SAG-AFTRA Foundation Opens Robin Williams Center · Opens Robin Williams Center continues on page 2...

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By Liz Zazzi

On Oct. 5, the Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media opened its doors on West 54th Street. This SAG-AFTRA Foundation state-of-the-art screening room and educational

space will be available to more than 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA over the next 20 years. It will serve as the new home for Conversations as well as The Business programs.

Journalist Lisa Birnbach moderated a panel that included some of the late actor’s closest friends and collaborators. Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg were joined on the stage of the center’s intimate high-tech screening room by director Barry Levinson and actors Hank Azaria and Bonnie Hunt. After viewing clips from one of several Conversations Williams had participated in over the years as a SAG-AFTRA member, the group shared remembrances that were

both funny and moving. Williams’ gift for entertaining as well as his unfailing generosity was affirmed by everyone. Hunt recalled her early improv days, when she was an oncology nurse by day, and Williams offered: “‘If you want me to call some patients, I can.’ And this was just the two of us. Nobody knew about it. It wasn’t for any purpose except the healing power of humor.”

After the tears and the laughter, invited guests attended an after-party at 54 Below, just across the street from the Foundation’s Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media, the first facility that his family allowed to carry his name.

As part of opening week, the center hosted a fascinating interview with

SAG-AFTRA Foundation Opens Robin Williams Center

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Winter 2017

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, front center, and National Executive Director David White, second from left, join national officers and national and local board members at the opening of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s new Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media on Oct. 5.

Jeffrey Toobin, left, interviews journalist Tom Brokaw.

Ken Howard Boardroom Dedication > p2

Letter from NY President Mike Hodge > p3

Broadcast Spotlight:Cheri Preston > p5

“I Am a New York Actor” Anna Chlumsky > p6

Singers > p8

Dancers > p9

Perspective:Cecilia Friederichs > p10

Staff Spotlight: Lela Bangaree-Motie > p11

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1900 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10023

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NEW YORK COMMUNICATIONS

COMMITTEE

• • •

Liz ZazziChair

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Jeff SpurgeonVice Chair

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Anne GartlanMike Hodge

Alex Silverman

SAG-AFTRA NYVOL. 6 • NO. 1

2 // SAG-AFTRA NY // SAGAFTRA.ORG WINTER 2016 // SAG-AFTRA NY // 3

Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder — a Hip-Hop Fellow of Harvard University — who was interviewed by NPR’s Frannie Kelley, as well as a career retrospective with former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, interviewed by Jeffrey Toobin. Members can look forward to programming featuring prominent actors, broadcasters, recording artists and singers on the center’s program calendar. Events will be recorded and posted to the Foundation’s website and YouTube channel (youtube.com/sagaftrafoundation).

“The SAG-AFTRA Foundation was founded to support members, and we are delighted to open this beautiful facility for them and the artistic community,” said founding Foundation

Board member and Treasurer Maureen Donnelly. Foundation Vice President and chair of the New York committee responsible for the center’s development and programming Rebecca Damon added, “This marks the completion of the Foundation’s vision for planting the flag in New York. SAG-AFTRA members can still take advantage of the Foundation’s offices and educational facilities at 1900 Broadway for its EIF Voiceover Lab, casting courses with noted industry casting directors and tech courses in website design, Photoshop, audio and video editing at the Computer Lab, audition prep and more at the On-Camera Lab.”

Take advantage of all your membership has to offer. Be sure to create a user account at sagaftra.foundation.org to access all of these free programs and events.

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

ROBIN WILLIAMS >>> continued from page 1

By Liz Zazzi

On March 23, 2016, SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard passed away. He was a remarkable husband, consummate

performer, committed humanitarian and tireless leader that fulfilled his promise to merge SAG and AFTRA. In the legacy unions, many rooms bore the names of great leaders who had made a difference in the lives of union members. When SAG-AFTRA merged our offices to our Lincoln Center location, in building the culture of our new union, the new meeting rooms were reserved for future naming. Ken was in his heart a New York actor. While he made his home in Los Angeles for many years, New York was where he was raised, got his first job as an actor and made his Broadway debut. His fondness for his hometown was always evident every time he visited us. It was only fitting that the boardroom

where he spent time with staff and members be named in his honor.

On Oct. 20, board members, delegates, friends and family attended the emotional ribbon-cutting of the Ken Howard Boardroom. New York Local President Mike Hodge said, “It fills me with such pride to name our boardroom after such an incredible leader, mentor and friend.” His beloved wife Linda Fetters Howard thanked the board of directors, saying, “Seeing Ken’s name up on this wall is one of the most moving experiences I have ever had. It is an appropriate honor for a wonderful man who always had a special place in his heart for New York Local President Mike Hodge, the New York Local and staff, who I consider to be extended family. I will be forever grateful.”

