A Day in the Life … Twin Cities Actors Expo

"The Twin Cities Local was an active presence once again this year at the annual Twin Cities Actors Expo on Saturday, April 2. I joined several other SAG-AFTRA members — including Barry ZeVan, Sandy Thomas, Bob Davis, Adara Bryan, Tony Saffold and staffer Kathy Byrne from the Chicago office — at the local’s SAG-AFTRA exhibitor’s table, where we shared information and tips with expo attendees.

"As usual, the expo included many seminars of interest to both professional and union actors, as well as young performers and non-union performers. In addition to my hosting duties, I attended three of the seminars. The first session, titled Planning Your Acting Career, was facilitated by Jane Drake Brody, a former actor, Chicago casting director, teacher and author. During the seminar, Brody offered some great tips for planning and managing an acting career, and encouraged actors just starting out to plan on joining the ranks of union performers if they intend to make this a career. I also caught part of a “novice track” industry panel presentation that included SAG-AFTRA and AEA actors Elena Giannetti and Shirley Venard, actor/teacher Cynthia Uhrich, talent agent Aiyana Ruggiero and casting director Barbara “Babs” Shelton. The panel discussed and answered questions about training and provided tips for securing work in the Twin Cities. During that discussion, Giannetti, Venard and Shelton all praised the benefits of joining both AEA and SAG-AFTRA, and working as a professional. Last but not least, Kathy Byrne led an energetic session focused on educating actors and filmmakers called Working on SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Productions. She explained how easy and painless it is to work with the union and film under various SAG-AFTRA low budget contracts.

"As in previous years, once again it appeared to me that the expo is a very good way to connect with other industry people and to continue to learn about and from the Twin Cities theater community!"

A Day in the Life ... We Want to Hear From You!

We are seeking short articles submitted by you, the members, about your work and experiences as industry professionals. Tell us about jobs you have been on recently, about auditions or job interviews, or in general about your union-related work and experiences in and out of the Twin Cities — a day in your life! Please submit your brief story (300 words or less) by email to twincities@sagaftra.org, and reference “Day in the Life” in the subject line. Please include your full name and contact information with your submission. [NOTE: The editors reserve the right to make the final decision on whether or not to include your submission and also reserve the right to edit the piece if necessary.]  

This item was originally featured in the June 2016 local newsletter.