Chicago

SAG-AFTRA/IFP Chicago have teamed up to present the At the Table script reading series. On Monday, March 25, the script Later Days by Brad Riddell and Sandy Sternshein will be read by a talented cast of SAG-AFTRA performers. The filmmakers will then participate in a moderated feedback session - and would appreciate your participation. If you would like to attend the reading as an audience member, please RSVP.  The event will be followed by a reception/networking opportunity.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP.  Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP.  Seeing this on your app?  Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

Writer/director Brad Riddell has written four produced feature films for Hollywood studios including Paramount, MTV, and Universal. His first film, American Pie: Band Camp (Eugene Levy), remains one of the highest grossing live-action DVD releases in history, and is now syndicated on TBS. His most recent feature, Crooked Arrows (Brandon Routh, Gil Birmingham), was released nationally in theaters, and is the first mainstream lacrosse movie ever produced. Riddell’s other writing credits include films in the Road Trip (Danny Pudi, DJ Qualls) and Slap Shot (Leslie Nielsen) franchises. His award-winning directorial debut, Ten More (David Pasquesi, Ellie Reed) played at over twenty festivals in the U.S., and his series, Other People's Children, won critical acclaim from juries around the world. He is currently writing Back to the Grind for Branded Pictures Entertainment and Tony Hawk Productions. Riddell earned an MFA in Screenwriting from USC and is chair of the screenwriting program at DePaul University in Chicago.

Writer/director Sandy Sternshein has written films, television, documentaries, commercials, and apps for everyone from Mr. Universe to Chevy Motors. He wrote the feature film Pushing Forty for producer Rick Rosenthal (Halloween, Bad Boys), and is currently directing the documentary Punkrock Packrat about a dentist with an unparalleled collection of early punk rock ephemera. His script Mouths of the Upright was featured on the Black List of Hollywood’s top list of unproduced screenplays. Sternshein has worked in the development departments of Showtime and Fox Television. He’s directed music videos and flown the globe as a reality television location scout. Prior to earning his MFA in Screenwriting from USC School of Cinematic Arts, he worked as an assistant director on numerous independent features. Over the past decade he has taught screenwriting, directing, and producing at Santiago Canyon College, Santa Ana College, and the Orange County High School of the Arts.

The SAG-AFTRA Chicago Audiobooks Committee is thrilled to welcome narrators Andi Arndt and Jeffrey Kafer to Chicago to work with Chicago members who want to break into the world of audiobooks.

This session for beginners (and those who want a refresher) will include interactive readings with Arndt giving feedback on character differentiation and other performance tips. This will be followed by a Q&A with Arndt and Kafer sharing narrating info and advice to anyone looking to start a career in audiobook narration.

If you’re interested in being a participant in the interactive session, you will need to bring three (3) copies of your 1-page reading selection. When you check-in, we will collect names for a lottery selection.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP.  Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP.  Seeing this on your app?  Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

Multiple Audie Award winner Andi Arndt has narrated hundreds of titles for all major publishers across many genres, and she also works with many of today's best selling indie romance authors as a narrator and as executive producer of Lyric Audiobooks. The recipient of multiple Audie, Earphones and Voice Arts Awards, twice named to AudioFile Magazine's Best Voices of the Year, Andi was inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame in 2018. Her notable audiobooks include Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series, Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, the junior novelization of Disney's Frozen, and Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates.

Jeffrey Kafer is a full-time SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator and consultant. He has narrated over 500 books in almost every genre for such authors Clive Barker, Steve Alten, Maya Banks, Gregg Olsen and many others. He has two degrees in cinema and broadcasting and spent the first part of his career as a video game tester for Microsoft before following his true passion of acting. He’s been on stage since he was 13 (his mom still has the bellhop costume she made) and currently lives in Los Angeles with his family and dog. Visit him at http://audiobookmentor.com.

On Saturday, April 27th audiobook narrators Jeffrey Kafer and Andi Arndt will be in Chicago to share their wisdom on the business of audiobooks.

Kafer and Arndt (with the possibility of additional contributors) will focus this discussion for experienced members. This session will discuss ways to navigate the ins and out of ACX, as well as building careers beyond ACX. How do you make contacts at publishing houses or with independent authors?  How many books do you need under your belt before you even start the process? These, and many other questions will be answered during this discussion. 

Seating is limited.

This session is best suited for narrators who have completed at least three audiobooks. If you are new to audiobooks and want to learn some tools and tricks of the trade, the afternoon session is best suited for you.

RSVP: Reservations are required.  Please complete the form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to see the RSVP form below.  Seeing this on your app?  Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

Jeffrey Kafer is a full-time SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator and consultant. He has narrated over 500 books in almost every genre for such authors Clive Barker, Steve Alten, Maya Banks, Gregg Olsen and many others. He has two degrees in cinema and broadcasting and spent the first part of his career as a video game tester for Microsoft before following his true passion of acting. He’s been on stage since he was 13 (his mom still has the bellhop costume she made) and currently lives in Los Angeles with his family and dog. Visit him at http://audiobookmentor.com.

 

Multiple Audie Award winner Andi Arndt has narrated hundreds of titles for all major publishers across many genres, and she also works with many of today's bestselling indie romance authors as a narrator and as executive producer of Lyric Audiobooks. The recipient of multiple Audie, Earphones and Voice Arts Awards, twice named to AudioFile Magazine's Best Voices of the Year, Andi was inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame in 2018. Her notable audiobooks include Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series, Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, the junior novelization of Disney's Frozen and Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates.

In the fast-moving world of on-camera casting, next-day auditions are part of the new normal. In this intensive seminar we will take on the 24-hour turnaround and explore tips to quickly and creatively prepare for last minute auditions, including cold reads.  We will strategize ways to maximize memorization in a minimum amount of time, and focus on the questions and answers that will fast track finding character, intention and connection in the scenes.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP.  Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP.  Seeing this on your app?  Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

SAG-AFTRA is partnering with The Underground Chicago for a very special Chicago Film Community Networking Party to celebrate recent accomplishments, help build relationships and collaborations, and to keep Chicago's beloved art, culture and entertainment growing!
 
When: 10 p.m. - midnight, Friday, March 8  

Where: The Underground Chicago
56 West Illinois
 
Enjoy a cocktail reception, hors d’oeuvres, fantastic networking and amazing guests.
 
Come one, come all, but you will have to RSVP to Film@RockitRanch.com since the party is invite-only.
 

You worked hard, prepped, and nailed the audition! It is time for the callback - NOW WHAT? Go through a mock commercial callback with Matt Miller and learn what to do, and what not to do. Get some immediate feedback from an in demand director, or simply be a fly on the wall and observe what happens when actors are in the room. Workshop will be followed by a Q&A session with Miller, so bring your questions and your commercial A-game.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP. Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP. 

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card or digital card in the member app (paid through April 30, 2019 or Oct. 31, 2019) for admittance.

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.