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

Ken Howard Boardroom Dedication

Linda Fetters Howard joins national officers and national and local board members and staff at the dedication of the Ken Howard Boardroom on Oct. 20.

Dear Member,

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a huge cheerleader for the New

York State Production Tax Incentives, which have done wonders to improve the ability of our members to work in their home state.

Our chief economist (I just love saying that), David Viviano, gave me numbers the other day that show the amount of local work grew by at least 115 percent between 2004, when the first incentives went into effect, and 2015, the last full year for which statistics are available. That’s a great number that I am sure will continue to grow.

You see, when we first got the incentives, they were considerably smaller and had to be renewed in Albany every year, which made it difficult for television shows to actually plan their production schedules. Traditionally, a successful television series runs for at least five years, and the uncertainty of having to rely on a new incentive every year didn’t allow for that kind of planning.

Finally, by 2014, our state legislators had seen enough in terms of growth and possibilities of further growth in our industry that they funded the production

tax incentives for the requisite five years. And that’s when the number of television shows in New York really began to grow.

As of 2015, there were 103 scripted television and new media productions filming here (which includes shows like Orange Is the New Black and the Marvel/Netflix series), along with 98 theatrical productions, including low budget. All of that work produced 121,051 background days. And while we don’t have the exact numbers for 2016 yet, we expect them to be better than last year.

I know when most people think about this kind of incentive, they think about rich people getting a tax break. That is not what this incentive is about at all. Nobody who is above the line counts as a qualified expense for the credit. Qualified expenses cover those who do the nuts and bolts and everyday grind of film work: the key grip, camera operator, hair stylist, costume designer, makeup artist and script supervisor — people who make the show work but are not the major decision-makers or the actors. (To see an excellent video on this point, check out vimeo.com/41303163.)

Unfortunately, the current round of production tax incentives — which include

$25 million for post-production work —expires in 2019. SAG-AFTRA is preparing to encourage our lawmakers to keep this clear boon to our state and industry alive for all of the men and women who work in entertainment. I especially like the post-production initiative as another way to grow the value of New York as a place to have this work done and employ more of these talented people, whether in the city or upstate. The only other thing that would make me happier would be if composers and soundtrack producers decided they wanted to do their work here too. We have the musicians, we have the singers and I think there may still be one or two studios left from the old days.

It would be great if New York could become the place where every facet of the business can get done. I think this would make a lot of people I know really happy.

— In solidarity

FIVE MORE YEARS! A LETTER FROM THE NEW YORK PRESIDENT

MIKEHODGE

By Maureen Donnelly

On Sept. 16 in the beautiful, elegant, Edison Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, I was delighted to

present our own Rebecca Damon, SAG-AFTRA executive vice president and New York Local fourth vice president, with the Connecting America Award at the sixth annual Irish Echo Labor Awards ceremony. It was particularly gratifying because in 2013 I received the Irish Echo Labor Leader Award, which recognizes Irish-American labor leaders, such as former SAG-AFTRA Co-President Roberta Reardon in 2012.

I found the Connecting America Award to be particularly appropriate because Rebecca is a fierce advocate for education and

empowerment nationwide. She serves as chair of New York MORE (Member Outreach, Relations and Education) and on the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement for the union. As vice president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and chair of the Foundation’s New York Committee, Rebecca collaborates in bringing educational and artistic programming to New York members and members nationwide, in both the Foundation space at 1900 Broadway and the new Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media on West 54th Street.

In her acceptance speech, Rebecca told the room of union activists, “I want to do all I can to strengthen the labor movement, not just today, but hopefully well into the future by inspiring young people to

blaze their own paths in union service.”The Irish Echo is the oldest Irish-American

newspaper in the United States, founded in 1928. It is impressive and exciting that it has honored SAG-AFTRA New York leaders three times in our just over four years as a newly merged union.

— Maureen Donnelly is a SAG-AFTRA National Board member and first vice president

of the New York Local Board.

IRISH ECHO AWARDS

EVP Rebecca Damon is presented with the Irish Echo Award, accompanied by husband John Harbour and friends from the New York Local Board and local staff.


What is the Copyright Alliance and why is SAG-AFTRA involved?The Copyright Alliance is a nonprofit

501(c)(4) organization committed to

advancing the interests of copyright

owners and creators in federal copyright

policy development. Its membership

is comprised of individual creators and

over 13,000 organizations, such as the

Directors Guild of America, the Motion

Picture Association of America and IATSE.

SAG-AFTRA is involved because when

copyright owners succeed in getting the

most value from their copyrights, our

members succeed along with them. This

requires a strong working relationship

between copyright owners and artists, and

this is why we are part of the Alliance.

