From the Local President

Hello SAG-AFTRA San Diego Local Members:

The first quarter of 2015 has seen an increase in productions in Southern California. Even though no tax incentives have been allocated yet, the outlook for the rest of the year looks even better. I expect the tax incentives to boost employment for the remainder of the year.

SAG-AFTRA is here for you. The union represents you in negotiations and ensures your wages and working conditions adhere to the negotiated contracts. Your rights are protected, and being a member of SAG-AFTRA is more than just being a union member. You are a part of a family of performers, recording artists and broadcasters, a network of people with common interests and a variety of talents. The union is large and yet is representative of every person.

In San Diego, we are fortunate that the SAG Foundation presented Casting Access workshops for our local members on May 9. Several casting directors from Los Angeles presented the workshops. These individuals have impressive backgrounds in the industry and notable credits. They are currently working on TV series, pilots and other productions. I want to thank everyone involved in making this SAG Foundation event a success for San Diego Local members.

We also had a voiceover workshop in March (brought to us in Spanish and English by the SAG-AFTRA National Spanish Language Media Committee, and open to all members) titled So You Think You Can VO? Lo Que Puedes Hacer Con Tu VOz! It was a great success and many of you attended. We continue to have social mixers on the third Tuesday of every month for members to network and get to know each other.

There will be a semi-annual membership meeting on June 4. I hope to see all of you there!

Best wishes,
Martin "Marty" Alivallar, San Diego Local Board President 

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