As your local president, I want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your membership in Louisiana and Mississippi. Here are some tips I’d like to share about the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and the new direct deposit option for TV/Theatrical residual payments.
Here are two steps to participate in more SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs, in-person or online:
1. Create an account if you do not have one. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation only can serve members who are registered with the Foundation.
2. Check the account you created. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation has made some changes, and it is possible that your registration may have been inadvertently assigned or moved to a different local. Members affiliated with the New Orleans Local get priority when events are held locally.
Several of you told me that you immediately signed up for the local SAG-AFTRA Foundation event at the University of New Orleans on March 24-25, when the sessions were announced, but you were placed on a waiting list for any class in which you enrolled.
The Foundation initially puts everyone on a waiting list. From there, members are moved off the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as their local is listed as New Orleans and they are not already RSVP’d in any conflicting classes.
If you do not get an RSVP, you remain on the waiting list. If someone cancels and you are next on the list, you will be presented with an opportunity to RSVP. This is also why it is important to officially withdraw from any sessions that you cannot attend. Someone is waiting for your slot.
Show up even if you do not get an RSVP. Sometimes members are not able to attend and cannot let the Foundation know. The Foundation people do everything they can so that they do not have to turn anyone away.
It is so important to check your profile on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation site and edit it to make sure that you are listed in the New Orleans Local. Some of you — like me — signed up while the New Orleans Local was not listed as an available local, so we selected another local in the nearest location section. New Orleans now appears on the list.
Check any emails that you receive from the Foundation so you can sign up for unfilled slots in virtual classes/video auditions that open just for members outside of New York and Los Angeles.
My thanks to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for a successful event in March and their continued programs for members, including a large library of past events on their YouTube Channel.
On a different note, have you registered for your residuals payment service yet? New Orleans was selected as one of the pilot locals for members to get TV/Theatrical residuals directly deposited to your bank accounts. Stop stacking those small residuals checks and let them be directly deposited for you. There are time limits on checks, so do not hang onto them until they have to be reissued. To get started:
1. Login to your account at sagaftra.org.
2. Locate the “Residuals Portal” on the left menu.
3. Click the bottom right tab: Direct Deposit.
4. Accept the terms and conditions.
5. Click the “Go to PaymentHub” button. This will take you to the secure PaymentHub portal where you can register for direct deposit and set up bank account routing.
If you need assistance in the PaymentHub portal, please email support@exactuals.com.
Finally, I participated in a panel discussion at the Louisiana International Film Festival on April 22. Members and non-members asked questions and we distributed information about SAG-AFTRA.
You can find information on our local web page here. Or, if you need information to distribute on the set or have questions yourself, contact me at NewOrleans.President@sagaftra.org.
Either we stand together or we fall apart!
Diana Boylston
New Orleans Local President
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