A Day in the Life … Twin Cities Annual Actors Expo!

On Saturday, April 2, although it was one of our first spring-like days in the Twin Cities in quite some time, I found myself — along with a good-sized crowd of other actors and actors-in-training — at the 2015 Twin Cities Actors Expo at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. To begin my experience, I worked as a volunteer at the SAG-AFTRA information table, sharing space with our volunteer organizer, member Peggy O’Connell, and Kathy Byrne, a SAG-AFTRA staff member who had traveled from the Chicago office for meetings and to participate on a SAG-AFTRA panel at the expo later in the day. Other SAG-AFTRA member volunteers hosting our table during the expo included Tony Saffold, Barry ZeVan, Regina Marie Williams, Mark Bradley, Shelli Place and Cat Brindisi.

While sitting at the table, we answered a variety of questions posed by inquisitive pre-union actors (and/or their parents) on topics ranging from the amount of the initiation fee to contract issues to the benefits of working under a union contract. I know I learned a few things that I didn’t know and certainly met a lot of interesting people!

In the early afternoon, Kathy, Peggy and Cat facilitated a panel discussion called Becoming a Professional Actor, relating to working as a SAG-AFTRA member. All three of these professionals provided unique and insightful perspectives. Veteran union actor Peggy shared stories of joining both AEA and SAG-AFTRA, and then working as a union actor, stressing her commitment to both unions. Cat, as a newer member, admitted that she noticed a distinct difference in how she was treated on SAG-AFTRA union jobs and felt that even though the work is not currently plentiful, it is well worth waiting for union jobs. Last but not least, Kathy — our walking, talking SAG-AFTRA information powerhouse — provided many useful bits of information about joining and working as a union actor, including sharing a warning that non-union commercial contracts often include a permission to use the commercial “in perpetuity,” which seemed (to me) to visibly frighten a few of the pre-union actors in the audience. All in all, it proved to be another interesting and educational day spent at the Actors Expo.

This item was originally featured in the September 2015 local newsletter.