Philadelphia Sessions

Fall 2013

The Official Publication of the SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local

Photo Courtesy of Meagan Hill

Photo Courtesy of Meagan Hill

SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local on Labor Day

Photo Courtesy of Helen Chong

Stephen Leshinski and Meagan Hill

September 2, 2013 Philadelphia Labor Day Parade Helen Chong, Volieda Webb and Mike Kraycik

Youngest local member Shayne Coleman with oldest member Len Thomas

President’s Message

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t is with the greatest honor that I accept the office of president of the SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local and, in so doing, salute our newly elected officers, board members and delegates and offer my congratulations in this historic first election of our newly merged union. I am confident that with this team, we will continue the successful fight for opportunity for John Wooten our members on every front. From set productions to broadcast shops, I am confident our dedicated leadership will charge forward into our ever-evolving industry with your best interests as their priority.

The common thread among your newly elected leaders is their passion for service, which is the exact ingredient needed during this time of evolution of our union. We simply care! We care about your careers, we care about your working conditions, we care about your benefits, the contracts you work and the opportunity available to you. We care about our union because we care about our industry, and we are grateful for the opportunity to represent your voice. In closing, I would like to personally thank you for your dedication. May we continue to grow and find success.

Standing with you, John Wooten, President

HELP US PAY YOU Search SAG Unclaimed Residuals with Residuals Tracker

You may be due residuals as a performer, loan out or as a beneficiary/heir of a performer. If the union is holding unclaimed residuals, it is because we can’t locate you. We may not have current information in our database or we may not know you are the rightful beneficiary/heir.

There are several ways to search (full or partial first/last name, etc). It’s best to fill in as many fields as possible to obtain faster results. If, after your search, you believe you may be due unclaimed residuals, you will be asked to review information because there are many performers with similar names and the identity must be verified before distribution. Click here for the Residuals Tracker.

AFTRA UTL (Unable to Locate) Fund Search SAG-AFTRA members who have worked under AFTRA contracts may have unclaimed money waiting for them in several funds that collect and hold money for professional performers, recording artists and broadcast journalists. During the transition phase for SAG-AFTRA, searching these funds online is currently unavailable. For UTL Fund assistance, please call (323) 634-8255.

PHILADELPHIA FRANCHISED AGENTS MAY NOT CHARGE FOR CLASSES

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he Philadelphia Local is currently addressing a longstanding practice in this local of permitting franchised agents to conduct classes in their offices and collect a fee from performers. This practice, based on a temporary waiver, will no longer be approved by SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA has put all agents franchised by either legacy SAG and/or legacy AFTRA on notice that, per legacy AFTRA’s Agency Regulations Governing Agents, Rule 12C[1], and legacy SAG’s Codified Agency Regulations, Rule 16g[2], franchised agents may not charge a fee to performers for classes or workshops being conducted in the agency’s office, they cannot use the agency or sub-agent’s name to promote or advertise in conjunction with any school, and they cannot receive a kickback or referral fee from any entity providing a service to performers.

Please note that as of Jan. 1, 2014, all classes or seminars being conducted in a franchised talent agent’s office, or any fee being charged to a performer in addition to the 10 percent commission for work booked through a franchised talent agency’s office, is in violation of SAG-AFTRA rules.

SESSIONS

Official publication of SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia www.sagaftra.org/philly

CAST & CREW

Editor: Shelley Figures Contributing Editors: Stephen Leshinski Chuck Varesko

SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia 230 South Broad St., Suite 500 Philadelphia, PA 19102 215.732.0507

SAG-AFTRA LOCAL STAFF

LOCAL BOARD MEMBERS

Executive Director:

President ­— John Wooten

Stephen Leshinski

Vice President — Sylvia Kauders, Actor/Performer Vice President — Catherine Brown, Broadcast National VP Broadcast

Associate Executive Director:

Shelley Figures

Sara Jane Blazo Mike Kraycik

Contracts/Signatory Administrator:

Gail Lewis

Susan Moses

Lynn Koenigsberg

Benefits & Membership Administrator:

Michele Dooley

Rob Charry Ed “Skip” Fisher Dick Sheeran Meagan Hill Harvey Jaffe

Sessions Archive

Chuck Varesko

sagaftraphila.com/issuu.html

Paul Kurtz National Board Member — Helen McNutt

Executive Director’s Report

By Stephen Leshinski, SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Executive Director

SAG-AFTRA 2.0

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alf of all mergers end in failure. Moving past our one-year anniversary, through our elections, and on to the convention, we take for granted that we were destined to arrive here all along. But why? With so many traps and pitfalls along the way, wouldn’t the easiest thing have been for it all to fall apart? To fight about resources, staff, policies and then just decide “let’s call the whole thing off ”?

