. “But

we filmed at Cinecittá. I spent five incredible months in Rome with my family.” He also treasures indies like Poundcake with Kathleen Quinlan. “It went nowhere, but I played the dad to the two actors who wrote the film and it was all about family, and so close to who I am.”

So who is he? Jay O. Sanders is a New York actor who is as engaged in his craft as he is in social initiatives that are beyond his career.

“I’m involved in inspiring the next generation, in creative collaboration, in international literacy programs, and there will always be a level of activism that I attribute to family. Soon after the birth of our son, I was troubled by the news coverage of the genocide in Rwanda. ‘This is beyond our understanding’ was the news analysis, and I rejected that. Tribal violence is family violence. Over the next 11 years, I researched and wrote a play about the genocide, Unexplored Interior, which has been performed in concert readings by an amazing group of 14 dedicated actors playing 26 characters, including actress Sharon Washington and director/ collaborator James Glossman.

We’ve told, and will continue to tell, this story together to the world.”

“I’ve been a proud union member for my entire career. It was an important validation for me to get my first union job. It signified that I was a professional actor. Of course our family is grateful for the health and pension plans, but our union is what we make it. The greatest actors are as good at supporting as they are at leading. There is a great sense of unity to the ensemble. And grace. So much to learn as we go. Make a life. Enjoy. Don’t be so desperate about getting a job that you deny your better self.

Love what you do, and what you are, and find a life partner to share it with. And never step on someone else’s face to get what you think you need, because what you’ll lose is much bigger than what you think you’ve gained.”

“Get beyond that prerequisite of measuring yourself against fellow actors …

I’m like an actor-parent talking to his kids.

Take care of yourself.

Treat your body right.

The most important things an actor needs are resilience and fearlessness.”

— Liz Zazzi is a SAG-AFTRA National Board member and New York Local Board member.

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No Audition Required…

Just Lots of Hard Work

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ne sign of success for a performer is setting up a production company to generate his or her own projects. But performers don’t have to wait for the brass ring to create their own films and showcase their talents.

SAG-AFTRA members are taking the initiative every day, creating everything from Internet videos to feature films by being involved with SAGindie and the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

New York member Cat Migliaccio learned Final Cut Pro at the SAG Foundation’s Actors Center computer lab, where she edited a series of videos for her YouTube channel.

The Character Series is a collection of webisodes in which Migliaccio plays a variety of eccentric characters. “The videos are a way to show my work to agents and casting directors who might not be able to attend a live theater or improv show.” She has nothing but praise for the lab and its staff.

Practical matters are never far behind creative ones, and besides acting and writing, Migliaccio finances The Character Series herself. She also makes sure to sign a SAG-AFTRA New Media contract for each video, which can be done through an easy step-by-step process at the online Production Center on SAGAFTRA.org, or by contacting the New Media Department at 323-549-6446.

In fact, there is a guide to signing any size project at the Production Center. For his 14-minute sci-fi short Into the Dark,

“Being on the other side, you definitely see the do’s and don’ts of auditioning, and why rules are there.”

— Cat Migliaccio

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actor/filmmaker Lukas Hassel found the signatory process relatively simple. He felt great support from the SAG-AFTRA staff.

He adds that it is worth the extra time and paperwork to get union actors (like himself), as the difference in quality is clear.

Low budget features are the territory of SAGindie, whose mission is to connect independent producers with union actors and facilitate the signatory and contract process (see page 4). Jessica Carmona produced and starred in the feature film Millie and the Lords, the story of a young woman reconnecting with her Puerto Rican heritage. The film was written and directed by her twin sister, Jennica, and the sisters found SAGindie incredibly helpful

in navigating the signatory process. Jessica Carmona has made frequent use of union programs. One SAG Foundation workshop gave her a chance to read and receive feedback on the script for Millie and the Lords. Even this newsletter helped — while making her film, she kept an interview with Krysta Rodriguez (Fall 2013) posted on her wall for inspiration.

While many smaller projects can be self-financed, Carmona and her sister spent three years raising more than $50,000 for their film. They did everything they could think of: outreach to family and friends, campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, applying for grants, and even a fundraiser at their hometown church. Though they

did enlist some friends as volunteers, the majority of the crew was paid, including the actors. “We wanted to honor them as professionals,” Carmona says.

