“It’s very encouraging to see young people eager to tell their own stories and become part of our industry,” said New England Local President Andrea Lyman speaking about the 50-plus high school juniors and seniors present at a city of Boston Summer Learn & Earn Program held on Aug. 12 at Roxbury Community College.
The event opened with a presentation delivered by IATSE Local 481 Business Manager Chris O’Donnell on Massachusetts’ growing production industry and the role of unions, followed by a question-and-answer period featuring several local union staffers and members from IATSE and SAG-AFTRA, including Lyman and New England Local Board member Liz Eng. Continual training, skill development and keeping up with technology were topics discussed by the group, who emphasized that nowadays, actors must be multifaceted, especially when it comes to self-taped auditions and content creation. They also outlined efforts being made to expand the diversity of cast and crew to include more people of color, genders and disabilities, and discussed the simplicity in using the SAG-AFTRA Micro-Budget Agreement.
Managed out of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, the Summer Learn & Earn Program engages high school students to earn money while taking college-level courses and participating in academic coaching, college readiness activities and trade exploration programs.
Photo: From left, New England Board member Liz Eng and Local President Andrea Lyman participate in a panel discussion for high school students in Boston on Aug. 12.
News
- Tags:
- Local News