But you didn’t. Through a lot of hard work, a lot of frustrating meetings and plenty of tears, the legacy SAG and legacy AFTRA leadership here in Philadelphia and around the country worked to make it work, to arrive at this point, to give to its membership SAG-AFTRA 2.0.

These elections have given us our first generation of SAG-AFTRA leadership. The national restructuring has put in place the staffing structure for the foreseeable future. Everything is in place to move

beyond our growing pains and become the union envisioned by the members of the G1, who wrote the blueprint, and the members of SAG and AFTRA who voted to make it happen.

Where should we go? Who should we be? Should we be trying to get more work done under union contracts for our existing members? Do we want to focus on making union work more lucrative? Is our top priority to get nonmembers to become union and bring their work with them? Or more hard-hitting lobbying and activism? Or something that no one has thought of yet?

We can do anything but we can’t do everything, so what it’s going to be?

That’s not an invitation to sit back and watch. That’s an invitation stand up and do. See you at SAG-AFTRA 2.0.

CONGRATULATIONS! 2013 SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local Election Results

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n Aug. 13, 2013, the ballot tabulation of the Philadelphia Local election was conducted. Please note that some candidates ran unopposed and were declared elected without the necessity of a membership vote. Following are the results of the election. Those positions that required a balloted election are listed with an asterisk*. For complete balloted election results, click here.

Helen McNutt

National Board Member

Four-Year Term

John Wooten

President

Two-Year Term

Sylvia Kauders*

Vice President - Actor/Performer

Two-Year Term

Catherine Brown

Vice President - Broadcast News & Info

Two-Year Term

Sara Jane Blazo*

Local Board - Actor/Performer

Two-Year Term

Mike Kraycik*

Local Board - Actor/Performer

Two-Year Term

Gail Lewis*

Local Board - Actor/Performer

Two-Year Term

Susan Moses*

Local Board - Actor/Performer

Two-Year Term

Rob Charry

Local Board - Broadcast News & Info

Two-Year Term

Ed “Skip” Fisher

Local Board - Broadcast News & Info

Two-Year Term

Dick Sheeran

Local Board - Broadcast News & Info

Two-Year Term

Paul Kurtz

Local Board - Broadcast

(Board Apt.) Two-Year-Term

Meagan Hill

Local Board Member - At Large

Two-Year Term

Harvey Jaffe

Local Board Member - At Large

Two-Year Term

Chuck Varesko

Local Board Member - At Large

Two-Year Term

Those members elected as local officers, local board members and convention delegates, by virtue of their election to those positions, are also elected as alternate national board members who may be called upon to serve at national board meetings when a national board member is unable to attend. The national board member and president by virtue of their election to those positions, also serve as convention delegates.

Except for the national board member who will serve until 2017, all other terms expire in 2015.

Member Profile

A: Music always defined my life and preserved some approximation of sanity. There’s a genetic component. My dad was a piano player, my mom and sister both classical singers, my grandfather a dance band leader in the 1920s. I’m crazy-proud that both of my kids are singers and multi-instrumentalists. Music’s a passion I can’t suppress.

Q: What’s your favorite musical style?

A: I idolize the great singer-songwriters like Aimee Mann and Elvis Costello, and edgy-yet-hooky “power pop” like Fountains of Wayne. Most of my own writing tends to be some amalgam of that, except, of course, the part about mine being not nearly as good as theirs. But most often, I’ve challenged myself by working outside of my comfort zone – from playing Top 40 in hotel lounges in the ’80s, to the six years I spent playing local bars with a blues band, to my current “performances” of portions of rap and hiphop songs following each traffic report (each afternoon on Hot 107-9.) At least my unfamiliarity with the material provides a convenient excuse for any mediocrity.

Q: What was your first paying music gig?