Once Millie and the Lords was finished, the Carmona sisters targeted festivals they thought would be open to the themes of the film. Their strategy has paid off: The film was accepted into the Queens World Film Festival, the Socially Relevant Film Festival and the Viva Latino Film Festival, where it won Best Film.

Film festivals were more icing on the cake for Lukas Hassel. He won acting awards at two festivals for Into the Dark, even though his primary motivation for making the short was to generate interest in a feature script he wrote for himself. Hassel actually cautions actors against creating a film simply as a calling card. “It is better to act in others’ films,” he says “and create a reel.” He advises not to make your own film unless you have a good story to tell. “Otherwise, the film will likely not get accepted into festivals anyway.”

Hassel’s film was also part of the SAG Foundation Short Film Showcase, another great platform for members, held three times a year.

Those interviewed agreed becoming a filmmaker has changed their perspective as actors on the audition process. “Being on the other side, you definitely see the do’s and don’ts of auditioning, and why rules are there,” notes Migliaccio. “I realized that it is not personal, that not being cast is not a reflection on your talent or skill. They are simply looking for the best fit for the role,” adds Carmona.

When it comes to advising other actor/filmmakers, Carmona says directly, “Be ready to work hard and have plenty of patience.” Hassel adds a practical note: “I used to think that power was writing the best script, but power is really writing the best script you can afford to make.” Migliaccio encourages members to take advantage of the union programs and facilities.

“There are so many great resources here, why not get your work out there?”

“Have self-respect and believe in yourself,” concludes Carmona. “Start with that and you’ll always end up in the right place.”

LAB WORK

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he Entertainment made the leap and booked a job Industry Foundation performing an audiobook as a Voiceover Lab of male narrator. the Screen Actors Guild Lamoureux has booked three Foundation has only been jobs directly from sessions in the open for a year, but it already lab. She has been building up her has a proven track record credits incrementally, moving of leading SAG-AFTRA from short stories to three-tomembers to paying jobs. five-hour novels. The workshops Karen Huie is an have given her valuable feedback experienced voiceover artist on how to make characters who has worked on both sound distinctive and how coasts. She booked time in physicality in the booth can the lab’s main recording affect one’s voice. booth to polish her skills, Both women praise the stateand during the session the of-the-art facility as well as the staff engineer encouraged voiceover lab staff. “Everyone her to submit her reading who works there has been as an audition to Audible. responsive to any questions or Karen ended up booking concerns I’ve had — even when the job for a I’ve asked the same 12-minute children’s question over and audiobook. More over,” says Lamoureux work followed with a laugh. “They and Karen has help you tweak things now signed with a and work on your Grammy-winning weaknesses.” audiobook company Huie adds, “The for narration. wonderful thing about “The voiceover the voiceover lab is lab launched my that it introduces and audiobook career,” reinforces the idea that she says gratefully. there are other ways Rose-Alma for an actor to make Lamoureux a living. The business encourages every keeps evolving, and — Rose-Alma Lamoureux actor she knows to you might find work try out the voiceover in one area but then lab. She has taken classes in automated you transition to another.” She has seen the dialogue replacement, audiobooks, excitement from fellow actors who feel they commercials and video games. She credits have been “aged out” by casting directors but one teacher for giving her a “liberating” piece then discover that voiceover work is still an of advice. He suggested her alto voice could option. “When they can’t see you, it’s harder land her work performing male voices. She for them to typecast you.”

“The wonderful thing about the voiceover lab is that it introduces and reinforces the idea that there are other ways for an actor to make a living.”

Before attending workshops or booking studio time in the EIF Voiceover Lab, members must first take an orientation class.

Find out how to sign up at sagfoundation.org/facilities

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PERSPECTIVE:

Lowell Peterson

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or this edition of Perspective, National and Local Board member Jeff Spurgeon spoke with Lowell Peterson, executive director of the WGA East.

Who does the WGAE represent?

WGAE members write for film, television, radio and digital media. They work for the major television and radio networks and stations and for public television, where they write, produce, edit, and create graphics for news and public affairs programs. Their material is broadcast over the airwaves, distributed on cable television, and streamed and downloaded via the Internet.

What is the WGA East region — where are your borders?

Everything east of the Mississippi River is in the East’s jurisdiction.

What are your members’ main concerns, and how have those concerns changed since the Internet began shaking up our information and entertainment worlds?

