Art Lynch's Nevada Actor Resource Page

2011-12-16T12:31:00.001-08:00

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2011-11-07T12:59:00.001-08:00

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Politics are not just in Washington DC

2011-09-26T13:12:00.001-07:00

Nevada SAG moving forward (with your help and support)

It does not make friends, but within the limits of confidentiality I am know for telling the truth as I see it.

Your union is a union, not a club, conservatory or social networking group.

And we have a very dedicated board of officers and members looking after the business of the Guild in Nevada. This election showcased how the system works, once the membership has a voice.

There are politics underway that I feel need to be addressed. I thank the membership for their votes in this election, selecting candidates who were not nominated by the nominating committee among their choices.

Those who are doing the job, who have the connections and who have the experience, can be heard at the national level. For the first time that anyone can remember incumbents who were working hard and getting their jobs done were not nominated by the nominating committee, the president last year and myself this year, along with two sitting council members, one of whom choose not to run by petition. Local officers endorsed not voting incumbents back into office.

I am not the type to blow my own horn, campaign or ask for help. This year I had to do all three, and I did not enjoy it. I thank all of you who made calls, sent e-mails, donated to the campaign and supported by reelection. I did gather endorsements, but only after knowing the politics behind my not being nominated.

It would hope that our top local officers, as well as Rick Rockne, take the time to allow me to represent the branch on the national level. The local level has always been in the hands of the officers and council. I have one vote and other than advising from experience and the perspective of my office, I carry no more voice or vote than any other member of your elected council. Except for my one year as president, I never have, regardless of the rumors that circulated during the past two campaigns.

As I shared in today's membership meeting, it is my hope that, whether we merge or not, members continue to step forward and run for office, volunteer for committees and do all they can to turn potential work union in Nevada. We are the union.

It is also my hope that the type of backdoor politics I have seen over the past two years comes to an end and that we move forward as a branch proudly into a new union or as the Screen Actors Guild, continuing to put membership first.

I feel that you have a strong council, working on many projects for our branch. We have a strong executive in Steve Clinton, and strong support from many key players in the community.

Solidarity.

Art Lynch
(as a private citizen and member of SAG, not an official correspondence).

In part to support what I indicated above about the nominating committee and the need to keep experience I present the folowing excerpt from the Hollywood Reporter:

"In Nevada, Art Lynch won a contested national board seat. Six other national board seats from the Regional Branch Division were uncontested, and the winners were previously announced: Boston – Bill Mootos; Dallas – Suzanne Burkhead; Detroit – Ed Kelly; Houston – Robert Nelson; Nashville – Cece DuBois; Washington, D.C./Baltimore –Stephen F. Schmidt. All of those are three-year positions, and all of the regional winners are believed to favor merger."

2011-09-07T12:05:00.001-07:00

Why I serve.

Art Lynch is an actor

and educator who serves

on the National Board of Directors

of the Screen Actors Guild

representing Nevada.

In his over 20 years of Nevada

based Guild service

he has chaired committees,

served on the elected council,

served as Nevada Vice President

and President. He co-chairs

the New Technology Committee

and has long been active

in other national committees,

including the Young Performers

Committee, dedicated to

helping young talent and

their parents to prepare

for and deal with the needs

and demands of the industry.

The guild does not

compensate members

who serve in offices or on committees.

His work is voluntary and for the benefit

of all talent and future talent.

A veteran of Chicago theatre and both film

and commercial acting,

his belief is that all those who find enjoyment i

n the crafts and take

the time to train and pursue work,

should call themselves actors,

has been at the center of his over

a decade of coaching acting full-time.

Lynch is an instructor at the

College of Southern Nevada,

where his focus is communication

and helping students

to achieve their personal goals.

His voice can be heard on Sundays

over Nevada Public Radio

(based through KNPR 88.9 FM)

statewide as the state voice

of Weekend Edition Sundays and

as on-hair local host from

5 AM to midnight on Sundays.

After two decades living

in the heart of Las Vegas,

he and his wife Laura,

relocated to historic Boulder City

seven years ago,

where he works with the Park and

Recreation District serves on the board

of the Dam Short Film Festival,

31ers. He and with his wife are establishing

a social services life counseling opportunity.

Lynch is currently completing a

PhD in Education

through Capella University.

Art Lynch writes and edits this blog,

along with sagactor and others.

You may e-mail Art Lynch at

art.lynch@artlynch.org

Reelect Art Lynch to tirelessly represent the Nevada membership.

2011-07-30T23:32:00.001-07:00

See what others have to say about Art Lynch

http://www.artlynch4sag.com/

http://www.artlynch4sag.com/quotes.html

Crowe.mpg

2011-07-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

How to Build work in the Nevada Branch

2011-07-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

SAG is top down and national. On the local level you have an executive, Steve Clinton, and elected local president, Barbara Grant. They are the local focus. As a board members my job is to work on national issues, make sure Nevada is funded and gets support and represent the membership at national board meetings. Since over half the board is Los Angeles, their issues get the headlines and take much of the time, but we do go and advocate national, regional and Nevada issues. Thus the expansions of the Nevada Zone I have helped win, despite no other zone increases or creations on the same contracts. Having a local executive is also in part an accomplishment from the national level, pushing for it and supporting a local executive through relationships with other board members and staff.

Las Vegas is in a RTW state so rules are somewhat different than LA or NYC.

We have strong local executive who is working on organizing and increasing what work we get.

I fight for funding and support for our legislative agenda in Nevada, for organizing to grow local and attract national work and to minimize the impact of very real budget and staff cuts on Nevada.

I have strong ideas on local, but the reality is that the President and the council are charged with the local.

Some of my ideas:

Grow membership involvement on committees that actually do the work of the committee.

Gain greater participation by our lead actors, celebrities and those with "juice" or pull in town.

Get real film incentives so that we will regain the production we have lose and perhaps someone will actually invest in a union studio shop.

Increase SAG only benefits in town.

Discourage Taft-Harleys any way that is legal (there are limitations to what we can do in an RTW state). This is our top priority!

Stop listening to FiCore actors who have abandoned their responsibility to other actors.

Enforce Rule One.

Regain an actual office for our executive to work out of.

Continue to fight to keep communications open and improve communication with members and member to member.

Continue to strengthen connections with other unions.

Control the qualified professional talent pool, meaning that union talent must be quality, professional and available for work.

As much as can be done in an RTW state, make sure agents and casting companies play by their agreements in franchises and signatory status.

Continue to expand the zone.

Encourage youth to become involved, since that seems to be the priority in hiring by producers…take away their excuses for not hiring union workers.

Work to undo the Right to Work laws in Nevada.

Continue to support the Conservatory, and other social or educational opportunities to help branch members train and get to know each other.

I believe Barbara Grant, the president, and the council are on the same page on the priorities above.

What I can continue to do no the national level is keep the board and national staff aware of and supporting our needs.

Refer to:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/art-lynch-228853

http://www.artlynch4sag.com/

http://sagactor.blogspot.com/

Feel free to contact me.

-Art

2011-06-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

It pays to offer a SAGIndie Contract

Contact Nevada SAG Executive Director Steven Clinton for details.

Steven.clinton@sag.org. Or visit www.sagindie.org

2011-05-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

SAG Nevada Newsletter, Spring, 2011

Nevada SAG May, 2011 Newsletter (click here).

May, 2011 Nevada Actor SAG National Board Report

2011-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

SAG National Board Report, April 2011

“The message from SAG and AFTRA members across the country has been clear — they want this done as soon as possible. If our boards approve the merger plan in January, our members will make the final decision through a referendum vote less than a year from now. I’m proud that we’ve taken a major step today, and I’m extremely grateful for the unanimous support of the SAG National Board. I also want to thank AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon, whose remarkable leadership has been essential in bringing us to this point.” — SAG President Ken Howard

From the Nevada SAG Newsleter, (click here)

National Board ReportBy Art Lynch

Being on the National Board of Screen Actors Guild is an exercise in marketing, legal issues, both the macro and the micro scale of the industry, political manipulations and much more.

The day-to-day work of a National Board member involves phone calls, email, instant messaging, chat lines, PowerPoint presentations and lots of reading and research.

The workload involves statistics, spreadsheets, conferences, debates and relationships with other nationally elected officers and national staff, patience, action when needed, strong listening skills, and persuasive skills. The work requires knowledge of a wide range of areas within the industry, of the differences in geography, and of differences in contract use for the regions and Branches. Board members must focus on anticipating change and keeping local, regional and national members in mind, as well as performers who will become a part of the union and an asset to SAG in the future.

Board meetings are long, sometimes exciting, often tedious and always essential. While the heavy and hateful politics of recent years are behind us, there remain disagreements and differences in priorities in use of contract, amount of work under contract, geography, skill level and membership representation priorities.

The board duties and activities are not just a question of attending meetings. They include keeping the Branch president and councils informed and allowing them the opportunity to represent Nevada on national committees and at national meetings, as those opportunities arise.

The work starts locally and expands to national, with committees, work groups, research, sidebar conversations, email chains, Skype and Go to Meeting sessions, and much more.

One Union

The most vital issue of the past few years, and in the year ahead, is movement toward one union. I am active on several work groups to make sure Nevada and small Branches are a key part of what will be the highest profile and most powerful entertainment union in the world.

If the members approve it “and the creek don’t rise,” we will be one union a year from now, with board consideration in January 2012.

Merger

On April 30, The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors unanimously approved the creation of a Merger Task Force to work with their AFTRA counterparts in developing a formal plan to unite SAG and AFTRA members in one union.

You may be asked to vote on the creation of a new union early next year.

There will be sacrifices to profit from the benefits of a single union. Dues for single-card holders (most of our Nevada membership) may go to finance organizing that will result in greater work opportunities.

Competition between AFTRA and SAG is growing in the television and new media areas, both of which are growing in size and dollars as film (theatrical) remains stable and the future of commercials remains technologically uncertain. With one union, you have a unified effort instead of two competing unions fighting for income and survival.

The growth is in the lower-budget areas of television and film production, areas where a unified performers’ union will be in a position to organize, increasing work for our membership.

“The entertainment industry is undergoing a transformation, and the only way for middle-class performers to remain strong is to have one union fighting for them with a unified strategy. I’m excited to be a part of making that happen.” — SAG 1st Vice President Ned Vaughn.

Your help and comments are needed

The presidents of both national unions have been on a “listening tour” across the country. They are now requesting feedback and ideas through your elected National Board representatives.

I am interested in your feedback and ideas, questions and observations.

We are seeking your direct feedback to several questions:

1. How are you working differently than five years ago? How has the work changed?

2. What do you want to see in a merged union?

3. How have non-union qualified performers impacted your work opportunities? What can be done to create more union work and minimize use of non-union talent?