A: An outdoor festival on Independence Day 1975 in Mount Laurel, New Jersey; I may have made $15. Never trust a 14-yearold front singer/trombonist using sheet music to sing Led Zeppelin songs.

Q: How did you get involved in radio?

A: I’ve always been fascinated by broadcasting, but even more so it seemed to be a more socially acceptable branch of performing. With obviously very little prescience for the nonlucrative nature of a radio career, I was confident it’d be a more reliable occupation than music. Since that outweighed the pursuit of the true passion for music, I studied communications in college. But, um, kids, don’t do that. Follow your dream. Or at least go 180 degrees the other way and listen to your high school guidance counselors when they recommend becoming a wealthy architect or engineer.

Q: So why primarily traffic reporting?

A: Some flailing attempt to provide a public service, though toward the lower end of that spectrum. And to some extent, inertia – I had an internship at the old Shadow Traffic and never left. I’ve also been a true map nerd my entire life. Love everything about maps, highways and driving. The seemingly-chaotic patterns fascinate me. A butterfly flaps its wings and a backup forms on the Schuylkill at Belmont.

Q: How has traffic reporting changed since 1980?

A: Primarily technological advances. When I started, almost all traffic was tracked by a plane or two, a small helicopter and a handful of reporters getting their own cars stuck in the traffic on which they were reporting, along with a lot of phone calls to police. These days we instantly access a network of hundreds of cameras, along with other technologies like GPS-tracked cell phone signals, and instant reception of any info released by authorities. Traffic announcers who had then made notes for their reports with grease pencil on acetate now use complex and interactive computer applications. But even though methods and data have greatly improved

Randy Chepigan

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andy Chepigan, senior anchor, program director and SAG-AFTRA shop steward for Total Traffic Network Philadelphia, attempts a nutshell self-description in his Twitter profile (@radiocynic): “Middle-aged singer-songwriter-traffic-reporter and attempted bon vivant. What, you couldn’t just tell?”

A lifelong Philly-area resident, Chepigan started reporting traffic for Philadelphia radio in 1980, just prior to his graduation from Temple University. At one time or another since then, his traffic reports have been heard on nearly every radio station in the market. Currently, he provides 42 traffic and weather feeds each weekday afternoon (“but hey, who’s counting?”) on Public Radio WHYY 90.9 FM, Top 40/Rhythmic WPHI 107.9 FM (“Hot 107-9”), news/talk stations WNTP 990 AM and WURD 900 AM, and hot a/c WSJO 104.9 FM (“SoJO — South Jersey’s Own”). His other duties at TTN include all scheduling and logistics for a 40-plus person air staff, assisting/advising all aspects of the multimarket regional operation, and serving as one of his SAG-AFTRA shop’s two shop stewards.

A songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and a veteran of dozens of local bands with what he describes as “pitifully modest succes,” Chepigan’s LinkedIn profile notes that he left radio for a few years in the early 1980s to pursue an attempted music career full-time. He,“gave a solid shot to doing music for real, failed at shopping a record deal, gained some successful experience as a local arranger, songwriter and session musician … but mostly played Holiday Inn lounges.”

Even upon returning to radio, he continued to fill a part-time role as a local musician as a member of a few more bands, and later released a handful of Internet-only song demos. While he seems to go to some length to continue calling himself a musician, he admits that in the recent few years, day job and family obligations haven’t allowed enough time “to do much to prove it.” (Check out some of Chepigan’s past musical work at his website, or through his Facebook pages: Randy Chepigan Music and Randy Chepigan.)

We asked Chepigan to tell us more about himself.

Q: How did you get interested in music?

Continued next page

Career Guidance 101

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n June 24, the SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local presented Career Guidance 101, a panel discussion that addressed the needs and concerns of performers new to the acting profession. (Picture L-R) Panelists included casting director Diane Heery of Heery Casting, SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local Executive Director Stephen Leshinski, franchised agent Pat Yorks of Agency Connects and manager Edie Robb of Station 3 Entertainment.

The panel discussed whether acting is a pastime or a career. If it’s a career, then consider approaching it as a small business endeavor that would require at least 40 hours a week of making choices about how to promote yourself and how to maintain and develop your skills. Producers don’t care if you have a day job, they want a professional, so it’s impor tant to figure how to suppor t yourself while you continue to train and build your resume. They also pointed out

that even though you may have an agent, it’s still impor tant for performers to understand how to submit for work in the digital world.