How do SAG-AFTRA members rely on copyright law to support their livelihoods?In some instances, SAG-AFTRA

represents the copyright owners

themselves, but in many more instances,

we represent the professional performers

whose talent is used to achieve the

creative vision found in films, television

shows, sound recordings, and news and

entertainment broadcasts. The copyright

owners’ ability to monetize their work

directly relates to the collectively

bargained rights of our members to

share in that monetization. In many of

our collective bargaining agreements,

our members are paid each time a work

is distributed to new markets and in new

territories.

Who else is focused on copyright law? Everyone, including websites like

YouTube, streaming services like

Netflix, and cable, satellite and mobile

providers. Copyright is being scrutinized

like never before. The ease and speed

with which audio and audiovisual works

are distributed around the globe is

astonishing. This new paradigm requires a

strong voice to continually remind those

who enjoy these works that without a

strong and vibrant copyright, such works

may not exist. Take copyright protections

away and you may not like what you are

left with.

What is SAG-AFTRA’s biggest copyright-related challenge?Educating all those who love films,

television shows, songs and other creative

works on the importance of allowing

copyright owners, creators and performers

the ability to exercise control over their

work, and the opportunity to reap the

benefits of the time, effort and resources

that went into creating the works.

If there was one aspect of the copyright law that you could change, what would that be and how would you change it?Update the Digital Millennium Copyright

Act to improve what is a broken notice and

takedown system for copyrighted works

on online platforms.

Members who wish to learn more about copyright issues should visit the Copyright Alliance website at copyrightalliance.org.

Q&A: Jeffrey Bennett,New York Executive Director

In addition to being Executive Director of the

New York Local office, Jeffrey Bennett also serves

as SAG-AFTRA’s chief deputy general counsel. In

the latter role, Bennett oversees and supervises

SAG-AFTRA’s legal and government affairs

operations and works extensively with the Copyright Alliance, a lobbying

organization based in Washington, D.C. He spoke to us about the

Alliance and the importance of copyright protection to SAG-AFTRA

members.

New York Local Answers A Call to Arts

In March of 2015, President Obama called on SAG-AFTRA and the American Film Institute to reach out to young people

pursuing careers in the cinematic arts. The union has been participating in the A Call to Arts initiative nationwide, and the New York Local is no exception.

The New York Local has a history of youth mentoring, with programs such as the MORE (Member Outreach, Relations and Education) Committee’s longstanding Educational Outreach program, which informs students in universities and conservatories in the greater New York City area about SAG-AFTRA, and the Broadcast Mentoring program, which invites future broadcasters to the New York office to work with broadcasters on their resumes and reels.

With the development of A Call to Arts, the local has expanded its mentoring reach with a host of new relationships and activities. Early this fall, SAG-AFTRA staff participated in a special event hosted by the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation in association with the Mayor’s Office of Film and Television, held at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint on Sept. 21. The event, titled Careers in Entertainment, hosted underserved youth from in and around New York City for a panel of industry speakers, followed by a meet-and-greet career fair. Local staff from the EEO & Diversity, Member Outreach and News & Broadcast departments were on hand to talk to the students about the various career opportunities provided by the union.

One exciting new partnership is with The Children’s Village, a residential school providing therapeutic educational programs for underserved, vulnerable youth. Members and staff of the New York Local are helping give these students interactive experiences they may not otherwise have with professionals in the entertainment industry. This includes special tours of the Museum of the Moving Image, tours of local radio stations such as Hot97, and invitations to special events, including Careers in Entertainment.


By Jeff Spurgeon

Cheri Preston gets a new challenge every morning in her work as a correspondent for the ABC Radio

Network. And she loves it. “I really enjoy taking all the information flowing into the newsroom and culling it down. I want to have 10 stories that will tell you in three minutes everything you need to know this hour.”

Every morning, the world has changed just a little bit, and Cheri — with help from her newsroom colleagues, of course — creates a digest of those changes, presented in the form of hourly newscasts she anchors weekdays from 6–11 a.m. at the network studios on West 66th Street, broadcast on hundreds of radio stations across the country.

Anchoring a radio network newscast demands a very high level of professionalism: extreme clarity in writing and speaking, scripts that must be delivered in segments timed to the second and balanced reporting. Listeners complain to their local stations when they believe coverage is unfair, and the stations relay that heat straight up to the network.

Cheri drives from her New Jersey home, where she lives with her husband and son, to start her Manhattan workday. “I get in at 4 a.m., but the commute is awesome, straight through the Lincoln Tunnel. And then you check your selection of sound bites, sports and entertainment stories, reporter packages and natural sound gathered on-scene where a news story is happening. The first thing I do is a bottom-of-the-hour one-minute report. Then I talk to my managing editor to determine what the leading stories of the day are. I write the newscasts and choose the sound bites — I really like that. An editor checks for accuracy and balance, and then I go on the air. Three-and-a-half minutes at the top, one at the bottom. Six top-of-hour casts and six at the bottom, starting at 5:30 in the morning and finishing at 11.”