Our members’ central concern is to build sustainable careers doing work they find meaningful. The advent of digital media, where stories can be created and distributed in a vastly different way from traditional television and film, presents enormous challenges and opportunities.

Today, pricing models barely resemble those developed in the old days when a few broadcast networks and major film studios and theater chains dominated.

Still, the opportunities for writers have increased substantially as cable networks and online companies like Netflix and Amazon buy more and more content. I want to emphasize the importance of the fact the Writers Guild and our sister unions now have jurisdiction over made-for-digital projects. Initial compensation is quickly getting much better (although it still lags in lower-budget projects), and we are making

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gains in new media reuse payments. We are organizing aggressively in the nominally “unscripted” world of nonfiction/ reality TV, where conditions are simply horrendous but more and more shows are being made.

How long have you been with the union?

I started here in May 2008.

Why did you become involved with organized labor, and how did you find your way to the WGAE? I have been involved in social justice and political work since I was a teenager, and joining the labor movement was a natural progression. As an attorney, I represented unions in a lot of industries — television, newspapers, construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, academia, health care — and got to work with a lot of activists across the movement. Thankfully, my name got on the list of folks to be interviewed when the WGAE job opened up.

What are you most proud of about the WGAE? We have extraordinarily smart, engaged members who pay close attention to where our industry is headed and adapt accordingly. People think about what is important, and they participate.

What do you think are a union’s strongest tools when entering a negotiation?

Can I use the s-word — strike? Walking off the job is an immensely difficult thing, because members lose income and because one never knows the outcome. So it has to be done carefully, and sparingly if possible, which means a union must also bring a lot of other tools to negotiations. It makes a real difference when the employers see that the members are paying attention and expect their concerns to be addressed in

a meaningful way. It is also important to prepare thoroughly — to understand the issues in detail and to think about how changes in contract language can make a difference. And building support away from the table can be very useful — from other unions, from community and political leaders, from the public.

Unions have become a political target in recent years. How can unions reverse this trend?

We should keep in mind that wealthy, powerful interests have always targeted unions. The problem is that we seem to be losing support in the broader population, which makes it easier for politicians to join the attack. We need to do a much better job of telling our story, of getting the word out that we are democratic organizations of people working together to improve their own lives. And we need to demonstrate our relevance in a fast-changing global economy. Entertainment unions might be uniquely well suited to do this because we know how to represent freelancers, how people who work from gig to gig can band together and make a difference.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of the WGAE? We have to increase our density in nonfiction/reality television. This is a huge part of the television schedule, and so many men and women work so hard under such difficult conditions; collective bargaining will be completely essential. We need a more stable base of television writing jobs in the East. There will never be as many as in California, but many of our members are also playwrights and novelists and comedy/ variety writers and performers, and having the option of earning a living in TV on the East Coast is very important.

Any final thoughts?

We have to make the industry more diverse.

This is not only a matter of social and economic justice. It’s also a matter of the entertainment industry remaining relevant to audiences.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Organizing Director, Eastern Region

By Anne Gartlan

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ennifer Peat is one of those “all-in” kinds of people. As the organizing

director, eastern region, she covers a wide range of organizing efforts in all areas of SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction. That means endless travel, teleconferences and lots of one-on-one meetings, the end goal of which is more job opportunities and better standards for members.

“Growing up, when I was frustrated with a situation, my mom would say to me, ‘It’s all what you put into it.’ It was her way of saying, ‘Be part of the process to make it better.’ In my experience, that really applies to being a member of the union as well.” Jennifer’s message to the members is, “We need you. Your involvement and participation will make the union more effective, enabling you to have the protections you need so that you can focus on your work.”

Jennifer’s career began right out of college at UNITE, the union of garment workers. The film Norma Rae is based on a real organizing campaign, and Jennifer worked with and was inspired by some of those same union staff and workers. She traveled the U.S. and Canada, organizing UNITE shops and doing internal organizing of members, while also working on negotiations, grievance handling and strikes.

Then, in 2010, AFTRA began building its organizing department, and Jennifer was hired. “There was an understanding by the membership that news and entertainment union work was decreasing and that, as a union, there needed to be creative approaches to address this.”

After the SAG-AFTRA merger in 2012, Jennifer was promoted to her current

New York Has a New SAG Foundation Director

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n November 2014, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation hired Liz Spaulding for the newly created position of New York director. Spaulding manages all of the SAG Foundation’s New York operations and programming, as well as overseeing industry and corporate relations, development and fundraising, and expansion of facilities, programs and staff.