There was also a discussion about the rights and responsibilities of members. Union agreements establish minimum wages and working conditions that cover members when they work, but members should always conduct themselves in a professional manner while they are employed. This includes being punctual, following directions and bringing the requested wardrobe. It’s also become very important that members refrain from taking photographs (even in holding areas), posting photos or “status,” or engaging in any kind of social media before, during or after your workday.

After the session, panelists engaged in a meet-and-greet and offered personalized advice.

Chepigan... and expanded, the traffic anchor’s job remains interpreting and selecting what people most urgently need to know and explaining it as efficiently and understandably as possible.

Q: What has been your most difficult challenge as a shop steward?

A: The challenges are many, but above all, it’s time restriction.

There’s a constant ambition to devote more time to the shop steward role — to help fellow shop members get the most out of both their work experience and their union experience. Yet so much time is already taken up by the on-air and logistical components of my job, it’s an ongoing juggling act. I’m always searching for additional ways to get our members more involved in our union, for them to take advantage of all of its benefits and take a personal stake in making it even stronger, embracing the concept of “We are the union.”

Save the Date!

The SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia

Holiday Event with

Joe Conklin is

December 11, 2013 at

Randy Chepigan, a proud and active SAG-AFTRA member since 2008, was selected as co-shop steward of the Metro Networks (later to become TTN) shop shortly thereafter. He’s a member of Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia and serves on SAG-AFTRA’s Philadelphia Broadcast Steering Committee. He lives in South Jersey with his wife, traffic-reporting colleague Cindy Graham, and two daughters.

Chickie’s & Pete’s (Parx Casino Location)

Local President John Wooten and National President Ken Howard.

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The Philadelphia delegation with National President Howard.

AG-AFTRA Philadelphia was well-represented at the union’s United for Our Future-themed national convention held in Los Angeles from Sept. 26-29. Philadelphia Local President John Wooten; National Vice President, Broadcasters, Catherine Brown; and National Board member Helen McNutt were joined by local delegates Harvey Jaffe, Dick Sheeran, Bill Shusta and Joe Zarriello. Executive and national vice presidents were elected, including Brown, who was elected National VP, Broadcasters.

A full convention report can be found on the SAG-AFTRA website.

Photo by Garry Stoktze

Philadelphia at Convention

National VP, Broadcasters Catherine Brown.

An Important Announcement for SAG-AFTRA Members Regarding the Affordable Care Act

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Photo from Thinkstock.com

n Jan. 1, 2014, the recently enacted Affordable Care Act (ACA) will require families and individuals to have health insurance, either through their employer or through statewide “exchanges.” The following information is to help SAG-AFTRA members navigate the new law and make the right decisions.

On Oct. 1, families and individuals were able to get information on how they may purchase health insurance on the open market through an “exchange” established in each state. Many SAG-AFTRA members who are unable to reach the earnings threshold for health insurance may find that they qualify to purchase health insurance through the ACA. There are different rules for each state, however, and various regulations may still change after the Oct. 1 launch. To get started on understanding how this law may affect you, we are making available information provided by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal government agency tasked with providing outreach to various communities, including ours, to provide education and information on the ACA. The following links provide some preliminary information on the insurance marketplace, and may help SAG-AFTRA members find the information they need to evaluate the ACA: • Key Dates for the Health Insurance Marketplace • Get Ready to Enroll in the Marketplace • Marketplace Application Checklist

Depending on member interest, our local can arrange for webinars or other information sessions, so please call or email the Philadelphia Local of SAG-AFTRA if you are interested in more information or would like to be involved in spreading the message to other members. Contact Lynn Koenigsberg at (215) 732-0507 or by email.

Welcome to our Local New Members

CONGRATULATIONS!