A native of Quincy, Illinois, Cheri’s first ambition was to be a music teacher, but in college she realized her heart wasn’t in it. “A friend said, ‘I’m going into broadcasting, why don’t you go with me?’ So I went — to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I worked at the college station, WIDB. I had a music show and did news. I met my husband there.”

After graduation, the couple moved to Champaign, Illinois, but Cheri couldn’t find work on the radio. “So I did the next closest thing: selling radios. I worked at a stereo store.” Her break came at a local station where she read school lunch menus on-air for free to get a foot in the door. Then she moved up. “Every station had a jock and a news chick, and I was a news chick at the beginning. In my late 20s I said, ‘Do I really want to be doing this when I’m 50?’ I wanted to do more serious news.”

She developed those skills further at WTMJ in Milwaukee, where she made her first connection with ABC. “[WTMJ] couldn’t give me a raise one year so I said, ‘Why don’t you send me to the RTNDA [Radio-Television News Directors Association] convention?’ I went and introduced myself to somebody at ABC News.”

She held on to that connection, and after about seven years in Milwaukee she came directly to ABC in New York in March 2001. Joining ABC, Cheri also joined AFTRA. For several years she’s been a shop steward and was recently named vice chair of the SAG-AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee.

“I have found the BSC meetings and talking with SAG-AFTRA members among the most fulfilling things of my entire career. You get to hear what other people in the business are struggling with, and you get to know that SAG-AFTRA

has your back. And not just when contracts are being negotiated, but when other issues come up on the job, too. Our representatives can really make a difference in getting to a resolution that works for everyone.”

Cheri has practiced the craft of broadcast news at ABC longer than at any other place she’s worked, and she loves not only her daily challenge of newscast creation, but also the medium in which she works. “There’s something incredibly special about what we do in radio. It’s such an intimate art form in this world of video-on-demand. I’m with no other person, just my own thoughts and a voice, and that is what I love. Not everything needs to have a picture.”

— Jeff Spurgeon is a SAG-AFTRA National and New York Local Board member.

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BROADCAST SPOTLIGHT: Cheri Preston

“You get to hear what other people in the business are struggling with,

and you get to know that SAG-AFTRA has your back.

And not just when contracts are being negotiated, but when other issues come up on the job, too.”


‘I AM A NEW YORK ACTOR’

She grew up in Chicago and has worked in many places, but Anna Chlumsky is a New York actor. She wasn’t born into it. She chose it. And worked hard for it.

I first met Anna in Orlando, Florida, shooting My Girl. Dan Ackroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin and I were in it, but Anna was the star. She was in almost every scene and she was terrific. Incredibly smart, funny, vivacious, focused and always having a good time. She was great in the picture and, when it hit big, she quickly became recognizable. She was 9. She had had her SAG card since she was 5 from a job in a Chloraseptic commercial.

Two-and-a-half years later, we were in L.A. shooting My Girl 2, and Anna was very different. She was 12 and miserable. She didn’t want to be there. She was away from her friends in Chicago for her entire summer vacation. The work was long and hard. Anna told me,

Richard Masur Interviews

Anna Chlumsky

“Throughout the shoot, they were constantly checking my weight. And I was sent to a different dermatologist every week. I felt like a total fish out of water.”

“The one good thing,” she said, “was that my mom and I spent a lot of time together, and even though 12-year-old girls and their mothers don’t usually do too well together, we actually got a lot closer that summer. Shared suffering, I guess.”

Anna’s experience in L.A. on My Girl 2 shaped her future. She decided that she really didn’t want to be an actor. She was and remains a very private person and she didn’t like the attention. She just wanted to be a kid, finish school and go to college.

After graduating from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in international studies, she went looking for a job. She was eventually hired as a fact-checker at Zagat’s restaurant guide in New York. So that’s where she went. “I was always interested in writing and I found my way into a job at HarperCollins as an editorial assistant. But being in New York, I started going to a lot of great theater and got bitten again by the acting bug.”

She decided that she would approach acting very


differently. “This time, I was doing it because I wanted to, not because I was told I wanted to. I felt the need to communicate text … to approach acting like writing … to really sink my teeth into the storytelling.” She started taking acting classes, which led her into a string of “10 free shows back to back,” which ultimately led her into off-off and off-Broadway shows.