4. How have your employers changed from five years ago?

5. What could a merged union do for you? What are your ideas on how to accomplish this?

Please submit your comments to me, trough the SAG office, at Steven.Clinton@sag.org.

This is a time for union pride

The National Legislative Committee’s focus is on battling anti-union movements and legislation in many areas, including right-to-work expansion and attempts to erode union security; working to expand and counter repeals of location-based film incentives; strengthening the protection of our young performers; and protecting members rights wherever and whenever required. Celebrity and rank-and-file members have made a difference in Wisconsin, Michigan and many other states, including advancement of film incentive legislation in the Nevada Legislature.

A Wired World: We need your help

Working actors know that being connected on the Internet is essential to being a performer in this new age of entertainment. Submissions are often by computer, with auditions on Web cameras. Scripts and notices come over email or Facebook. Talent showcases their work on websites and in social media.

The Screen Actors Guild is aware of this, and of the opportunity it provides to save dues money and increase immediacy in all communications. The amount of print materials you receive will continue to decrease, while online increases in importance.

We have a commitment to online rapid communications with members and the community using email broadcasts, Facebook, Twitter and other media and social media.

You can help your fellow actors by encouraging them to have email, to keep their email information up to date with the Guild, to check the SAG website and keep in touch electronically with our SAG office. Nevada Executive Steve Clinton and the Nevada Organizing Committee are ready to help anyone who needs assistance in converting to the Internet age of communication. By offering your help or passing names and emails of members on to the SAG office, you can help ensure that as close as possible to 100 percent of Nevada members are informed and active.

Organizing

SAG is organizing work in all areas, with a focus on new media, low budget and localized work for Nevada and other markets. I am active on several national committees in this area. Much of the work remains confidential for reasons that I am willing to explain one on one, or our executive can address it as an organizing and contract professional.

The Guild is making the most of our dues by doing more for less, using automation, shifting how services are delivered and renewing focus on essentials needed to allow the Guild to improve member services, including contract enforcement, on an ever-tightening budget.

Residuals and other programs are being automated and computerized whenever possible, speeding the process and minimizing human error.

An online signatory process for producers is becoming a reality, making it easier to access information, fill out paperwork and file it with the Guild. Of particular interest is that all filmmakers, at all budget levels, including students, can now have access to SAG talent. Nevada has already picked up ultra-low budget productions using the online application process.

As co-chair of the national New Media and Web Committees, and an active member of the National Communications Committee, I can report on improvements, upgrades and increased use of SAG on the Web. It is there for you to use and to pass on to anyone interested in our industry. We are working on improvements in navigation of the website, growth of recently launched sites to help young performers, and potential upgrades for iActor.

We have overseen improvements in SAG TV and the resources it offers for talent at all levels of the industry. SAG TV and our relationships with the SAG Foundation provide a wealth of information about the industry, contracts and how to navigate life as a professional performer. There are archiveshere and here.

I also encourage you to stay on top of the increased benefits for SAG members though Union Plus (AFL-CIO) and SAG-generated cooperative ventures with businesses. For updates, click here.

Thank you

Join me in wishing the best and a rapid recovery for President Barbara Grant.

We all should thank Vice President Arttours Weeden, the officers and the Nevada Branch Council for their aggressive work on behalf of the membership. We are, thanks to them, a very active Branch in every way, including organizing, legislative, our conservatory, keeping our executive informed and continuing our more than 35 years as an activist SAG-only Branch of the Screen Actors Guild.

And a special thank you to Nevada Executive Steve Clinton for his work on our legislative initiatives, in organizing work, in protecting our wages and working conditions and membership services.

Have a great summer…hopefully with both work and relaxation.

Art Lynch

nevadaSAG@me.com

This Web Site: Policies and Referral

2011-05-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Only posts approved by SAG Communications in LA will be made on this unofficial web site, with occasional breaking news which will be removed upon request from SAG staff.

For official Nevada Branch posts go to http://www.sag.org/branches/nevada.

To contact Nevada SAG Executive Director Steve Clinton and the Nevada office, e-mail Steven.Clinton@SAG.org

For unofficial posts on film, television, theater, material for students (including those who are pre-union) and on SAG, as selected and edited by myself, check SAG Actor (updated daily) at http://sagactor.blogspot.com.

For my personal blog, which also serves communication, journalism, education and other students, go to http://art-lynch.blogspot.com

-Art Lynch

NevadaSAG@me.com

2011-03-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

35 years of union in Nevada, Happy Birthday SAG

We are Union

By Art Lynch

National Board Director, Nevada

Wages and working conditions are the foundation of any union. They keep us safe and pay a fair wage. Collective bargaining is how we negotiate to secure the foundation our members need (union wages are a floor, not a set rate or ceiling). Right now the collective bargaining rights of many of our brothers and sisters are under attack in Wisconsin and at least two other states. Quite simply, we cannot afford for the recession and resulting budget deficits to be used as an excuse to weaken union protections and our ability to represent each other as brothers and sisters to negotiate for safety, security and a fair wage. I urge Nevada SAG members to do all we can to support our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Do not for a moment think that this is not your fight. We also have a target painted on our backs by the same forces behind any attempt to weaken our fellow unions in the public sector.

More Than 35 Years of Union Activism

Working conditions also led to the birth of the Nevada Branch. While on the set of the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds are Forever, SAG members from Nevada were exposed to conditions they considered abusive. With the help of National, they stood up and changes were made. That passion led to the organic growth of the Nevada Branch, officially added to the Guild’s branch system 35 years ago.

I urge you to attend the March 27 Nevada SAG membership meeting to celebrate our birthday!

More Than 20 Years of Guild Service

At our membership meeting, we will also honor the longest-serving president in Nevada SAG history, Steve Dressler. As most of you know, I worked with Steve on the council when I was Branch president and as your elected representative on the National Board of Directors. While he modestly does not advertise it, Steve pulled no punches in talking with staff, officers and National Board members as he worked effectively to represent Nevada’s membership.

Together, we helped bring an office and local executives to Nevada to expand our background zone, to raise national recognition of the needs of all Branches operating under the federally mandated limitations of “right-to-work” laws, and to keep Nevada high on the radar of board members from Los Angeles, New York and other Branches. Most of the work of a Branch president is done in committees, in sidebar conversations and in more paperwork than most of us can appreciate.

Our Birthday Celebration

Please join me in thanking Steve Dressler, President Barbara Grant, your Nevada Branch officers and council, and all those who have served the Nevada membership as we celebrate our official birthday.

Merger

Many members have asked if we are closer to a merger with AFTRA. Yes, but that does not mean it will be a done deal.

The national presidents and the boards of both unions are committed to the need to join together as the power wielded by management increases, technology blurs the lines and opposition to, or a misunderstanding of, unions spreads in geography and numbers.

In truth, when change comes, it will most likely take the form of a new union with its roots and history in both Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

But When?

As soon as possible is the best answer, but that could, for legal, logistical and political reasons, be a year or years away. The unions need to continue in the best interests of their membership as we focus on joint negotiations, organizing in a difficult marketplace and providing for the needs of our members. And as occurred the last two times the unions worked to join together, the will of the membership as ballots hit the mailboxes will leave any future uncertain up until the final moments.

What Can I Do?

For now, focus on helping President Grant, our Executive Director Steve Clinton and your council build the Nevada Branch and continue to keep us active and strong.

Support Local Employment

Support – within the limits of the SAG rules we are bound to as members of a union, such as Rule One, which states that you may not work non-union – all Nevada-based production and talent industry-based companies. Show them SAG is on their side. Encourage them to use SAG talent and sign SAG contracts. This includes working only through SAG franchised agents. Every dime a non-union agent (or manager working incorrectly as an agent) earns is a dime that discourages our growing union agent pool from following the rules and supporting our union.

Encourage SAG Signatory Status

You have the power to nudge employers toward becoming signatory to our contracts. When we had a physical office, there were seven local signatories. Today we have none. True, in many cases those companies used primarily out-of-town talent, but then so do films, industrials and commercials coming to town. The opportunity for locals can only grow if we are ready and willing to work, and if the work opportunities are there in the first place. A first step is to increase the amount of union work on the plate.

Be Prepared and Professional on the Set

Do the job you are hired to do and do it to the best of your professional training, ability and desire.

Encourage Others to Join the Nevada Branch

The reality is that there is strength, financing and political voice in numbers. Qualified professional talent, particularly those in the younger age groups and needed ethnic representation, must be encouraged to join our Branch as union actors. If they do not, the non-union talent pool will remain strong enough to discourage the use of union actors. As always, the members of other branches who live in Nevada need to be encouraged to join the Branch. Whether their manager or agent handles money in another city, or they still identify with where they used to live, we need their support and membership to strengthen the state in which they live! It is that simple…we need them.

Become Active in a Committee

As members, you can take the lead on all of these actions and more, in the name of strengthening our union, thanking our union for what it has done, giving back to our union and in the drive for more union work in Nevada. Individual actions are strong and require no cooperation. Groups and active committees can combine talents and drive into a sum greater than the individual parts. I encourage such a committee to be considered by the membership, and come from the membership level up.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our March 27 membership meeting.

Nevada SAG Membership Meeting to honor Steve Dressler and Branch's 35th Birthday

2011-03-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

The Nevada SAG Branch Spring Membership meeting

will be held at Teamsters Hall Local 631 on

Sunday, March 27. Only dues current members

of the Nevada Branch may attend.

We will celebrate the branch's official 35th birthday,

and honor long time Branch President Steve Dressler.

What is at risk in Wisconsin is our future

2011-02-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

Dear SAG Members:

In Wisconsin and around our country, the American Dream is under fierce attack. On Saturday, February 26, at noon local time, Rally to Save the American Dream is organizing rallies in front of every statehouse and in every major city to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. Please join your fellow union members, the AFL-CIO and other supporters in front of your statehouse. Please click here to find information about a rally in your area.

Although Screen Actors Guild is a non-partisan organization, and therefore does not take positions on some of the demands of Save the American Dream, we unequivocally stand together with them, and with all working families, to end the attacks on worker’s rights. If collective bargaining rights can be stripped away in a strong union state like Wisconsin, it can happen anywhere. Various anti-labor bills have recently been introduced in dozens of states. And, it is believed that if this action succeeds in Wisconsin, more and more anti-union efforts may spread across the country and ultimately could affect all labor organizations, including Screen Actors Guild.

All workers have a fundamental right to join unions and to engage in collective bargaining over workplace issues they face.

