Meet the Local Board

We continue to introduce you to more of the Twin Cities Local elected leadership. In this issue, meet Local Board members Shelli Place, Sandra Thomas and Edward Villaume. Read past issues here. 

SHELLI PLACE: I joined SAG, AFTRA and AEA in 1973 in Dallas, where I was involved in theater and corporate training films. After touring the U.S. in plays and industrials, my work took me to San Francisco, where I worked as a stage and on-camera performer for the Shaklee Corporation, traveling the world to represent them. Eventually, I ended up in Los Angeles doing TV and film. A great opportunity offered by the Walt Disney Corporation took our family to Tokyo and, while there, I was able to land a recurring role on Ponkiki (a Japanese-type Sesame Street) and became the English voice of the Shinkansen (bullet train). That led to becoming the voice of other entities and securing — my favorite — a lead role in the Japan Airlines’ animated Myazaki film The Crimson Pig. Upon returning to the U.S., I switched gears and moved to the other side of the camera, directing and producing corporate videos, and staging corporate shows, fashion shows and award ceremonies. After moving to Minneapolis five years ago, I fell in love with the theater scene and jump-started my acting and directing career, but was stunned by the lack of SAG-AFTRA opportunities that were once so prominent. I was asked to bring my energy to the board and have been happy to be involved in outreach work, including being active on the Co/Ed Waiver Committee; coproducing the rollout of the Local’s commercials and Co/Ed online rate calculator to local producers and ad agency representatives; and helping to launch the 2nd Monday Mixers for local members. I encourage more members to get involved with the union, as it helps you feel you are actively doing all you can to help your career.

SANDRA THOMAS: I have been a proud member of SAG-AFTRA since 1996. I have appeared in feature films, commercials (regional and national) and industrial films. Upcoming roles include the soon-to-be-released, Minnesota-made feature film Wilson, the independent drama Sundogs, and the IFC series Documentary Now! In 2015, I brought Macaroni on a Hotdog, a one-woman play that I wrote and performed, to the Edinburgh, Scotland, Fringe Festival for the month of August. I also blog under the byline Sandy Thomas for The Huffington Post.

EDWARD VILLAUME: Having grown up in Minnesota with a passion for creativity, I began writing stories on my grandmother’s typewriter at an age when I didn’t know words had a “correct” spelling. I would type story after story and then “read” them to my family. Soon, I discovered a love for theater and, eventually, for motion pictures. However, finance and business was all around me as I grew up and so was the natural path I took for decades, using my creative skills only sporadically while working in business, until I finally decided to move to Los Angeles to try my hand at writing and acting. After making that move, I felt fully alive as the flood of creative energy that had been blocked began to freely flow again! My natural curiosity had me signing on to work as an extra in feature films and television so I could observe how those projects were made. I joined SAG as a natural progression in my creative life in L.A. and to open more doors. Then, in 2007, I returned to my home state, and I hope to continue working on stage and/or on camera as opportunities present themselves. As one last comment to share with my fellow members, I can emphatically state I’ve found that joining the SAG-AFTRA Local Board is giving me an exciting chance to help provide the support, tools and avenues of opportunity to Minnesotans who want follow their inner passion and make a living in the creative arts of stage and screen.

This item was originally featured in the June 2016 local newsletter.