Around that time, we reconnected. She went to see her friend Gillian Jacobs in a new play by Sarah Treem at Playwrights Horizon. “Gillian and I did a cuckoo [weird] play together. And when you do a cuckoo play with someone, you often become fast friends … which we did.” I played Gillian’s dad in the play. So there was Anna after the show one night, waiting for us in the lobby. And she was all grown up. And she said she was acting again. “New York led me back to the business,” she told me.

I asked her if she tried getting into on-camera commercials to fill out the “New York actor profile” and she said, “No commercials. Being the girl from My Girl, I’ve been recognized pretty much every day since I was 10. So I felt that I couldn’t really get into commercials because the people in the industry would say, ‘Oh look. Isn’t that sad? I wonder what happened to her?’ Not that I agree with that attitude; just that it exists. I managed to scrape by long enough for some things to start to click — I got Law & Order, a 30 Rock, a pilot. I was an official New York actor. And I’ve been lucky enough to make my living as an actor ever since.”

Sometimes, when you’ve worked hard and prepared and just the right moment arrives, you’re ready for it. Here’s one of those times.

“I was doing a super-dramatic show at the LAByrinth, crying and falling apart every night. Ice storms in the city for days. I got a call to audition for a new film shooting in the U.K. It was a cold-read audition for the director. No prep, just get the sides and go read. Cold. It was an absolutely joyous audition. So happy not to be crying and falling apart. Zero pressure. The director was Armando Iannucci and the film was In the Loop.”

“I shot in London with an amazing cast. [Too long to list: IMDB it.] I had the best time. Great Indian food with the amazing Mimi Kennedy every night.” [Note from Richard: If you’ve never seen In the Loop, go watch it now!]

“Oh and Armando then did an HBO series and hired me for it. Veep. So grateful. Last season, as soon as I was finished shooting for a couple of days, I’d fly home from L.A. and then back. But now, with an infant and another young child, I didn’t want to separate them, so this season we’re in L.A. full time. Amazingly, I am renting a house from the playwright who wrote the first play I did when I started back acting in New York.”

Even though she works all over now, she still considers herself a New York actor.

“I am a New York actor. I think there’s a different approach in New York. Don’t get me wrong, there are terrific actors in this country who have never set foot in New York, and I am honored and happy to be working with them. But I just feel a kinship with those who have worked here and been part of the New York actor experience.

“Both [Los Angeles and New York] are great choices, depending on what your personality and outlook are. But if theater matters to you, then New York is probably for you. A church basement production introduced me to my manager, and a small indie film got me my health insurance. When you have those droughts

and you haven’t seen an audition in four to six months, you can pound the pavement in New York. Much harder to do in L.A. And when you do hit the streets, you’re out there among people, not isolated in your car listening to the radio or talking on your hands-free phone. And when you go into a New York coffee shop to sit down and take a break, you’ll be sitting there with people from all over the world who work in every possible field. The chances that you will be next to someone working on a screenplay or studying sides are much slimmer here

than in L.A. So if that sounds good, then maybe New York is for you.

“I mentioned getting my health insurance again when I was coming back into the business. That is one of the many things for which I appreciate SAG-AFTRA. Our insurance is clearly one of the best, most affordable plans measured against other insurance. So my family and I are terribly grateful for that benefit, especially with two young children.

“Finally,” she said, “when you’re an actor, I think it’s important to know you have the union with its rules and protections behind you when you go to work. That way we always have a strong foundation on which to exercise our rights during work and negotiations. The union makes artists workers, not beggars. That distinction is so important, because it wasn’t always this way.”

— Richard Masur is a former national president of Screen Actors Guild and a former member of the

National and New York Boards of SAG-AFTRA.

“Don’t get me wrong, there are terrific actors in this country who have never set foot in New York, and I am honored and happy to be working with them. But I just feel a kinship with those who have worked here and been part of the New York actor experience.”

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ANDRICKA HALL

I’m a singer/actor and SAG-AFTRA member since 1989. I’ve recorded with Alicia Keys,

Diana Ross, Spyro Gyra and Najee, to name a few. I’ve toured doing numerous live concerts, backing artists like the J. Geils Band, Annie Lennox, Chaka Khan and others.

Many opportunities are available through SAG-AFTRA for its members. There’s health insurance, pension plans, free health screenings, movie screenings, free classes and great discounts to enhance your career as an actor or singer. Being a member of both the National and New York Singers committees is a plus because I’m learning and understanding how proposals are brought to the table and negotiated for the betterment of

our members. SAG-AFTRA makes the business of being

a singer better for us all.

HUGH WILSON

I’ve been singing professionally since I won Australia’s Star Search in 1991. I’ve

been signed to major labels and made a living as a jingle/session singer, commercials composer, touring vocalist, worship leader and voice coach. I make my own original music and sing on cover projects. I just love making music. It connects me to God, other people and who I am as a human.