-From SAG National

2011-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

SAG supports Wisconsin Workers

Second from left, SAG member Mike Ward. Far right, Todd Hissong and John Carter Brown, Screen Actors Guild National Board Members from the Chicago Branch, at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, February 21, 2011.

As you may have heard, there is a proposal currently before the Wisconsin legislature that will strip most of the collective bargaining rights from that state’s public workers. If passed, this action could have lasting and damaging consequences for union rights across the country.

Since our founding in 1933, Screen Actors Guild has strongly supported the rights of entertainment industry workers and all workers to join together and collectively bargain with employers. Collective bargaining insures that unions and employers negotiate together in the best interests of the members. Many in the labor movement believe that this type of proposal may spread across the country and ultimately, to labor organizations like Screen Actors Guild, with potentially devastating results for our members and for the entertainment industry.

We are taking action to support our fellow union members in Wisconsin. SAG has reached out to our members in and around Wisconsin and many of them are already on the ground in Madison. We are also reaching out to our highly recognizable members and legislative committee leadership to travel, with our organizing staff, to Wisconsin this week. We also ask that you take part in this effort by speaking your mind on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and by voicing your support for Wisconsin union members and the right of all workers to join together and collectively bargain.

David White

National Executive Director

Screen Actors Guild

To find out more about rallies and support actions happening in cities across the country, please contact Nancy Fox at nfox@sag.org.

For more information, please visit the AFL-CIO website at:

www.aflcio.org

You can also support the effort via social networking sites:

On Facebook (comments are welcome) at:

Screen Actors

AFLCIO http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/aflcio

We Are One http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/werunited

Use hash tags #wiunions on the SAG Twitter handles:

@screenactors

@sagnews

Screen Actors Guild

2011-02-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan

February 6, 2011: The Ronald Reagan Centennial

n 1947, Guild President Ronald Reagan, center, with fellow Guild officers, left to right: 3rd VP George Murphy, 1st VP Gene Kelly and 2nd VP William Holden.

Before he became the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan was president of Screen Actors Guild – during two significant periods.

Reagan, who began his career as a star of radio, film and television, first served the Guild as president from March 1947 through November 1952 (after serving previously as 3rd vice president and on the board). During this period, storied for its political and labor strife, his leadership paved the way for SAG’s first contract in television, among other accomplishments.

At the request of the SAG National Board, Reagan returned to the SAG presidency in 1959 in order to head 1960 theatrical negotiations that ultimately resulted in the first pension and health plan for SAG members, not to mention residuals on films shot January 31, 1960, and after (once they were replayed on television).

On the anniversary of what would have been his 100th birthday today, Screen Actors Guild salutes the American icon for his acting legacy, his lasting contributions to the betterment of all professional actors through Guild leadership, and for his service to the country as a public servant.

You can read more about Reagan in the Screen Actor magazine “Snapshot” on page 68 of the Fall/Winter 2010 digital issue and at reagancentennial.com.

April 9, 1947: New SAG President Ronald Reagan at podium at the Hollywood Legion Stadium at a special informational membership meeting on proposals for upcoming theatrical negotiations.

I

November 21, 1960: SAG Annual Membership Meeting at the Beverly Hilton. In a meeting led by newly-elected President George Chandler, who had served as president since Ronald Reagan’s resignation in June. At this meeting, Reagan is presented with a gold and black marble pen and pencil desk set, inscribed:

“To Ronald Reagan, whose unselfish leadership and devotion to the welfare of his fellow actors have gained him the affection of all in the Screen Actors Guild, this token of appreciation is presented by the Board of Directors on behalf of the membership at the Annual Meeting, November 21, 1960.”

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SAG NV Branch Gala Viewing Party

2011-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

SAG NV Branch is throwing a Gala Viewing Party to watch the LIVE broadcast of the 17th Annual SAG Awards on Jan 30, 2011 at 5pm (Pacific Time) at Tommy Rocker’s - the same place we held the WILDLY successful SAG Holiday Mixer 2010! Tommy Rockers is (again) giving us Happy Hour Food & Beverage prices, so why not come join us for food, fun and camaraderie. “What good is sitting alone in your room? Come here the music play.”

Chris Rogers is Chair (again) for this event. So if you came to the Holiday Mixer (and even if you didn’t), please join us for the Awards Show.

SSSSh, Super Secret Info: Our Branch will be mentioned during the Broadcast!

Only ACTIVE/PAID UP SAG NV Branch members (and 1 guest) can vote/and/or attend. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet for the event, please email your:

·     SAG Name·

SAG ID#·

Name of Guest

to sclinton@sag.org

or call 702.513.1520

2011-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

More films available for SAG Members on iTunes

Additional titles (and technical support) have been added to the SAG Awards web site for SAG members.

http://www.sagawards.org/voting for information on how SAG members can watch and evaluate this year's nominees and how to vote on-line.

SAG Awards Party Open to the Public, January 30, 5 to 9 PM

2011-01-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

Join Us for SAG Awards Viewing

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be held on January 30 at 5 p.m. Pacific, and the SAG Nevada Branch is throwing a gala viewing party to watch the live broadcast at Tommy Rocker’s! Tommy Rocker’s is (again) giving us happy hour food and beverage prices, so why not come join us for food, fun and camaraderie instead of watching it at home? Please join your SAG Nevada Branch brothers and sisters as we watch our fellow Guild members on the SAG Awards show.

Only active, paid-up SAG Nevada members, plus one guest, may attend. Please e-mail Branch Executive Director Steve Clinton at sclinton@sag.org or call (702) 737-8818, option 3, to reserve your spot or ask questions you may have about the event. Tommy Rocker’s Mojave Beach Bar & Grill is located at 4275 Dean Martin Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89103.

As always, we will need volunteers to help make the event another success. If you’d like to help, contact SAG Nevada Branch President Barbara Grant at nevadapresident@sag.org.

Sign up at http://sagawardsRSVP.org for info on studio screenings. Most are in Los Angeles and New York.

2011-01-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

The Nevada SAG Winter 2011 Newsletter is out.

Updates on events (such as the upcoming SAG Awards party), letters from council members and updates from officers are included, along with other articles for actors.

It is only available by e-mail to SAG members or for the public using the following link to the Nevada SAG Website:

http://www.sag.org/node/6361

As editor I am interested in your feedback and, if you are a Nevada SAG member, articles or photos (with captions) for consideration for future newsletters. Feel free to contact me at art.lynch@artlynch.org

2011-01-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

SAG Indie Films NOW CASTING

SAG Indie has a free casting board of union signatory low budget and independent films. Check this board frequently. While most are in Los Angeles, the list is national and international in scope. Link also located in the right hand column as SAGINDIE.

http://www.sagindie.org/casting/

2011-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

SAG Nevada helps with low budget and Indie production in Nevada and San Diego

Nevada

Excerpt:

Nevada SAG Branch

Screen Actors Guild San Diego and Nevada Branch. The Nevada office can also assist you with work in San Diego.

Address:

c/o Steve Clinton, Nevada Executive Director

3960 Howard Hughes Pkwy, Ste. 500

Las Vegas, NV 89169

Phone: (702) 737-8818

Toll-Free: (800) SAG-0767

Fax: (702) 933-9118

Email: steven.clinton@sag.org

Website: www.sag.org/branches/nevada

Taft-Hartley

Phone: (702) 737-8818

Source: SAG Indie

Where to find information about Nevada SAG

2010-12-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

This post is not from the Screen Actors Guild, or affiliated in any way. I

Information will not be updated on this sight in any regular way.

I recommend using SAG and other Nevada sources including:

SAG Nevada Production Hotline (702) 737-8818

Nevada Film Office Hotline (702) 486-2727

Screen Actors Guild Web

http://www.sag.org/

Nevada SAG Web

http://www.sag.org/branches/nevada

My personal industry web page is:

http://sagactor.blogspot.com/

My personal home page is

http://artlynch.org

2010-11-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Quick Links from SAG

FROM THE SAG HOME PAGE

HTTP://WWW.SAG.ORG/

QUICK LINKS

iActor

Signatory Confirmation

SAG TV

Young Performers

Producers Center

Nevada Branch

PARTNER LINKS

I AM PWD Campaign

SAG Pension & Health

SAG Foundation

SAG Awards

SAGIndie

SAG MPPWF

Credit Union

thesagshop.com

Labor 2010 - Why We're Walking

2010-10-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Unions and the Future:

2010-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

On Actors, Acting, Business, Unions and the Future

If you are interested in earning even part of your living working in the entertainment industry, specifically as an actor or performing talent, you need to take the time to learn about the craft, study the craft and get a handle on what in the musical “Mame” is referred to as “this business called show.

Looking at acting as a profession means agreeing that as an actor, you are in business for your self. You are an independent contractor going from job to job and task to task.

Thinking of acting as a business is a stretch for many actors, but a necessity to put food on the table.

Actors need to learn early that if they intend to earn even part of their living with their talents, they need to organize their lives as a business. There are considerations such as marketing, financing, production and distribution, just as there would be in any business. Photographs, audio and video tapes, training, networking and selling your talents and services are vital for your future success. They are the tools of your trade. Investment of time, money and compassion are needed to succeed in show business. There may be magic, but it is necessary to eat and make a living while creating and enjoying the benefits of that magic.

Understanding the craft of acting, how to market yourself as an actor, and of the ever changing market place and distribution systems, may be essential to modern financial success in a very ancient profession.

The Myth that Actors Are Different

So why should actors be looked upon as any different from anyone who works for someone else to pay the bills and earn a living?

When corporations and large single ownerships began to monopolize the American Theater Circuit, it was only natural that a move toward solidarity and unionization would follow. So it is, that we have actors unions, unions undergoing a major change in definition, structure and potentially mission, entering the twenty-first century.

Labor Unions for Actors

Labor unions, born of the struggles of the nineteenth century, continue to face changes in management, economics, technology and public opinion. The pace may be increasing exponentially. One group, professional working actors are faced with the impact of technology, decentralization and the rapid growth of the number of qualified professional performers.

There are many performance unions, but three unions directly affect actors wishing to work in commercials, television and motion pictures.

The first is Equity, which has jurisdiction over live theater and works closely with the two electronic and film unions. While Actors Equity membership is not required to work in film or television, however those casting often perceive an actors membership in the stage or “legitimate theater” union as an asset when making casting decisions. It is necessary to move to a market with and active professional theater community and Equity casting to earn membership into the union. Becoming Equity is a major commitment and will end your flexibility to do community theater (allowed by the other two unions).

The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists share jurisdiction in television and with commercials and work jointly to negotiate film and other contracts. The differences betweens these unions are explained in the glossary that follows, however at this time there is strong movement toward consolidation to minimize the differences and draw clear and unified lines as to contract jurisdiction entering the digital “info-tainment” age.