Mike Adam Steve Annan Raymond H. Blong Harry Bratton Rachel Breitag Maria Breyman Ron Eric Carter Andrew M Chamberlain Zene Coley Christopher Dalbey Matt Delucia Staci Dickerson Jenni Farley Oakes Fegley Jae Greene Joel Hodgson Richard Dennis Johnson Ryan R Johnson Joan Jones Maurice Jones Christopher Kolling Ali LaVecchia Joe Lawless Jacqueline London Anthony Marks Brian Gerard Matthews David L Mell Cathi Miller James Moran Jamie Moran Matthew Nadu Shane Nepveu Kia Nguyen Zach Rand Da’Vine Joy Randolph Matthew Rios Julie Anne Robenhymer Suzette Rudawsky Gabriella Sacidor Denise Sakel Amanda Schoonover Dawne Marie Seifert Vitaliy Shtabnoy Christopher Rex Stone Dominique L. Swift Michael Terra Lyndsey Watkins Tru Witt

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The board and staff of the Philadelphia Local of SAG-AFTRA congratulate local Emmy nominees and winners!

2013 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards Saturday, September 7, 2013

Monica Avery – CBS3* Pat Ciarrocchi – CBS3* Rosemary Connors – NBC10* Ellen Czajkowski – CBS3* Tracy Davidson – NBC10* Ed Dress – NBC10* Carol Erickson – CBS3* Jonelle Fabian – CBS3 Harry Hairston – NBC10** Evan Hirsch – CBS3 Walt Hunter – CBS3* Daralene Jones – NBC10 Keith Jones – NBC10* Kevin Kinkead – CBS3* Vince Lattanzio – NBC10 Colin Macaulay – NBC10* Chris May – CBS3 Michael Pecker – NBC10* Jason Rothman – CBS3 Joan Sill – CBS3* Stephanie Stahl – CBS3** Dan Stamm – NBC10* Erika Von Tiehl – CBS3 Ukee Washington – CBS3 Lori Wilson – NBC10*

*Indicates number of Emmys won

Are You Listed in Our Local Online Talent Guide?

Transferred In

Elizabeth Amico James M. Baxter Dick Berggren Beau Bowden Patrick John Boyle Stuart M. Burgh Eddie Clark Michael James Craig John Ellis Dwyer Jude English Kristian Falk Doug Farrell Debi Gallo Christina Gausas Christina Gianaris Amber Gross Beverly Harman Joel Hodgson Rick Irwin Jowharah Jones Tracy Lee Cindy Malika Barbara Mayfield Steve Mays Scott McShane Ellis Teneise Mitchell Tisa O’ Jim Page Jody M. Quigley Grace Reed Jamie Lyn Reif Jillian Shields Peter Matthew Smith Robbie P. Smith Bradley M. Spencer Joseph S. Starbin Judy Torres Lyndsey Watkins Tatyana Yassukovich Zeus Zephyn III

If you are listed consider checking your listing to see if your information and headshot are up to date.

If you’re not listed take a few moments to visit the site and find out how to sign up.

Point your browser to www.sagaftraphila.com to update or get listed.

COMPUTER GEEK’S CORNER

Many phones are free if you commit to a two-year contract. AT&T is a proud union supporter and SAGAFTRA members are eligible for 15 percent off their cell phone usage bill through the Union Plus benefits program. Go to UnionPlus.org and click on the Home & Technology tab for details and reference the FAN number 3508840.

These are but a few of the many options for cell phones for the modern performer. I can’t stress how important it is to have a smartphone. Go into a reputable store, play with all the different phones, discuss with the customer service rep all the different carriers and phone plans to see what suits your needs best. Your agent will love you for it!

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.

Photo from Thinkstock.com

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’d like to talk about the importance of smartphones vs. regular cell phones for the actor.

Most modern cell phones are known as smartphones. You can think of them as the next generation or evolution of regular cell phones. These advanced phones basically have small minicomputers tucked inside. They are as powerful as the gigantic, roomsized computers that helped Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1963!

On your smartphone, you can have your picture and resumé, reel, email, address book, text, browse the Web, pay bills, etc. No longer are you bound to your desktop computer to handle these tasks. If you are on set and your agent calls about an audition, the agent now has a more immediate way of getting all the vital info to you.

Most phones have Global Positioning Services (GPS) built in. I usually plug in the address location of the audition the night before.

That way I don’t have to fumble with it that morning and can get there early, relax and concentrate on giving my best.

There are many different types and manufacturers of smartphones available on the market. Also, keep in mind how you will use it and which monthly service plan you should choose. To keep my minute usage down, I often answer my cell phone and then call back from a land phone. There are also many free Web-based phone lines (e.g., Google Voice) where you log on to their website and then make your call over the Internet for free.

by Chris Rogers