One benefit of being in the union is that the pay is much better. I got paid considerably less singing non-union commercials in Australia for 10 years before I came to NYC. Having health insurance through SAG-AFTRA has been invaluable — it rescued me from an $11,000 medical bill. The best benefit is that membership allows collaboration with incredibly talented singers who are great people. It’s also given me a sense of community and cooperation — a vital support in this ultracompetitive world. We’re not alone.

AMANDA HOMI

I’m a recording artist, singer and songwriter who has been greatly influenced by the

music of many cultures. NYC, with its wonderful melting pot, is the perfect place to reside and grow as an artist. When I moved here, I landed my first record contract, joined AFTRA and then SAG. I have always made my living as a singer: sessions, industrials, on-camera work, parties, touring and clubs. Interest in my globally influenced original

music led me to work as a jingle writer and singer. I was lucky to be in a situation where only union work was performed.

Being a member of SAG-AFTRA has dramatically impacted my life in a positive way. Not only do I have the security of a pension, but I also know that our value as singers and artists is protected and represented. Being a member of the New York Singers Committee is a way to help utilize our collective diversity and experience in order to carve out a path to the future for singers in our changing industry.

KEITH ANTHONY FLUITT

I work globally as a lead and background vocalist. I’ve worked with Ashford &

Simpson, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Will Downing, Olivia Newton-John, Celine Dion and others. I co-wrote Celine Dion’s song, I Met an Angel on Christmas Day. I’ve been a background vocalist and vocal arranger with The Pet Shop Boys. In 2006, I had the honor of being the voice of Philip Bailey in the Broadway musical Hot Feet.

I’ve been a proud SAG-AFTRA member since the mid-’80s. Becoming an active member of the New York Singers Committee has helped me to see what the union offers within the music business and beyond. I’m enjoying having hands-on, in-depth communication about different contracts that I work under. I love the different classes and having a place to go if there’s time to kill in the middle of my day. If you haven’t been here, come check out the New York office!

The New York Singers Committee

As chair of the New York Singers Committee, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to four involved members from the New York Local. Their insights provide a glimpse into what busy, working singers and recording artists see as benefits of union involvement. Their stories speak to the wide range of work singers do to make a living. Singers and recording artists have a lot in common with other categories, but much of

our work happens in a music business environment. It’s a different world. Please look for invitations to upcoming SAG-AFTRA singer/recording artist-focused events in your email.

— Janice Pendarvis, member of the National and New York Local boards


I N T R O D U C I N G …

But she was not alone in her reluctance to complain. Dance gigs of this ilk and salary level seem Haley’s Comet-rare these days. We’ve watched word of dancer discontent result in career annihilation before, and a Game of Thrones approach would garner nothing. Besides, this contract was not written on SAG-AFTRA paper anyway.

My friend was astonished to find out that none of this mattered, as her presence on deck as a union member was reason enough for SAG-AFTRA to protect her. A well-placed call in private could get staff on the scene right away to address the ills and hold perpetrators accountable. Never will our union throw us under the bus, although management bureaucrats calling themselves “SAG-AFTRA coordinators” on a gig might help us to believe otherwise. If membership has its privileges, this support is a big one that we dancers — often set curbside in this industry next to the recycling — should clutch firmly.

Sure there are kinks, missteps, places

where the newly merged union has been less than sterling in figuring out dancers’ best interests (fixes are in the works). The outreach has been sketchy (the social media game is coming up). But through it all, SAG-AFTRA alights with Batman discretion, staking presence with production for added accountability before gigs, noting to them that contract surveillance is real and cleaning up the occasional fiasco (an audit of Broadway 4D ensured that 90 dancers got paid despite its collapse). The thing is, SAG-AFTRA wants us to know that our union is a resourceful advocate and that our membership makes each of us a valuable part of a huge force in the entertainment industry.

In fact, there is a lot going on for us right now. Dancers Alliance, ever-present and instrumental in the creation of the Music Video Agreement, is working with SAG-AFTRA to keep it moving forward. The National Dance Committee is helping the union dance staff create a quick reference guide that bullet-points important features of our contracts so that we know what violations to report in those private calls.

To be clear, SAG-AFTRA benefits do not end at on-set protection, nuanced contracts or even free movie screeners during

awards season. For starters, discounts are available on wireless services, cosmetics products and airport parking. The SAG-AFTRA Credit Union or the Actors Federal Credit Union can help finance your new car because they understand this 1099, multiple-employer life we lead. An account with them can also help you get a house and garage to drive into. And please share with your younger colleagues that there is also a low-interest loan offered to help newcomers pay off the initiation fee.