Actors have seen increasing challenges in making a living while pursuing their craft, their art form, and their professions.

The modern performance labor union started in an age when hotels put out signs that read “no dogs or actors allowed”. Actors were looked upon as traveling deadbeats and the most successful actors would travel from city to city, using local talent to produce theater and entertainments, leaving with the lions share of any ticket gate brought in, or leaving on a rail.

Actor’s identities, and their ability to control the worlds in which they work, are under the largest and perhaps most rapid forced transitions in history. The theater trained actor may be the minority, perceived as overqualified for the work producers require in a new technology driven marketplace. Middle class working actors find themselves in danger of going the way of the dinosaur, passing into history replaced by new technologies and a corporate defined world.

The entertainment and information industries are merging, under the control or umbrella of as few as six major international corporations as of the end of 2002. The line between reality and theater is blurred, with an accountant’s pen often deciding which vision of reality or art is presented to the mass audience. In recent years the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA has been faced with the shift by employers (who were themselves creative producers of product, entertainment and art), to a world with a half dozen corporate entities controlling most of the worlds information and entertainment, utilizing the concepts of accounting and stock value to make decisions more often than story or social value.

The methods, compensation and ability of actors to earn a living using their craft are evolving, often to the disadvantage of the working actor. Actors face the reality of a decrease in potential earnings, known as salary compression. Producers are in a position to offer roles at union scale to experience and sometimes “name” actors and to cripple the union in their efforts to make significant inroads in the areas of salary and benefits. New Media, an umbrella term for all of the new technologies which have evolved over the past ten to fifteen years (including the cable industry as we know it), often falls outside of or at the fringe of contracts with minimal compensation for the use of talent.

Working Actors

So who are the rank and file of “working actors”?

They could be your neighbor or the couple down the street.

Actors often hold simultaneous memberships in these diverse groups. Their interests can and should be diverse and liberal arts in nature. Their incomes are by choice or necessity diverse, often extending into the business and service industries as well as across entertainment industry internal lines.

At these various levels, actors may be engaged in their work on a part-time, full-time or in the case of some university programs, full immersion basis. As has been true since Shakespeare’s time (and even before) actors may also become writers, directors, producers, stage and film hands, publicists, sale people, lawyers, doctors, teachers and so on.

Some actors may engage in pretensions of superiority with attitudes illustrated by feelings that stage actors are the “real” actors, full time actors are the “real actors”, principal and featured roles are superior to background talent, university trained actors are superior to street talent, actors who work in the “real world” are the only true actors with academic trained actors being too “pie in the sky”, and so forth. Most actors move freely between these various groups and within the mediums for creative or economic reasons. Many coach or teach or work in other areas of talent development while pursing their “income under contract” within the profession. Many professional actors belong to stage, television and film unions. The list of successful, awardwinning actors who made the transition from the stage to film acting is lengthy.

Obviously, the stage acting profession formed the basis of the film industry. As can be seen in early film, the language of stage acting was adapted to film. This became even more evident with the addition of sound to moving images. Actors, writers, directors and producers were amazingly adept in changing techniques to the aesthetics of the new medium. In turn, film also influenced the stage. In pace, stage techniques, lighting, sound, costuming and talent image and casting practices, the stage art often reflects the aesthetics and expectations of a film and television raised generation. Audience expectations have also evolved with the parallel media of stage and film. Beyond aesthetics, the early stage and film union movements were bound together in their struggles against forces of oppression.

The current corporate, political, and social environment has implications for all those who work in the arts or in the media, entertainment and information related industries. The growth of multi-media and new technology provides both challenges and opportunities. In any event, academic and professional groups in both theater and film programs should be paying attention to current union activities. What happens in SAG, AFTRA, Equity and other unions and the film industry in general (agents, casting professionals) is bound to have an affect on the theater and arts communities, both aesthetically and in how many levels of professionals earn their livings.

An Actor’s Life

When an actor does his or her job, the audience suspends disbelief and believes the actor is the character they are portraying. Actors are paid to make their job look easy and to minimize the percentage of the audience who perceive them as acting. Meanwhile actors face a constant chain of employers, ever changing in name, employment entity, job requirements and demands of their skill. It takes time, talent, dedication and study to aspire to earn a living as an actor.

The Screen Actors Guild of the new century is unique among unions in many ways. Perhaps the most unique feature of the Guild is that its membership consists entirely of film and television performers who work on a per contract basis and move routinely between employers over the course of most years, much less careers. This structure is different from conventional industries with relatively stable work forces and an organized, structured business environment, because most film and television industry projects are put together from scratch, with new payrolls, different crews, different talent needs and even different locations on a national or international basis. Gone is the studio system where films were shot within the stone walls or motion picture communities in Hollywood or New York. Gone is the nurturing yet at the same time abusive system which hired starlets by the hundreds, put them through school, provided rigorous training and graduated the lucky few into full time employment on the studio lot.

Understanding the nature of actors, the way they make their living, their motivations and aspirations is important in understanding why some of the members of the Screen Actors Guild would prefer to remain autonomous from other unions.

Most actors see their work as a craft, an art, and a way of life. Others are attracted to the industry by the glamour and promise of fame and fortune and the outside perception of an easy way to make a living.

Despite the stereotype of liberal or “tree huggers”, actors represent the full range of political beliefs. However there are a few generalities that may apply. According to a survey published in by University of Wisconsin Press conducted by author and researcher David Prindle, film actors tend to be more mercenary and politically conservative while stage actors are more idealistic and artistic minded. Prindle and other sources confirm that within the SAG boardroom there are elected officials with views covering the full range of American politics and economics. Yet all have several things in common, including an interest in working for the betterment of their industry and their peers.

As artists and workers, actors are among the most misunderstood of professionals. According to actor Anthony Zerbe, “Acting is easy, or perceived to be, because we work so hard to make it look natural, to not let the work show, to suspend an audiences' disbelief and to play the play”.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provide this description of the profession of acting:

Acting demands patience and total commitment, because there are often long periods of unemployment between jobs. While under contract, actors are frequently required to work long hours and travel. For stage actors, flawless performances require tedious memorizing of lines and repetitive rehearsals, and in television, actors must deliver a good performance with very little preparation. Actors need stamina to withstand hours under hot lights, heavy costumes and make-up, physically demanding tasks, long, irregular schedules, and the adverse weather and living conditions that may exist on location shoots. And actors face the constant anxiety of intermittent employment and regular rejections when auditioning for work. Yet in spite of these discouragements, the “passion to play,” as Shakespeare called it, still motivates many to make acting a professional career.

On Actors, Acting and Union

Actors have long been looked upon as the lower level of society, and in fact there was a time in history when actors were more promiscuous than the established society, including among their numbers gypsies, prostitutes, gamblers, carnies and con-men. There has long been an academic and general society view of actors as emotionally immature, irrational and in effect children who need to be protected or punished.

Being an actor is perhaps one of the most difficult ways to actually make a living. While there are actors who have forged full time careers in theater, commercials and convention work in cities coast to coast, the vast majority of work lies in Hollywood and New York City.

It may take one or several hundred non-paid auditions to land one day's work. An actor may work dozens of days a year or none at all. Then too, there are the expensive classes necessary to keep up their skills, the cost of professional photographs, video and audiotape, of postage and time spent marketing themselves to potential employers.

Actor Paul Napier, whose credits include portraying the original Mr. Goodwrench, and who remains active on both the SAG and AFTRA boards of directors, tells of his children being asked by their teacher what their father did for a living. Their response was “audition”.

Casting Director and producer Donn Finn says of actors, “They are not acting for a living, they are acting for their craft. What they are doing for a living, besides waiting tables and taking 'day jobs', is auditioning. You might as well call them auditioners”. Finn went on to point out that each actor "should think of themselves as their own little corporation," and part of the requirements to be a successful corporation is to join and participate in one or more professional actors unions. Finn is a casting partner in the office of Mali Finn Casting and is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at California State University in Fullerton. Recent casting credits include: Eight Mile, Phonebooth, Titanic, LA Confidential, Wonder Boys and The Matrix I,II, and III.

Longtime SAG Board member Joe Ruskin, whose career includes appearances on the original "Star Trek" and many other television and film projects, states that, “Actors live in fear of rejection each and every day. If they are successful they fear it will end, if they are struggling they fear they will have to do something else for a living and give up a very important part of themselves”.

For these and other reasons, many actors think of themselves as different from the rest of society. They sit on the outside looking in, observing, studying, emulating and imitating what they see. Many members of other unions view actors as not working for a living, because actors do not work nine to five for five work days in a row and do not always have to get their hands dirty or work up a daily sweat. Actors know that they are working every waking hour, even as they do other jobs, developing their craft and being ready when the time comes to be able to do what they consider to be the most important thing in their life, to do a role and to act.

Being an actor is perhaps one of the most difficult ways to actually make a living.

To begin with the numbers are against you.

For every part there are hundreds of would-be actors identifying themselves as being fully capable of playing the role. While trained, experienced or well educated actors do have some advantage, producers and directors often pride themselves in casting “new faces” with little or no training, in turn making it increasingly difficult for “working actors” to earn a living in their craft and trade.

Even among what the US Government categorizes as “qualified professional performers” the numbers are tremendous compared to the actual work available, once you consider that “work in the trade” could mean one days work on a set, a few days, a few weeks or if an actor is lucky, a contract on a successful series or long running theater production. For most actors, “work” means one day at a time, often weeks, months or even years between individual jobs. Thus acting is one of only a handful of professions where those dedicated and involved are seen a working “for the industry” instead of for a single employer. Contracts are negotiated by most entertainment unions (Equity being the prime exception) with the profession rather than one company or single location employer.

Actors need to consider not only membership in one union, or even all performance unions, but also the overall market place in which they compete. There are estimates of four to as many as ten times that number of qualified non-union actors available in the same talent pool. Many times that number consider themselves “actors” and are free to compete for roles in the overall talent marketing. The standing joke in Los Angeles is that every waiter, store clerk, cop or even doctor is really an actor waiting for their break, writers who have yet to have scripts purchased or producers looking for financing.

Actors make judgments and can be called on the carpet when they voice their opinions or present their art in ways that many in the public may disagree with. This is the nature of art, to mirror, to reflect, to comment on and to challenge the world around us.

When on the set the hours are usually long, schedule less than ideal and locations uncomfortable and sometime dangerous. Depending on the production team, actors can be made to feel like cattle or like kings and queens. The environment changes from one job to the next.

And then there is the lack of work. Mel Gibson, already a star, did not sleep the evening prior to the start of the filming of Lethal Weapon because of apprehension at not having been on a set for well over a year.

