Houston-Austin

This class will meet REMOTELY. All RSVP'D members will receive a ZOOM Link inviting them to join the class.

If you have not received the link by the morning of the class, please check your spam, junk or promotions folders. If you still cannot find the link, please send us an email at thebusiness@sagaftra.foundation at least 15 minutes before the start of class time.

This class begins at 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST.

SYNOPSIS

Resumes are so much more than a statement of an actor's work history. They can also reflect an actor's personality, understanding of the industry, and their future potential roles. This session will provide a greater understanding of the role of the resume and how an actor can best use it as one of their marketing tools.

Please bring pencil or pen along with something to take notes.

Small Group Sessions are facilitated discussions with the goal of digging deeper into some of the information and advice shared within the panels. These sessions provide a time to break down concepts into practical action items by which an actor can individually apply to their professional pursuits. This session will last for 1.5 - 2 hours. Participants must stay for the whole time.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Join the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for a panel discussion about the ins and outs of commercial representation, featuring top agents Alicia Ruskin (KMR), Stuart K. Robinson (BBR), Juliana Castro (CESD) and Mike Abrams (AKA). They will talk about the basics of getting a commercial agent, maintaining agent-client relationships, and the status of the current commercial landscape. Moderated by actor and SAG-AFTRA Foundation staff member Tamika Simpkins.

Members are encouraged to bring their questions to the program! 

4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

Click here for details, speaker bios, and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Tax season is here, and you have questions! Join the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's panel of tax experts - also fellow actors - who will answer all your questions and concerns about tax preparation this year. 

4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

Click here for details, speaker bios, and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Looking for an opportunity to network and get to know other members?  Then this Zoom session is for you! Join the SAG-AFTRA Foundation for their first ever voiceover lab Zoom meet-up group. After a brief introduction participants will have the opportunity to bounce between topic-specific breakout rooms to talk shop, make contacts and build community. Breakout room topics for this session will include: All Things Audiobook, Getting Representation, Home Studio Stuff, Marketing Yourself, My Background is in Theater, Making a Demo, I Need A Recommendation/ I Got A Recommendation and  Happy Hour. EIF staff will be on hand to monitor flow of traffic and answer questions but discussions will be casual and peer led. Don’t miss this opportunity for community, contacts and conversation!

REQUIREMENTS

Participants must remain for the duration of the session (Noon - 1:30 p.m. PT / 3-4:30 p.m. ET)

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

Peaks. Gain. Clipping. Compression. If these terms throw you into a panic, then this class is for you! Join James Romick for a session that will clarify and demystify the fundamental aspects of recording and processing for voiceovers and audiobook narration. In this intermediate session he will cover: input recording levels., peaks, room tone, noise floor, processing, FX, punch & roll recording, handling breath sounds and a whole lot more! Class will consist of practical demonstrations to be followed by a Q&A. 

Class takes place from Noon - 2 p.m. PT / 3-5 p.m. ET

REQUIREMENTS

This is an intermediate level class. Participants should have some knowledge of VO (and/or audiobooks), equipment (microphones/interfaces), setting aside a sound deadening recording space, and some hands-on experience with any DAW. This is not a basic level class. Participants are required to stay for the duration of the session. 

INSTRUCTOR BIO

James Romick

James Romick has been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 1980.  Between acting gigs in the mid 1980s, James also studied audio engineering at The Institute of Audio Research in NYC when editing analog magnetic tape with a splicing block and razor blade was the norm. Although he has a working knowledge of many different DAWs, James is a REAPER devotee and offers one-on-one sessions via Zoom on how to set it up and configure it for voiceover and audiobook production.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

In these one-hour (1-2 p.m. PT / 4-5 p.m. ET) live Zoom sessions, working actor and SAG AFTRA Foundation staff member Tamika Simpkins dives deeper into questions about actors’ professional pursuits. This live program will mainly address the topics of that week’s Small Group Sessions, and members are encouraged to bring their specific questions to discuss.

Please note that members are highly encouraged to attend Small Group Sessions before coming to this program.  The Small Group Sessions preceding this program are: 

Thursday February 24th: Self-Tapes and Remote Auditions

Tamika Simpkins' bio:

Philadelphia-born Tamika Simpkins is a television, theatre and voiceover actress inching through a journey filled with purpose and wonderment. She relocated on a whim to Los Angeles to pursue her creative aspirations after losing a bet to a friend. Tamika has performed in regional theaters in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play DOUBT and in DEATH AND THE KING'S HORSEMAN. Her on-screen credits include GRACE & FRANKIE, DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE, NCIS, SOUTHLAND and THE WIRE to name a few. Her love of storytelling has included voiceover performances in audiobooks for independent authors on Audible, video games, commercials, PSAs and most recently, Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER: WAR FOR WAKANDA video game. 

