Furthering the Work of Intimacy Coordinators

Intimacy coordinators have proven to be a benefit for productions involving nudity and intimacy. They bring specialized knowledge to sets and endeavor to make the work environment safe for staff, crew and performers alike. Now that industrywide standards and guidelines for intimacy coordinator work are in place, there is an increased need for trained and qualified intimacy coordinators on set. 

To provide members with the latest information on what it takes to become a registered intimacy coordinator, the SAG-AFTRA President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement held The 411 on Intimacy Coordinators on May 11. Hosting the workshop were President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White. 

The workshop began with a presentation by SAG-AFTRA Executive Director, Governance, Michelle Bennett. Bennett provided an overview of the union’s initiative to create standards and protocols for the use of intimacy coordinators and insight on its newly developed accreditation system for training programs and registry. 

Carteris and White then interviewed Intimacy Professionals Association founder Amanda Blumenthal and Intimacy Directors and Coordinators Creative Director Alicia Rodis. Blumenthal and Rodis explained the responsibilities of intimacy coordinators on set and how their work benefits productions. 

“Not every director or performer has the same needs, and a really good intimacy coordinator has to be able to work with a production on an individualized and customizable basis, and make sure that the union’s guidelines are being followed,” said Blumenthal.

They also discussed the types of training necessary for this line of work, as well as the importance of becoming familiar with on-set culture. 

“Working relationships are a huge part of this work, and if you don’t understand the culture, you’ll have difficulties in working within the community.” said Rodis, who serves as intimacy coordinator for HBO Studios. “Start looking into available training programs and [research] set etiquette.”
  
Following the discussion was a Q&A session hosted by Carteris, White and Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon.

For more information about resources for intimacy coordinators, visit sagaftra.org/intimacycoordinators. Click here for more information about the union’s recommended standards for qualification, training and vetting intimacy coordinators and the timeline for submissions. 

More PTEOE livestreams can be found at sagaftra.org/videos. 

The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA’s endorsement.