Actors may classify themselves as a social group, or into smaller sub-sets based on the specifics of how often they perform as actors (full time, part time, occasional, "wanna-be," community theater, hobbyist, has been).

When with fellow actors, there can be jealousy or elitism within the craft itself. “Working actors” may look down on those less fortunate but who practice the craft and love the art form nonetheless. Their definition of ‘actor’ usually is exclusive to someone who has made a living as an actor, with all of the sacrifices and training, experience and identity that that involves. The “working actors” of Hollywood often have a closed-door attitude, seeking to keep the industry talent pool as small as possible so that those who do wish to make a living will be able to do so. Newcomers are seen as ‘competition’. This very attitude runs counter to the general background of the American Labor Movement and to the federal regulations and guidelines under which unions operate.

Union unity or any type of unified voice or front can prove difficult. For one, many actors consider themselves artists commenting on society more than actively being a part of a social movement, as unionism can be viewed. Actors divide themselves by whether or not they are paid (professional, amateur, community theater, student), their economic status (starving, working, celebrity), and their professional profile (day player, principal, star). The industry types actors by the medium they work in, the work they actually do (theater, stage, theatrical or film, movie, television) and what they are known most for doing (leading man, leading women, character actor, comic, background artist or extra, stunt professional, singer, dancer, voice artist, animation voice artist, variety artists, entertainer and so forth). Whether or not they are affiliated with a labor organization (union, non-union, SAG, AFTRA, AGVA, AGMA, CWA, Actors’ Equity, etc.) or their dominant talent (dancer, singer, actor, or triple threat) may define who an actor is. For the record, the term actor is non-sexed. Where once it was actor and actress, for the most part all performers who act now identity themselves as 'actors'.

At various times actors may form or be identified with cliques, networking groups, workshops, extended families, troupes, ensembles and casts. Because of high turnover, the day player nature of their work, high levels of rejection and sometimes-tenuous finances, actors can be extremely adaptive.

Hollywood, and with it Greater Los Angeles, may be looked upon as a company town for the movie and entertainment industries and the 42nd Street / Broadway Great White Way area of New York a part of that city's identity and chemistry. Actors play a key role in each of these company or trade settlements and how they make their livings effect the social interaction of these communities.

By virtue of the demands of the craft, of the need to study and to observe, working or long-time actors tend to be educated, articulate and well read, defying a social stereotype presented in contemporary media.

Acting is a key part of the larger social world of the entertainment industry, mass communications and leisure aspects of society as a whole.

The Crown Jewel of Unions

The Screen Actors Guild represents a membership which may not be steadily employed. An estimated 90% of serious full time actors are out of work at any given time, with as high as 80% of the SAG membership not primarily employed in the field their union represents. The membership may or may not be serious about their trade, which outside of the craft remains a part of the myth of Hollywood. The fact that the best acting performances leave the impression of a reality brings the public to the understanding that it must be easy and anyone can do it. They do not see the classes, sacrifices, decisions, rehearsal and work that go into the craft. Most of society fails to understand what it is to be an actor, beyond the performances they witness.

Today 85% of union actors make under $2,000 a year at their craft, with fewer than four percent living their upper middle class to wealthy lifestyles solely on their income from acting. Published reports vary, however most agree that as many as six out of ten members of the Screen Actors Guild go without any acting related income in any given year.

The Guild has been called the one truly democratic union because it functions with freely elected officers who, even at the level of the national president, are not paid or compensated for the time they invest. It is a union made up of actors working for actors, who in turn hire paid staff to carry on the day to day functions of the Guild, including legal counsel and financial consulting. While this may sound altruistic, it is also true as a long list of presidents, officers and board members have had to put their careers on hold, spend time away from family and jeopardize their own relationship with agents, casting directors and management in the interest of what is good for the membership of the Guild.

Screen Actors Guild Nevada Branch Treasurer Vickie Sutton summarized her view of why the Screen Actors Guild is unique:

This union is unlike any other union. Our union is so different. It’s about a dream, working in that dream, pursuing that dream. Members are much closer to their union and what it represents. The membership is so diverse, yet under one banner, able to vote on all contracts and be a part of every aspect of the union. I take great pride in my union

Membership in the Guild differs from most other unions. In addition to full time actors, dancers, singers and other performers, SAG membership includes others who do not earn their living within the industry, yet are as proud of their union and their union card as any Hollywood star. The vast majority of SAG's memberships are not ‘actors’ in the true sense. The Guild has among its members people who may have looked right for a part and were in only one movie for a few lines, actors and extras who work on movie sets more for the enjoyment than the paycheck, those who are more management in their political leanings than pro-labor, and many who never took their jobs on a movie set seriously. There too are the producer or director's friends, under the obvious influence of management, who were given a part or given a letter of intent to allow them to join the Guild. While representing professional performers, the majority of voting members of the Screen Actors Guild are not themselves full working professionals within the industry or the craft. It is probably safe to say that many SAG member actors continue to participate in the theater community as a creative outlet. The theater community serves as a nurturing source of allowing actors to practice their craft. Successful film actors and movie stars often “return to the fold” because it remains their first love or stage acting provides a reassuring reminder of their identity, purpose and meaning.

SAG is a national union, with a structure that centers on elected officers and a national board of directors. Local branches assist in providing services to local members and recommending any local contracts or variations from national contracts to the national board. All funds are distributed through the national office, with general budgets and appropriate specific requests administered by the elected treasurer and voted on by the National Board of Directors.

A look at the history of the Guild, the similarities in challenges faced during the evolution of the Guild and the formation of a dissident movement and successful revolution within the union, provides a foundation to understand the potential success or failure into the twenty-first century. Any study must include the nature of acting as a profession, of labor in Hollywood and change within one of the highest profile unions in the world.

The Screen Actors Guild prides itself on being the crown jewel of international entertainment unions. It was formed during the Great Depression as a union to stand up for the rights, working conditions and position of actors as laborers in the growth industries of the 20th century, motion pictures and broadcasting.

I’ll bring this section on unions with a reference to Chicago author, broadcaster and commentartor Studds Turkey, spoken over National Public Radio on Labor Day, 1995:

“I ask young people, ‘do you know what makes an 8 hour day?.’ Four Guys who were hanged in Chicago back in 1886 at the Haymaker Riots. What non union workers take for granted in working conditions, hours and pay, are the results of one hundred and eleven years of unions. “

Do not forget, if your quest to be an artist, that you are dependant on your fellow artists, on the other trade unionist who work in this industry and on the support of others for your own success and well being.

Screen Actors Guild National Director of Education, former Performers Alliance founder Todd Amore, having spent 17 years of his life as a full time actor, spoke to a Nevada Branch membership meeting in May, 2003. He shared the findings of Screen Actors Guild historian Valerie Yaros. Rule One, which now states that union talent does not work nonunion, once spoke of an still echoes anther statement: that union actors work with, for and are in solidarity with their fellow performers, no mater what stature or place in the industry.

Keep that in mind.

Rule One:

2010-09-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Do Not Work Non-Union

We Stand Together: The Screen Actors Guild

Rule One is one of the founding principles and strengths of our union: we stand together as actors and do not work without a Guild contract.

2010-09-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Show your intersts in background work today

As those who attended the Fall "Annual" Nevada Screen Actors Guild meeting were informed, after a drought there will be an escalation of union and non-union production in the coming months. If you are interested in professional background work, both union and pre-union, you are encouraged to register now. Pre-union is not an official term. It is used to indicate a serous interests in the profession, and perhaps the will to join the Screen Actors Guild once you are qualified and the time is right.

Note that the SAG Franchises agencies may also, from time to time, assist productions with finding qualified professional background talent, so do indicate you interests to your agent, whether or not they are on the list below, as well.

Unlike agency agreements, you may sign and register with as many background "agencies" as you wish, since when it comes to background talent they work for the producers and not us, as talent. Remember their job is to fill background slots with the quality talent the producers are looking for, not specifically to find you work as an actor or background actor.

"This list is provided only as an accommodation to the Professional Background performer. These agencies are not franchised nor sanctioned by SAG, and SAG makes no representations regarding the quality of services provided by such agencies. These agencies are not allowed to charge SAG members any fees to register with them. They may charge a small one-time set-up fee for non-members ($20-25). These agencies should never require you to take classes from them as a condition of being cast."

Baskow & Associates

2948 E. Russell Road

Las Vegas, NV 89120

(702) 733-7818

Casting Entertainment

4350 S. Arville St., Bldg E Suite A4027

Las Vegas, NV 89147

(702) 207-4447

Goldman and Associates

701 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite #200

Henderson, NV 89074

(702) 990-3210 phone

(702) 837-3418 fax

Lear & Associates

41 N. Mojave Road

Las Vegas, NV 89101

(702) 438-9111

On Location Casting

1306 W. Craig Road, Suite E, #315

North Las Vegas, NV 89032

(702) 917-5501

The Red Agency

7860 West Sahara Ave., Suite #110

Las Vegas, NV 89117

(702) 242-1770

VegasBackground.com

2980 S. Rainbow Blvd. Suite #210E

Las Vegas, NV 89146

(702) 866-5924

Wild Streak Talent

3355 W. Spring Mtn. Rd., #264

Las Vegas, NV 89101

(702) 252-8382

2010-09-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Why join SAG?

Why join SAG?

For the benfits: http://www.sag.org/getthefacts/ficore3.html

For the pride of saying "I am a professional."

For the reality that you will be seen as professional.

Because only through union solidarity can all workers be sure of safe working conditions, honest wages, benefits and protections.

Because for over 75 years the names and images you have looked up to on the big screen and on television have been proud SAG members.

Because it is the right thing to do.

For union pride.

To be a part of a union respected and known throughout the world.

Because is it is the Screen Actors Guild.

SAG

2010-09-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by unions: The Weekends

How unions, church, synagogs and and anti-union industrialist brought us weekends.

Worth a listen this Labor Day weekend.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/04/pm-history-of-the-weekend

At this time of high stakes for all workers, ten percent unemployment nationally, top heavy home mortgages and sharp political divides in Congress, it may be good to step back and think about the bigger picture of who we are as we do out jobs and go to work.

Consider the role performed by the American Labor Movement.

As you enjoy a three day weekend, most Americans will not even give a thought to what the day represents or the weekend that precedes it.

H istory of Labor Day

http://www.dol.gov/OPA/ABOUTDOL/LABORDAY.HTM

And remember those who died in Haymarket Square

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h750.html

Plus actions you can take today....

http://www.aflcio.org

http://www.examiner.com/x-11073-Tampa-Workplace-Examiner~y2009m9d5-17-things-that-labor-union-would-like-for-Labor-Day

First published 9-7-2009

2010-09-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Ken Orsatti RIP

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you of the death of former Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director, Ken Orsatti, who passed away yesterday afternoon at the age of 78.