With conservatories in Los Angeles, New York and a few locals across the country, SAG-AFTRA has a built-in artist development opportunity for dancers. On-camera classes, voiceover labs, acting workshops and commercial clinics are available for whatever television and film pursuits you have beyond a tick, a tip or a layout.

In the meantime, holler. When it’s not going well on the gig,

holler softly with anonymity or holler fully with arena-P.A. vigor. But please holler.

Your union needs to know when contracts that your dues pay for are not being heeded. SAG-AFTRA, as

our intrepid National Executive Director David White points

out, is “easy to work with, hard to fight.” With union support and dancer

solidarity, so are we.

— Jamal Story is a New York Local Board member.

A few months ago, a friend of mine dancing for a superstar confessed that several things were amiss in rehearsals. She said the hours were

tremendous, the turnaround from the last eight-count to the first morning ball-change was brutal. Breaks were arbitrary and there were cameras around that no one in management wanted to explain.

Of Dancing and Hollering

By Jamal Story

Our membership makes each of us a valuable part of a huge force in the entertainment industry.


Who does United Scenic Artists (USA) represent?USA, Local USA 829 of the IATSE, represents designers of scenery, costumes, sound, projection and lighting, as well as scenic and virtual FX artists working in film, theater, opera, ballet, television, industrials, scenic suppliers, commercials and exhibitions.

Which regions does Local 829 cover?We have a complex jurisdiction. For live performance design, we are the only local covering this work in the United States. We have network television contracts in NYC and Chicago and scenery shops on the East Coast and Midwest. In motion pictures and commercials, we cover the Northeast from Delaware up through New England.

What are your members’ main concerns?The overriding main concern is wages. For nonprofit theater designers, just making a decent living is a struggle. In motion pictures, it’s the brutally long hours and safety. And certainly rising healthcare costs and having a decent retirement.

How long have you been with the union?I joined the local in 1989 as a costume designer. I was elected financial secretary in 1996 (until 2010), became a full-time employee in 1997, and have served in several capacities over 20 years, [including] as an organizer and as head business representative of the Live Performance Department. In 2010, I was elected national business agent, the first woman to hold this position.

Why did you become involved with organized labor and your union in particular?In school, I knew that to be a professional costume designer one had to join USA. After I moved to NYC, I knew I was now a “union” designer, but I had no idea what that meant and certainly no real concept of organized

labor — a typical member, I think. I became actively involved with my local in 1996, during an election with a strong coalition of members fielding a ticket that basically swept out the old board. It was really a fluke, as I had no intention of being involved at that level.

What are you most proud of about your union?Many things: our history, our really talented and smart membership, our tenacity. I am proud to have been a part of our historic move to become part of the IATSE in 1999 and to leave our former International (a union that represented regular painters, not theater workers). It changed the fortunes of USA dramatically for the better, and we have never looked back.

Tell me about the Respect for Off-Broadway Designers campaign. Soon we’ll be negotiating our first CBA covering designers in the off-broadway space. This has been very much a grassroots effort. Now that living in NYC has become so expensive, our members really need this CBA.

What do you think are a union’s strongest tools when entering a negotiation?It makes a huge difference when the employers know the membership stand solidly behind the negotiating committee. When we sit down at the negotiating table, I am their voice, but it is the silent presence of 4,500 designers and artists that make the employers listen. And there’s no substitute for preparation. Communication with the membership is paramount in building this solidarity. In an early negotiation I was involved in, the League of Resident Theatres (75 theatres nationwide) made the claim

that they knew more about what USA 829 members wanted than the union did. And it may have been true in the days when the theaters worked with the designers in person. Email changed all that. Communication with our sister labor organizations is also crucial.

How can entertainment unions best support one another?Through our coalitions such as the IATSE N.Y. Production Locals, the N.Y. Production Alliance and COMPTU, and by sharing information. Currently here at USA 829 we are very involved in an industry-union coalition, of which SAG-AFTRA is a part, to improve safety on NYC-area film sets. We are also very active in COBUG, which is the Council of Broadway Unions and Guilds.

Unions have become a political target in recent years. How can unions reverse this trend?I think you use the right word when you say “trend.” There is not one thing, but we must engage in a sustained outreach to push the needle in the other direction. We need to reach younger artists, to make them believe that there is a place for them in the union and that it can be a positive force in their lives. We do significant outreach to theater design educators, who are often our members.

It is also important to be open to change and to explore new models for attracting members and communicating with pre-members.

What are your hopes for the future of USA 829?I’m quite optimistic about our future, that we will continue to find young talent and bring them up. I hope that we can continue to serve the membership so a “revolt” like the one of 1996 is not necessary and that we’ve trained good and qualified successors for the local’s leadership because continuity is so necessary to continued growth.