Since 2010, the SAG Foundation has increased its Liz Spaulding programming in New York by more than 300 percent.

“My first few months here have been fantastic. I am so impressed by everything the SAG Foundation has to offer SAG-AFTRA members — for free — and I want to make us a household name in New York City and nationwide. This is a pivotal moment for the expansion and development of the SAG Foundation in New York, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Spaulding said.

“Liz’s vast experience in the entertainment industry and public sector gives her a unique and valuable perspective that will help us cast a wider net in raising awareness about the free services and resources that the SAG Foundation has been quietly providing union performers for 30 years,” said Cyd Wilson, executive director of the SAG Foundation.

Prior to joining the SAG Foundation, Spaulding worked at the New York Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, where she managed the $4 million annual incentive, “Made in NY” marketing credit program. Previously, she worked for Tribeca Film, managing the marketing efforts of more than 20 new independent film titles annually. She attended the London School of Economics and Political Science, and New York University.

post, sharing responsibilities for the country with colleague Steve Sidawi, organizing director, western region, who is based in Los Angeles. “We supervise staff in various locals across the country, communicating about projects and campaigns we are working on for all the various contract areas,” she said.

With merger behind us, the collective power of SAG-AFTRA is being focused on organizing. We’ve already enjoyed success in audiobooks, secured a first-ever contract for dancers in music videos and attained jurisdiction at several public radio stations.

Jennifer loves her work. “I love it when it really clicks for a member that this is their union — when the anger, frustration or apathy they feel turns into channeled energy, into a drive to get involved and change things for the better. ” – Anne Gartlan is a SAG-AFTRA National Board member and New York Local Board member

HAZARDS ON THE SET >>> continued from page 2 have concerns about their work environment or hazardous conditions. During business hours call 212-827-1538 or 212-827-1489 or the department whose contract you are working under. The New York safety hotline — which should be used during non-business hours and only in case of working conditions emergencies or imminent safety concerns — is 212-517-0909. Nationally, you can call (844) SAFER SET (844-723-3773) outside business hours.

Our Field Services Department is committed to making sure producers comply with all government regulations and contract provisions regarding set safety, so that SAG-AFTRA members are kept healthy, safe and informed at all times.

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ROLAND LE BRETON

Jennifer Peat

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SAG Foundation Breaks Ground on Actors Center

By Rebecca Damon

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t’s an exciting time to be a New York member. On April 28, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation broke ground on a screening, performance and educational programming space located at 247 W. 54th St. in the heart of Manhattan and convenient to the SAG-AFTRA offices at 1900 Broadway.

Increased programming has given members more access to casting directors and other industry professionals, including some of the most talented performers working today. New York production continues to grow, making this the perfect time to break ground on a vibrant new home to serve not only New York members, but any SAG-AFTRA members who come here to work.

The center will include a state-of-the-art, 158-seat theater.

SAG-AFTRA National and New York Board member and SAG Foundation Treasurer Maureen Donnelly, along with longtime SAG-AFTRA Senior Adviser and fellow founding board member John McGuire, joined National and New York Board member and SAG Foundation Board member and New York Chair Rebecca Damon, Executive Director Cyd Wilson, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and SAG Foundation Board member David White, New York President Mike Hodge, New York Local Board members, convention delegates and staff to celebrate the groundbreaking.

— Rebecca Damon is a SAG-AFTRA National and New York Local Board member and a SAG Foundation Board member.

The Crowd Goes Wild!

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upport your SAG-AFTRA New York softball team this summer. Come out and root for your fellow union members as they represent us in the annual Performing Artists Softball League. See actors run, broadcasters hit and stuntmen slide (safely). The season runs from April to September (if we make the playoffs). Games are played on Mondays at noon at Hecksher Field in Central Park. Enter on Central Park West at 64th Street — just a block from the New York Local office. Bring your stage voice to the bleachers and let everyone know you’re a proud union member! Visit SAGAFTRA.org/NY for details.

Open a New Account Make money while giving a donation to the SAG Foundation.

Members of SAG-AFTRA can receive a $50 deposit into their Actors Federal Credit Union savings account when they open a new account. An additional $50 will be donated to the SAG Foundation.

Open an account, apply for a mortgage, plan for retirement, get a low-interest credit card. Visit online at actorsfcu.com.