Ken served the members of Screen Actors Guild with true excellence in various capacities for nearly 40 years, and is an indelible part of the Guild’s history. He was a dedicated and committed executive whose efforts helped the Guild navigate the waters of an industry that underwent sweeping change during his tenure.

Ken was admired throughout the entertainment industry over the many years of his long career at the Guild. During his tenure as NED, he served as our chief negotiator on some 20 major contracts. He was a trustee of the SAG-Producers Pension & Health Plans for more than 35 years and served as a vice president of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), and on the California State Federation of Labor. In addition, Ken helped found the SAG Foundation and proudly served on the Foundation board for many years.

Ken was particularly beloved by Screen Actors Guild members across the country and by his dedicated staff colleagues, whom he served in various capacities from 1961 until his retirement in 2000.

Ken is survived by his wife Patricia, their three sons Scott, Christopher and Sean and their grandchildren Adam, Anthony, Gianna, Kenneth, Nolan and Kensie.

Services have not yet been scheduled and details will be provided once available.

We will be coordinating a memorial tribute on the SAG website and will be collecting written remembrances for the SAG archives. I encourage all who wish to do so, to provide your written memorial for Ken by email to SAG communications executive director Pam Greenwalt at pgreenwalt@sag.org.

On a personal note, Ken was consistently supportive of me and always expressed a willingness to be helpful in whatever way that he could be. His presence will indeed be missed.

In unity,

David White

National Executive Director

Screen Actors Guild

A memorial page with photo album is up at SAG.org and SAG Facebook. Click here.

2010-09-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Contact Info

Art Lynch

National Board of Directors (elected) Screen Actors Guild

536 Sixth Street, Boulder City, NV 89005

Createcom@mac.com (702) 714-0740 http://artlynch.org

Screen Actors Guild – Nevada Branch

3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 500 Las Vegas, NV 89169

(702) 737-8818 (702) 933-9118 – fax

Branch Executive Director steven.clinton@sag.org

Branch Presidentnevadapresident@sag.org

Long may it grow, The Nevada SAG Conservatory Story (part 1)

2010-08-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Nevada SAG Conservatory: The roots and truth of its growt h

When I was the chair the Nevada SAG Conservatory we took it from small infrequent seminars to the most active conservatory outside of Hollywood.

It took a family, a dedication to the union and a lack of individual egos or social climbing. It took a belief in the education, unification and growth of the membership. It took a strong unionist core. We had that core. All I can take credit for is being an active chair. It was SAG councils, Conservatory committees, others in the community and strong support by member that made the SAG Conservatory what it is today.

We took it from six unconnected lessons a year to 24 quality seminars and workshops a year. In addition the SAG Consevatory launched a Writer's Workshop run by Michael Plaisted. Then there were the fundraisers (Leland Murray and Dick Wilson will always be appreciated for their work on putting on our shows), the holiday mixers, and weekly mixers. We worked with the University, Charleston Heights, libraries and community centers. We varied sessions, with most on Sundays, but also Saturdays and week nights, to fit everyone's schedule.

Of course times change . The current Conservatory committee have done wonders in keeping it alive and financially in the black, despite increased costs and the stress of market growth.

Great job.

But "built" is inaccurate and misleading.

Joseph Bernard and others volunteered as far back as the 1980's, in efforts to launch the Conservatory. Among the venues was Arnie Bartz's Hollywood and Dine and Joe Bernard's studio. We had a brief chair who structured it similar to an acting class, then I was brought on board, almost 18 years ago.

It took a team from the branch I had the honor of leading, starting with Karen LaVonne (and her coffee urn), Kim Rene, Lollo Sievert (with her camera and active publicist role), Diane Thorne (who brought the Conservatory to Nevada), Steve Dressler, Michael Justin and Joseph Bernard...then over time we added Dick Wilson, Leland Murray, Rebecca Naviian-Amoli, Adrienne Mann Garcia, Kim Russell, Michael Plaisted and many many others.

24 sessions a year in classes alone; we averaged two a month.

We did table reads and performances of full scripts in development.

We had cold reading workshops with the writers so they could see their works, and lean more about how actors make decisions and what we need from them.

We had a placement file at UNLV for us in short film casting.

Many outside guest helped us build the Conservatory, among them Paul Napier, Dr. Alice Whitfield, Bob Bergan, Casting Direstor Joy Todd, Casting Director Barbara Claman, Gary Schaffer, Bill Dance, Joe Reich, Peter Foy, Eddie Foy Jr,. and agent Gary Fuchs.

We had a wide rang of local support, including local SAG Franchised Agencies, Casting Directors and Production Companies.

It took a great deal of work over the past 20 or more years, under four chairs, 6 Branch presidents and 9 councils.

Thank you to all who took part in building, maintaining and keeping the Nevada SAG Conservatory strong.

Hats off the the current Conservatory committee, who have kept it strong, and as I said, solvent.

Two years ago Lollo Sievert ended her decades of service to the union. She was there at the official beginning of the Nevada SAG Conservatory and the years where the foundation and structure we follow today were established. Click here for Conservatory History Pt II by Lollo Sievert.

To be continued...

-Art Lynch

"Founding" chair

(OK, first chair of Conservatory in its current structure).

2010-08-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Nevada SAG Conservatory

Photo: Nevada SAG Conservatory Chair Barbara Grant

Chair: Barbara Grant

Co-Chair: Steve Lizotte

Secretary: Mary Ann Hebinck

The Nevada Screen Actors Guild Conservatory hosts professionals in the motion picture, television, voice-over, theater and commercial industries at least ten times a year. These guests lead workshops, provide honest and open information on the industry, as well as offer advice and techniques to build careers.

The Nevada SAG Conservatory is a public service of the Nevada Branch of Screen Actors Guild.

Nevada SAG members may join the Nevada Conservatory for $40 a year. Workshops are free for conservatory members and $20 per event for non-conservatory members.

For additional information contact Nevada SAG Executive Steve Clinton.

2009 – 2010 Nevada Conservatory application

Click read more for additional details.

Screen Actors Guild Nevada Conservatory Mission Statement

The Screen Actors Guild Nevada Conservatory’s mission is to prepare our new members for employment within the industry while assisting working professionals in continuing to develop their talents and skills.

To achieve this goal, the Conservatory will assist actors in building careers through

· the enhancement of their performance tools;

· enrichment of their business and marketing knowledge;

· providing networking and learning opportunities;

· encouraging experienced performers to share their knowledge;

· producing workshops, seminars and symposiums of relevance to the professional actor;

· encouraging qualified union membership and participation, and

· communicating the Screen Actors Guild constitution, regulations and bylaws.

The Screen Actors Guild Nevada Conservatory may include such activities as showcasing, student film participation, trips to regional and national casting centers or a referral service on productions, auditions and agencies. These are not the mission or goal of the Conservatory, they are additional services and should remain secondary to the Conservatory mission.

While the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory invites active participation by agencies, production companies, acting teachers, schools, organizations and members, their participation in any event is not to be taken as an endorsement.

The Screen Actors Guild Nevada Conservatory is open to all members of the community as a public service, but as a committee of the Screen Actors Guild the right is reserved to limit participation in specific events or overall membership to dues current members of the Guild. Membership in the Conservatory does not represent or imply membership in the Screen Actors Guild.

The Screen Actors Guild Nevada Conservatory is not an employment service, agency, casting center, union hall or any related business or activity. We are an opportunity to learn, share and network!

2010-08-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Post or Access Breakdown for Indy Productions at no cost!

It is not as hard to go union as you may think.

And actors there are projects out there just looking for you!

SAG Indie offers easy to use help, advice, services and breakdowns for professionals and entry level talent on both sides of the camera.

Check out what's out there..click here. Or go to http://www.sagindie.org/

2010-08-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Do not work for non-franchised agencies, SAG member policy

Member Update on Talent Agents

Because of the inherent complexities of agency relations today, Screen Actors Guild has received numerous requests from members in the Las Vegas area to clarify the status of SAG agency franchises, and Union members’ obligations thereunder.

Pursuant to SAG’s Rules and Regulations, Guild members in the Las Vegas market who wish the protection of Screen Actors Guild in their relationships with their agents are required to choose from the SAG franchised agencies in the market. Except under very limited circumstances, choosing to be represented by non-franchised agencies is a violation of SAG Rules and Regulations and may subject the member to potential disciplinary action from the Guild. This precaution is necessary in order to ensure that our members’ rights are fully protected in any and all of their dealings with their primary representatives. Please note that franchises are not assignable, and never follow an agent when (s)he moves from one agency to another. Franchises are also not assignable when one franchised agency is sold to another company. If you have any questions about the franchised status of anyone offering to represent you, we strongly urge you to contact the Guild (see below) to obtain the necessary information regarding your representative’s standing with the Union.

Moreover, please note that SAG franchised agencies cannot offer you an agency contract that has not been approved by the Guild. Franchised agencies (as well as the SAG members that they represent) are protected by, and are bound to, the terms and conditions of Rule 16(g), a/k/a the SAG Agency Regulations. Agencies in the Las Vegas market that are not franchised are outside SAG’s jurisdiction; Guild members should be careful not to place themselves in violation of SAG rules by working with such entities.

Please see below for a list of the five Las Vegas SAG franchised agencies:

Baskow and Associates

Baskow, J & Associates

Full Service (All Ages)

2948 E. Russell Rd.

Las Vegas, NV 89120

(702) 733-7818

Best Models and Talent

Best Agency

Full Service (All Ages)

5565 South Decatur Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 889-2900

eNVy

Best Agency

Full Service (All Ages)

5565 South Decatur Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 889-2900

Lenz Agency

Lenz Agency

Full Service (All Ages)

1591 East Desert Inn Road

Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 733-6888

Remington Agency

Remington Agency

Full Service (All Ages)

1000 Stephanie Place, Ste 4

Henderson, NV 89014

(702) 547-3620

Should you have any agency-related questions, please do not hesitate to contact SAG’s National Agency Department in Los Angeles at (323) 549-6745, or Nevada Executive Director Steve Clinton at (702) 513-1520.

The logo above is the banner for the Nevada Actors Screen Actors Guild Newsletter and is used because the above is a reproduction of official Screen Actors Guild policies.