PERSPECTIVE: Cecilia FriederichsFor this edition of Perspective, National and New York Local Board member

Anne Gartlan spoke with Cecilia Friederichs, national business agent (similar to our national executive director) of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.


It was late on a Friday and the Los

Angeles-based member needed

clearance to dance at an event that

weekend but wasn’t sure how to

get in touch with the right person.

When she picked up the phone

to dial the SAG-AFTRA Contact

Center, chances are she had no idea

she would be talking to someone 3,000

miles away. That hardly mattered though,

because Lela Bangaree-Motie was the voice on the other end.

“I assured her, look, I’m here,” Bangaree-Motie recalled. “I’m going to do

everything in my power to help you.” Her face radiated genuine satisfaction

as she explained how she was able to connect the caller with someone in the

New York office who knew how to get the wheels moving. Within a few hours,

all was right in that member’s world. “I think, had [the Contact Center] not

been in place, that might not have happened for her,” Bangaree-Motie said.

Bangaree-Motie is the sort of person who broadcasts a smile loud and clear

even when you can’t see her face. As the New York manager for SAG-AFTRA’s

new Contact Center, she’s one of a bi-coastal crew whose mission is to link

members with whatever they might need in the shortest possible amount of

time, whether it’s by phone, email or live chat.

“This is my passion, I love to do it,” said the 20-year customer service

veteran who joined SAG-AFTRA in March. Most of Bangaree-Motie’s

professional experience is in the communications and cable industry, but

organized labor is in her blood. She traces those roots back to her childhood

in Guyana, where her father was active in the sugar workers’ union. “I would

see them picket, fighting for the workers, so I was very familiar with what the

union does,” she said.

Bangaree-Motie proudly recalled the moment decades later when she told

her father, who’s now retired after a long career in New York, that she had

taken the job. “I said, you know Dad, you would have loved working at

SAG-AFTRA. He said, ‘That’s so awesome!’”

She is nothing but genuine when she says that she and her colleagues

would love to hear from you. So far, surveys have shown members

are extremely satisfied with the entire team. To reach them, call

(855) SAG-AFTRA between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., or go to SAGAFTRA.org.

“[Members] should feel comfortable calling us,” she said. “Know we’ll try

to help them and will go above and beyond.”

– Alex Silverman is a New York Local Board member.

Lela Bangaree-MotieBy Alex Silverman

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Rachel Kylian tapes her audition at the On-Camera Lab

Self-recorded auditions are becoming increasingly common in the entertainment industry, but not all performers have

the skills or hardware necessary to create their own audition reel. Fortunately, SAG-AFTRA New York Local members have a valuable new resource available to them at the Foundation’s New York On-Camera Lab.

Started as a pilot program last year and now available full time at 1900 Broadway, the On-Camera Lab allows members to record high-definition auditions under the guidance of a trained technician and immediately receive a video file ready to send to casting directors. Top-quality lighting, sound and camera equipment guarantee more professional results than members could expect from their mobile devices or even from many paid video services.

The results speak for themselves. Member Rachel Kylian reported to us that she booked a role on the new TV series MacGyver thanks to a self-taped audition at the Lab and made a point of thanking the technician for his guidance. Member Gayle Samuels raved, “The On-Camera Lab is absolutely wonderful. First time using it and I booked the job! State-of-the-art equipment, great camera operator and a wonderful resource for every actor.”

The Lab can also be used to record clips for a demo reel or to gain valuable experience in front of the camera. All technicians are trained filmmakers with extensive experience working with actors. Member Veronique Ory noted, “Emily [the tech] was a great, calm presence in the room. I felt like I could step in front of the camera and completely tap into the character knowing that the technical side was professional.”

Members can book 15-minute sessions online, with the option to reserve two sessions back to back if necessary. Performers are encouraged to bring their own reader, but technicians are happy to read with the performer if requested. At the end of the session, the technician can copy the video files to the member’s USB flash drive. Members also have the option to edit their footage in the Foundation’s computer lab right next door. Information on the computer lab and many other Foundation classes and programs is available on the website at sagaftra.foundation.

On-Camera Lab On-Site at 1900


1900 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10023

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDNew York, NY

Permit No. 9313

Over 200 members and union staff attended the annual N.Y. Health Care Safety Net (HCSN) Committee’s Health Fair and Free Flu Shots event. Members took advantage of the free health services and information, and enjoyed free nutritious food. The annual event is organized by National HCSN Committee Co-Chair Cathy Lilly with the help of the NY Local HCSN Committee members as well as volunteers from the MOVE New York and MORE committees.

Annual Health Fair Serves Hundreds

SAGAFTRA.org/NY

#performancematterssagaftra.org/interactive

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