In addition to honing her craft working in front of the camera, Tamika has also worked behind the camera and has written, produced, and edited several independent film and media projects. For a few years, she was also a Commercial Casting Associate in her hometown. She also holds a double major Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and African-American Studies and has worked over two decades in the tech industry with artists and entrepreneurs and major corporations such as Warner Bros Studios and Clear Channel Radio.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

LIMITED NUMBER OF SCREENING LINKS AVAILABLE! 

All those RSVP'd to this program will receive both an online screener for ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS and a Zoom link for a live Q&A with actors Beau and Emily Bridges, moderated by Metacritic's Danielle Turchiano.

****This screening is not live - you will receive a screening link by END OF DAY on Friday, March 4, and have access to the film until 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 8. The conversation with the actors will be held LIVE via Zoom on Tuesday, March 8, at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET, and a Zoom link will be emailed to you an hour before the program. Members are encouraged to bring their questions about the documentary and about acting as a craft to the Q&A!***

SYNOPSIS:

Directed by Emily Bridges, ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS follows The Teacher and his student, The Creature, played by Beau Bridges and Emily Bridges. Together they explore the craft of acting and evolve in their understanding and appreciation of life itself. The story unfolds in six lessons over the course of their relationship, nested within a larger conversation with three generations of The Bridges family. 

A unique hybrid of narrative and documentary storytelling: ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS brings Richard Boleslavsky’s 1933 novel to the screen for the first time as part of an intimate glimpse into the life and craft of a multi-generational acting family with interviews featuring Jeff Bridges, Jordan Bridges, Lucinda Bridges, and never-before-seen archival interview footage of Lloyd Bridges and Dorothy Bridges.

Click here for details, speaker bios, and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

LIMITED NUMBER OF SCREENING LINKS AVAILABLE! 

All those RSVP'd to this program will receive both an online screener for Summer of Soul and a Q&A with Director/Executive Producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris.

*This is not a live screening and conversation, you will receive both of these elements via email. You do not need to log-in at any specific time. You will receive the screener by END OF DAY on Friday, Feb. 25. The screener will be live for 72 HOURS.*

SYNOPSIS:

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present.  The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.

SUMMER OF SOUL premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. It is streaming on Hulu in conjunction with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective; Searchlight Pictures released it theatrically.

Click here for details and to RSVP.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

When: 9 - 11 a.m. PT/ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT/ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. CT/ 12 - 2 p.m. ET

The Actors Fund Financial Wellness Program seeks to engage, educate and empower performing arts professionals about the role of money in their lives.

This single-session, interactive workshop introduces the concept of financial wellness and addresses the fundamentals of budgeting with multiple and episodic streams of income. We will consider common financial challenges among entertainment industry professionals, and discuss approaches and strategies that make sense when you don't always earn and spend the same way each month. You will begin to solidify your financial goals, identify key resources, and learn a simple, step-by-step process for finding your financial starting point.

Intro to Financial Wellness is designed specifically to help creative professionals move toward building financial stability. Completion of Intro to Financial Wellness is required prior to enrolling in our multi-session workshops and groups, including Managing Cash Flow and Psychology of Money.

Questions? Please contact The Actors Fund at financialwellness@actorsfund.org

RSVP: Click here for details and to RSVP. 

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

When: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. PT/ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. MT/ 12 - 2 p.m. CT/ 1 - 3 p.m. ET

A central challenge for many performing arts and entertainment professionals is navigating the episodic nature of their work in the industry. For many, survival work—initiated to make ends meet—ends up draining the creative professional and becoming more problem than solution. The purpose of this workshop series is to assist performing arts and entertainment professionals in their search to find meaningful work. Career Journey offers strategies to gain agency over your career.

Now that you have brainstormed potential work opportunities, how will you get there? To continue on your career journey you will:

• Navigate labor market research resources and strategies
• Learn to develop your network to find people and organizations that can help
• Learn how to test work ideas through experience

You'll evaluate your work ideas based on who you are and what you need to find a meaningful fit.

Questions? Please contact The Actors Fund at CareerCenterWest@actorsfund.org

RSVP: Click here for details and to RSVP. 

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.