NEVADA BRANCH COUNCIL MEMBERS

2010-08-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Council

2009-2010 (terms vary)

Steve Dressler, President

Barbara Grant, Vice President

Adrienne Mann-Garcia, Secretary

Kim Renee, Treasurer

Charlie Di Pinto, Member-at-Large

Arttours Weeden, Member-at-Large

Rick Rockne, Member-at-Large

John Powers, Member-at-Large

Scott Mirne, Member-at-Large

Art Lynch, National Board Member

Staff:

Toll-Free Phone Number to the Nevada Executive Director

You may reach your Nevada Executive Director, Steve Clinton, by calling 702-737-8818 or toll-free 800-724-0767 option #7

Photo: Nevada Branch President Steve Dressler

Join us now for a full year of priceless quality seminars

2010-08-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

SAG Conservatory August 28: Making the Most of Your Audition

Nevada SAG Conservatory

Presents

Make the Most of Your Auditions with Fawnda McMahan

& Casting Director Laurie Records

SATURDAY 8/28/10 we will be at Eastside Senior Community Center (see address below). Our Teacher will be Fawnda McMahan. Most of you will remember her. Well she’s back and she will be bringing a Casting Director with her. This means one thing…. DO NOT MISS THIS CLASS! GET THERE ON TIME PLEASE. Fawnda is well liked and respected, so this class will fill quickly. Get there early! Bring Water and a snack for break. BRING YOUR OWN PENS AND PENCILS PLEASE. Bring your headshots and resumes.

Check in starts at 12:30

Worshop 1 to 5 PM

S.A.G. Members you must have your SAG Cards with you.

$20 at the door for Non Members.

Clock "read more" below for additional information.

Why drive to LA when LA is driving to you? Fawnda McMahan of Commercial Break is coming back to Vegas! Not only has she booked 13 commercials since you've last seen her, but she's bringing with her casting director and actor advocate, Laurie Records for an informative afternoon of how can make the most of your auditions. Students in this class will learn the ins and out of the commercial casting process, hot directors, pet peeves of casting directors, audition scenarios with non dialogue, reactions, personality questions, group scenes, callback adjustments, product handling and reading the room. You will leave feeling more confident about what "they" are looking and how to deliver it with your own personal spin. Think of this class as a fast track to commercial bookings. Advanced stuff for the bookers and the a fresh spin on the basics for the newbies. Hope to see you there!

When: 1-5 p.m., Saturday, August 28, 2010

(check-in begins at 12:30 p.m.)

Where: Eastside Senior Community Center

250 Eastern Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89101

(702) 229-1515

Map

Parking: Free parking is available on-site.

Cost for Workshop: Free for Nevada Conservatory Members or $20 per workshop.

Nevada Conservatory Cost: $40 a year for union members / $80 a year for non-union members.

You will need your SAG ID card (paid up through November 2010) to join as a member and please remember to bring your headshots and resumes.

Check the Nevada Branch Hotline for updates or SAG members should contact Branch Executive Director Steve Clinton by email steven.clinton@sag.org if you have any questions.

Hotline: (702) 737-8818

No RSVP necessary but please check the Branch Hotline at (702) 737-8818 or (800) 724-0767, option 7 for any last minute changes to the Conservatory program.

About Fawnda McMahan:

Fawnda McMahan, began her commercial acting career when she was cast in a national commercial by veteran casting director, Shelia Manning and directed by icon Leslie Dektor. In the past three years, Fawnda has shot over 27 commercials working with the best directors in the business. Her studio, Commercial Break, opened in 2004, where Fawnda’s honest and groundbreaking style keeps her students booking and coming back. Commercial Break quickly gained the reputation for the most up to date place for actors to study the in and outs of commercial acting. Fawnda's eye for the trends of time can help streamline your audition to pop off the screen and secure those callbacks and bookings! Fawnda is member of Commercial Peer Group at the Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences and enjoys cupcakes.

About Laurie Records:

Laurie Records (Casting Director, CCDA) got her start in the commercial realm in 2004. For three years she cast hundreds of commercials as Associate Casting Director in a bustling commercial office. In 2009, Laurie opened her own company. She continues to cast all types commercials ranging from National Network to Internet only spots, Industrials, and PSA's... you name it, she's casting it. Laurie writes a monthly column titled “Commercial Actors Should Never…” for Casting Networks, Inc., advising commercial actors of the do's and don'ts of commercial acting.

Steve Clinton - Screen Actors Guild

Nevada and San Diego Branch Executive Director

3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 500

Las Vegas, NV 89169

steven.clinton@sag.org

(800) 724-0767 x7

(702) 737-8818

Fax: (702) 933-9118

Help build SAG, support unionism, Solidarity through numbers

2010-08-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

David and Goliath

While the media may compare the Screen Actors Guild to the studio moguls and corporations, be aware that going into negotiations it is always David vs. Goliath. The stone we have is our major stars and the power to use those stones. SAG is a nonprofit organization with an annual budget that is less than the individual budget of many studio productions.

Support SAG and unionism as we enter negotiations on new contracts this fall.

Do not work non-union.

Audition for productions but insist on a union contract.

Encourage those who are working non-union to join the union and become true professionals.

Encourage productions to sign union contracts.

Wear your SAG pin, shirts, jackets, hats and other logo items (see SAG Store).

Do not cross a work stoppage picket lines for any brother or sister union.

Do offer to walk information picket lines with other unions, showing your SAG support for our union brothers and sisters.

Do walk with and support other unions. They will support us if we show we are part of their union movement as well.

Talk up SAG on the set, the street, with students and anywhere talent gathers.

These are things that can be begun or fully accomplished at the local member level.

Become active in SAG.

Solidarity.

Feel free to contact Nevada SAG Executive Steven Clinton for more information or clarification.

This site: SAG Nevada Branch and SAG Actor, are not related to any other site with similar names and is not directly affiliated with the Screen Actors Guild. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not reflect other individuals or organizations.

2010-08-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

YOUNG PERFORMERS SPOTLIGHT IN SUMMER ISSUE OF SCREEN ACTOR MAGAZINE

DOWNLOAD IT NOW

The Summer 2010 issue of Screen Actor magazine is now on its way to SAG members across the country and is available for downloading online. SAG members can log in to their SAG.org account to download the full issue, others can download highlights here.

2010-08-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

SAG iPhone Ap

Take Advantage of the Nevada SAG Conservatory

2010-08-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

For information about joining the Nevada SAG Conservatory, click here.

Click here or scan down for current Conservatory Events.

Is SAG a Rip-Off?

2010-08-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

SAG cost too much

When you are ready to be a professional, and like Tom Hanks at the first SAG Awards, hold it up with pride and talk about when and why you joined, then you are ready to pay the SAG initiation and join the ranks of professionals known as union actors.

I received a message, all caps, saying SAG is a rip off and that the cost of "dues" (they meant initiation) were way too high, and that there is no work.

Let me deal with these one issue at at time:

First off, are you professional enough to join the union? Do producers cast you? Do you work often or at least whenever possible in the industry? Do you take classes, do theater, spend money on listing your services on the web or elsewhere? Have you found an agent or manager? Are you investing in your craft, in time, money or both?

If the answer is yes, then ask are you ready to become a professional by joining the Screen Actors Guild? Are you ready for the commitment of joining the union, with the work opportunities as they are today and with potential for your future that union membership brings?

What you will never get with non-union work: ability to earn Health Insurance and a Pension; Unemployment Insurance; Worker's Comp; Guaranteed Minimums; a living wage; checks that arrive on time and when you need them, residuals, protection of your image and talents against future misuse, and a staff working on your behalf to resolve payment issues.

The initiation fee helps fund the union you are joining. It is needed to pay staff who make it possible for you to enjoy the wages, rapid pay, safe working conditions, food and water on the set, "bump" income increases, protections of your talent (image, voice, uniqueness) and legal fees the Guild provides for all members. The initiation helps fund organizing so that there are jobs to employ you. Our staff of paid professionals, who work at well below the rates offered elsewhere in the industry because they believe in you, is there on the set when needed or called 24/7, even on holidays. They are the muscle just as stars, like Tom Hanks, are the profile, that makes SAG the most recognized and one for the most respected unions in the world.

There are payments plans to soften the blow, with additional plans are being finalized. Initiation in some markets where there is less work, including Nevada, are one third lower than in union security states where there is ample work.

But just as with buying insurance, a car, a house, or a good pair of shoes, you have to pay to finance the costs of providing you a quality product. Nothing is free.

SAG has among the lowest percentage dues of any union, as SAG financing is subsidized by initiations. And unlike the "evil" way unions are being painted as giant political manipulating machines, less than three percent of your Screen Actors Guild Dues goes to political purposes, with none going to any candidate (SAG advocates for issues benefiting actors, and is prohibited from endorsing any political candidate).

It takes union organizing, the commitment of talent in any market and the reality of the business climate to generate jobs. SAG does cannot employ actors. SAG can only help productions to become union.

As talent you have to stop working non-union. The availability of actors willing to work non-union is only an incentive for producers to continue to not pay enough, to pay when they feel like if they feel like it, to not provide the contract wages, working conditions or protections a union enforces. There is no reason to go union and pay union wages if qualified performers continue to do non-union work.

You have to set the value on your talents and time that make you a professional. That value is a union contract. Only then will you be respected as a professional and given the pay, residuals, respect and credits you deserve.

The nation is in, or recovering from (definitely not in Nevada or California), the greatest recession since the Great Depression. The motion picture industry, unlike its fast recovery from the Depression, has proven less resilient this time around.

Agents, casting companies, production companies, independent producers and distributors and even large studios have folded, sold or scaled back. Many industry related, and even the restaurants and other businesses that surround the studios, have gone out of business in Hollywood much less Nevada.

States where production is booming give away the store and are now finding that incentives are a two edge sword, as tax income is down. Nevada already is business friendly and does not have the taxes or fees to put rebates or loophole for the industry into force.

The person who wrote to me seemed to blame the union for a lack of work.

Look around you at closed business fronts, vacant condo's and homes, the increase in "street people" and you will see that there is a much larger element at work today. 90% of Nevada homes are "under water", owing more than they could sell for. 70% face potential foreclosure. Our unemployment rate is the highest in the nation.

Like the plaque on a previous presidents' desk "It's the Economy, Stupid".

But things will get better.

Production is starting to pick up.

And if you keep your instrument tuned, your heart committed and your eye on the future...the future is only limited by your ability to "tough it out" for the prize of being on a set or stage and acting.

First posted May 5, 2010

to the mother of a child actor...on all questions concerning joining SAG, must join, RTW or payment plans contact you local SAG office. For Nevada contact Steve Clinton.

