Workshops

SAG-AFTRA members will be waitlisted initially until their eligibility is verified and then notified when they are added to the group. Please make sure you understand the requirements and are able to commit to the on-going monthly schedule.

This group is meant for highly productive SAG-AFTRA members ages 65 and over who are looking to stay accountable in pursuing their professional goals. Members will report past and future monthly tasks, have access to peer-to-peer advice, share any knowledge they have gained, and have a partner from the group that they can connect with throughout the month. We hope to offer this select group of members the tools to excel in an industry where senior performers are often overlooked. Members are highly encouraged to attend all Small Group Sessions and several Casting Access classes before applying for this group.

The group will meet on the first Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. PST/ 1 p.m. EST for two hours. 2022 Meeting Dates: Thursday, March 3, Thursday April 7, Thursday, May 5, Thursday, June 2, Thursday, July 7, and Thursday, Aug. 4. Consistent participation is mandatory. By signing up for the March meeting you are committing to attend all 6 of the 2022 meeting dates. Further rules and requirements will be emailed to confirmed participants.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

When: 7 - 9 a.m. PT/ 9 -11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET

The Actors Fund Financial Wellness Program seeks to engage, educate and empower performing arts professionals about the role of money in their lives.

This six-week workshop builds on the concepts introduced in Intro to Financial Wellness: Budgeting Nuts & Bolts and focuses on both building and nurturing a healthy relationship with money and developing practical money management skills as a creative professional. Participants will learn and begin to implement specific strategies for organizing expenses, planning with multiple and/or episodic income, managing and eliminating debt, saving, investing, aligning professional and financial goals, and more.

Questions? Please contact The Actors Fund at rselkowe@actorsfund.org

RSVP: Click here for details and to RSVP. 

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a 3 HOUR class that takes place ONLINE. The class begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET

This 3-hour workshop is for members interested in learning how to build and edit their demo reel using Davinci Resolve, a powerful video editing software that is currently FREE for use on both Macs and PC's. In this workshop, you will use your own video clips to assemble and edit your own demo reel. You must have the software in order to participate in this online class.

You can download it for free here: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/

Please Note: This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are needed.  No exceptions.

Members must bring the following to class:

At least 1 video clip in MPEG-4 (.MP4) or Quicktime (.MOV) format.

Requirements:

• Working knowledge of a Mac or PC
• Desire and ability to learn to edit digital video footage using Davinci Resolve installed on their computer

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a THREE-HOUR class beginning at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET that will take place ONLINE.

The purpose of this workshop is to pick up where members left in the Part 1 class. That said, this is not a rehash of that previous class. In this three-hour class, members will learn various new skills to enhance their existing actor website. The first half of the class will discuss search engine optimization, creating blog pages, customizing themes and fonts, adding custom code, creating one page websites, among others. During the second half of the class, you'll be given the chance to incorporate these new features into your existing website. 

This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are needed. No exceptions.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a THREE HOUR class that will take place ONLINE.
Class begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET

This three hour class is for SAG-AFTRA members who have previously taken the Part 1 class (Intro to Narrative Video Editing with iMovie) and are interested in learning how to expand their projects (e.g. short film, web series) using iMovie. In this class we will pick up where we left off in Part 1 by editing a short dialogue scene. We will also introduce more advanced features within iMovie including the addition of animated effects. Footage for the scene will be provided.

Please Note: You must have taken Part 1 (Intro to Narrative Video Editing with iMovie) prior to taking this class.

This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are required. No exceptions. 

Requirements:

• An Apple Macintosh computer (desktop or laptop) with a current version of iMovie installed (latest is 10.2.5)
• Desire and ability to learn to edit digital video footage using Apple iMovie.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a THREE HOUR class that meets over Zoom web conferencing. It is specifically for Mac users.
Class begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET

Members will learn important skills needed to submit themselves for online casting, specifically, how to compress their videos, make basic edits, upload to dropbox, send large files via wetransfer and how to setup accounts and submit themselves on various casting web sites like Actors Access and Casting Networks. 

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a THREE HOUR class that will take place ONLINE. The class begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET

This three hour class is for SAG-AFTRA members interested in learning how to edit narrative projects (e.g. short film, web series) using iMovie. In this class you will learn all of the basics of how iMovie works by editing a short scene.

Please Note: This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are required. No exceptions. 

Requirements:

• An Apple Macintosh computer (desktop or laptop) with a current version of iMovie installed (latest version is 10.2.5)
• Desire and ability to learn to edit digital video footage using iMovie for Mac.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Come build your website with the free online website builder, WEEBLY.COM

NOTE: This is a THREE HOUR class beginning at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET that will take place ONLINE.

The purpose of this workshop is to instruct SAG-AFTRA members on building a professional actor website using the free online builder, WEEBLY.  In this three hour session, members will learn how the site works and some of the basic functions provided. Some members may have a fully functioning web site completed within 3 hours. Most members will have about 50-80 percent of their site completed. 

This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are needed.  No exceptions.

All members are expected to have a functioning website by the end of the workshop.

Members must have the following organized in a folder on their desktop for this class:

• At least 2 different DIGITAL headshots 
• 1 resume (PDF and/or DOC)
• 1 video link to Youtube or Vimeo (reel, short, etc – anything that you can use as an example)

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

In these weekly, one-hour live Zoom sessions (beginning at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET), working actor and SAG-AFTRA Foundation staff member Tamika Simpkins dives deeper into questions about actors’ professional pursuits. This live program will mainly address the topics of that week’s Small Group Sessions, and members are encouraged to bring their specific questions to discuss.

Please note that members are highly encouraged to attend Small Group Sessions before coming to this program. The Small Group Sessions preceding this program are: 

Tuesday, Jan. 4: Representation

Wednesday, Jan. 5: The Audition

Thursday, Jan. 6: Headshots

Tuesday, Jan. 11: Self Tapes/Remote Auditions

Wednesday, Jan. 12: Money Management

Thursday, Jan. 13: Resumes

Tamika Simpkins' bio:

Philadelphia-born Tamika Simpkins is a television, theatre and voiceover actress inching through a journey filled with purpose and wonderment. She relocated on a whim to Los Angeles to pursue her creative aspirations after losing a bet to a friend. Tamika has performed in regional theaters in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play DOUBT and in DEATH AND THE KING'S HORSEMAN. Her on-screen credits include GRACE & FRANKIE, DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE, NCIS, SOUTHLAND and THE WIRE to name a few. Her love of storytelling has included voiceover performances in audiobooks for independent authors on Audible, video games, commercials, PSAs and most recently, Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER: WAR FOR WAKANDA video game. 

In addition to honing her craft working in front of the camera, Tamika has also worked behind the camera and has written, produced, and edited several independent film and media projects. For a few years, she was also a Commercial Casting Associate in her hometown. She also holds a double major Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and African-American Studies and has worked over two decades in the tech industry with artists and entrepreneurs and major corporations such as Warner Bros Studios and Clear Channel Radio.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

NOTE: This is a THREE-HOUR class beginning at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET that will take place ONLINE.

The purpose of this workshop is to pick up where members left in the Part 1 class. That said, this is not a rehash of that previous class. In this three-hour class, members will learn various new skills to enhance their existing actor website. The first half of the class will discuss search engine optimization, creating blog pages, customizing themes and fonts, adding custom code, creating one page websites, among others. During the second half of the class, you'll be given the chance to incorporate these new features into your existing website. 

This class is not an introduction on how to use a computer, so basic computer skills are needed. No exceptions.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.