2010-08-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Nevada SAG Members call for newsletter submissions

Anyone know Wayne Newton, Marie Osmond or Rita Rudner for just a few questions or someone else from Nevada of interest to the membership. The articles and interviews do not have to be perfect – the editors and SAG will clean them up for you if you have any anxiety. We’ve got to start writing folks to our brothers and sisters. Organizing, senior issues, success stories, on set, work, stories about careers – reach out to the folks who have gone before us in film and SAG – there are a lot of cool things about SAG and acting in Nevada – write about it.

Time is short – please send 500 to 700 words to me by September 8. or let us know why you can’t.

You must be a Nevada SAG dues current member for a byline. Keep in mind that the Nevada Actor is a union organ (meaning pro-union SAG publication) and that your participation is appreciated.

Photos with proper captions are also requested. Send as a pdf or jpg attachment.

Thank you;

Art Lynch

Communication Chair

Nevada Branch of SAG

Union Plus, Discounts For SAG Members

2010-08-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

15 to 50% off College Prep Courses for SAG Members and their children

http://www.unionplus.org/ for discounts, educational benefits, services and survival help, union sister and brother to union brother and sister.

Screen Actors Guild SAG members and their children save between 15-60 % on Princeton Review college test preparation courses (including SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT) with exclusive Union Plus discounts. Courses covering college financial aid and the college admissions process are also available. Members can choose from in-person classe...

http://www.unionplus.org/college-education-financing/princeton-review-test-prep-courses

www.unionplus.org

2010-08-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Why join SAG?

Why join SAG?

For the benefits.

For the pride of saying "I am a professional."

For the reality that you will be seen as professional.

Because only through union solidarity can all workers be sure of safe working conditions, honest wages, benefits and protections.

Because for over 75 years the names and images you have looked up to on the big screen and on television have been proud SAG members.

Because it is the right thing to do.

For union pride.

To be a part of a union respected and known throughout the world.

Because is it is the Screen Actors Guild.

SAG

SAG Reinstatement Policy

2010-08-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

ON JUNE 13, THE SAG NATIONAL BOARD APPROVED THE NEW POLICY TOWARD RE-INSTATEMENT OF THOSE MEMBERS WHO CHOOSE TO RESIGN FROM THE UNION - MAKING THAT CHOICE A PERMANENT ONE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE IV OF THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD CONSTITUTION, MEMBERS WHO RESIGN ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REINSTATEMENT TO THE GUILD. HOWEVER, SUCH PERSONS MAY PETITION FOR A WAIVER OF THIS POLICY.

The reinstatement candidate seeking a waiver of this policy is required to schedule an appearance before the Disciplinary Review Committee and present a petition for reinstatement that includes a list of all non-union work done during the period of time between resignation and reinstatement. A petition for reinstatement does not guarantee reinstatement.

"Individuals who make the choice to quit their union cannot expect to be allowed back in without the union asking some questions about why they quit and what sort of work they were doing," Screen Actors Guild Director of Organizing Todd Amorde said.

"Union membership is between the members and their union, not their agents, not casting directors and certainly not employers. Screen Actors Guild membership offers opportunities and resources that many members are not aware of, so we urge anyone considering resignation, for whatever reasons, to call the union first. We're here to give you straight answers and discuss your options."

This change will apply only to those individuals who have resigned from the union, not to those whose membership was terminated because of failure to pay dues. It also does not apply to members on honorable withdrawal or suspended payment status.

2010-08-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

SAG RALLIES WITH AFL-CIO's TRUMKA IN SUPPORT OF JOB CREATION

Los Angeles (August 16, 2010) — Members and staff of Screen Actors Guild were among thousands who rallied at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday urging congress to support programs that would create jobs. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Sen. Barbara Boxer and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa were among the elected officials and labor leaders who spoke at the rally. Union members joined together to send a strong message: “Paychecks Pay the Bills.”

With the third highest jobless rate in the country and a towering budget deficit, California needs leaders who can create and save jobs, not just spout ”more of the same corporate bull,” Trumka told the crowd. “How are we going to rebuild America? With jobs! Who’s going to rebuild America? Working people with jobs!”

"We're calling for what everybody talks about but very few elected officials are actually acting on, and that is the creation of jobs," said Maria Elena Durazo, executive director of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. "It's the only way that we're going to get out of this terrible economy – by putting people back to work." Durazo called for "good, middle class jobs" and advocated against outsourcing.

"Look at Wall Street," Durazo said. "They're back to making new record profits. Why can they do better, but regular working men and women can't do better, and the only thing we can expect is a minimum wage job? For us, that's unacceptable."

SAG staff and members rallied for jobs at Los Angeles City Hall. From left, Jenn Heater, SAG manager of government affairs and policy; member Elizabeth Reynolds; Nayla Wren, SAG director of organizing; and Jacqueline Perez-Osornio, SAG organizer.

Union members unite in downtown Los Angeles for jobs.

Membership has its benefits

2010-08-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

The benefits of being SAG, and answers to questions concerning membership: Click here.

Local and union benefits from being a member of the Screen Actors Guild: Clock here.

Feel free to contact Nevada SAG Executive Steven Clinton if you have additional questions or to check on updates on both reasons to be a SAG member and benefits provided for SAG members.

2010-08-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

JOIN US AT THE 6TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD LABOR DAY PICNIC

The 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Labor Day Picnic

When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, September 4, 2010

Where: Camrose Picnic Area at The Hollywood Bowl

1201 Highland Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90068

Who: Hollywood SAG members and their guests (please bring paid-up membership card).

The Labor Day Picnic is dedicated to Screen Actors Guild, its members, their families and our worldwide labor movement. There will be raffles and prizes throughout the day!

Please bring blankets, picnic lunches, sunscreen. The Guild will supply beverages only.

Free parking is available in Parking Lot C and D in the South Fairfield Parking Lot. Please read all posted signage. Screen Actors Guild will not responsible for illegally parked vehicles.

Easily accessible by public transportation on MTA bus 156, or a short walking distance from Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland subway station.

Please NO pets or animals with the exception of service animals in service.

Per park regulations, no smoking is permitted on picnic grounds.

Please Note: Pursuant to the Guild’s Election Guidelines, electioneering and/or distribution of campaign literature or paraphernalia (including flyers, signs, hats, shirts, pins, etc.) is prohibited within the premises of this event, including the parking lot facilities reserved for the Guild’s exclusive use.

If you are interested in volunteering or for more information, please contact the Guild at:holidayhostcmte@sag.org or (323) 549-6447.

KUDO'S to SAG's National Executive Director

2010-08-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

SAG NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAVID WHITE NAMED TOPS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW BY NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION

New Orleans (August 12, 2010) — Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director David White has been named “Entertainment, Sports & Art Law Section Attorney of the Year” by the National Bar Association, the oldest and largest association of African American lawyers and judges. The honor was presented to White today in New Orleans at the NBA’s 85th Annual Convention & Exhibits.

“I am so pleased to receive this award,” said White. “So much of what I do at Screen Actors Guild today is influenced by my training and experience in the law. It is a privilege to be a member of our professional community, and I am truly honored to be recognized by this esteemed association of my peers.”

White began serving as interim national executive director of Screen Actors Guild in January 2009. The National Board officially appointed him national executive director and chief negotiator in October 2009.

Prior to rejoining the Guild’s staff, where he previously served as General Counsel from 2002 to 2006, White was managing principal of Los Angeles-based Entertainment Strategies Group (ESG) providing consulting services to the entertainment industry. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and a Rhodes Scholar, and was a labor and employment attorney at O’Melveny & Myers LLP.

White has received numerous awards for his work and service throughout his career, including, most recently, “Labor and Personal Representation Counsel of the Year” from the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel.

White is also an active volunteer in the community. He is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Grinnell College, and a member of the Board of Directors of Volunteers of America – Los Angeles. He has served as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles’ Central Area Planning Commission, as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Posse Foundation – Los Angeles and as the former Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Sports & Entertainment Labor Law Standing Committee. Currently, White also serves as Chair of the SAG-Producers Pension and Health Plans and Vice Chair of SAG-Industry Advancement Cooperative Fund.

White has been a contributing writer for the Los Angeles Lawyer and, as a frequent commentator on entertainment industry trends, has been quoted on National Public Radio’s “Marketplace,” and in the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Broadcasting & Cable and other publications.

Screen Actors Guild Mission Statment

2010-08-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Nevada President's Report, May 2010

2010-08-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

President's Letter

By Steve Dressler

Nevada Branch President

I open this report with a saddened heart. Council member John Powers passed away April 16, 2010. John was elected to the council September 25, 2008. His enthusiasm to serve was always at the forefront. As an actor and a teacher he contributed much to this community. He will not be forgotten. We will miss you, John. Rest in peace.

The newly remodeled Tropicana Hotel was the venue for our March 21 membership meeting. The elegance was apropos for our special guest, SAG President Ken Howard.

Prior to the meeting, a “Conversations” with Ken Howard, moderated by actor and UNLV Professor Michael Tylo, turned out to be an enjoyable, relaxed colloquy, with members’ participation.

The Nevada Branch Council with President Ken Howard

At the meeting, President Howard spoke about the importance of our relationship with AFTRA, and the necessity of unity regarding the upcoming TV/Theatrical negotiations. There is strength in unity, which should bring a positive resolution. Hopefully a strong working partnership with AFTRA in negotiations will eventually bring about discussion for a possible merger.

President Ken Howard and Michael Tylo

I believe having all actors under one umbrella would make a stronger union. President Howard seems to be on the right track. As it is now, management likes a divided house; it gives them the advantage to pick and choose. This was prevalent regarding the outcome of pilots this season, where management chose to go with AFTRA.

The National W&W will be gathering input for the upcoming negotiations. I will call a local W&W Committee meeting sometime in June or July. All input must be in to National in early August. If you would like to be on the committee, please e-mail me at nevadapresident@sag.org.

Please do not work non-union productions. As I mentioned at the meeting, when you work non-union, it’s like cheating on your spouse, which will eventually lead to separation or divorce. Not a happy ending.

Recently, our new local Commercials Contract was passed by the National Board. Now, hopefully local non-union productions will sign with SAG and give our members some work. Executive Director Steve Clinton will need help in this area. Members with connections to local advertising or production companies, please express to them the value of having professional union actors by becoming signatory. The local rates are lower than the national rates, which should give them an incentive. Let’s go to work.

You will be receiving a ballot regarding two amendment changes to our Rules of Procedure in a few months. These changes will give flexibility of membership meeting dates and a savings cost to the Branch regarding amendment changes. A yes vote would be appreciated.

Please continue to attend the Nevada SAG Conservatory. Exercising your gift will only make you better.

Check the Nevada SAG Hotline for conservatory and event updates, or contact Steve Clinton at (702) 737-8818.