Greetings Fellow San Francisco-Northern California Local Members,
Great to have seen so many of you at the spring general membership meeting on April 16. The meeting featured a special presentation centered on the current #AdsGoUnion campaign. SAG-AFTRA organizer Shaine Griffin visited from the national office as the guest speaker, providing valuable insight into the union’s Commercials Organizing and Recapture Initiative. It was also exciting to have so many fresh faces attending the new member orientation, as well as the many long-term members who came! New member orientations are open to all — it’s a great opportunity to refresh and ask questions.
Our fall membership meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15 in the East Bay. Save the date!
Your elected leaders and dedicated staff have been busy on many levels:
Commercials: The SF-NorCal Local has adopted a Regional Commercials Code to encourage local businesses to produce under SAG-AFTRA contracts. The code is specifically for “made-in, played-in” spots (not national commercials). Similar codes around the country have been very successful in producing more union work.
Voiceover: We have been active in reaching out to the voiceover community and beyond to encourage recapture of voiceover work. We held a Contracts and Cocktails event in March, with national organizing staff in attendance. It was a great tool for bringing artists together for information and unity.
Film and Television: Production, workdays and principal casting have increased in 2018. We look forward to the fall and beyond, with several projects slated to film — including the third season of 13 Reasons Why.
Broadcast: On the broadcast front, several contracts have been negotiated and ratified for local radio and television stations. In addition, we hosted a Women in Broadcast luncheon with President Gabrielle Carteris in attendance, along with broadcast members from all over Northern California.
Recording Artists: For those members who have identified themselves in the Recording Artist category: We are looking to hold a gathering to bring you together with your elected leaders, staff and each other to solidify the community and discuss concerns and ideas.
Industry Outreach and Beyond: Our local has been active with outreach in many ways: with film commissioners, sister unions, the California Federation of Labor and others. We have continued our sponsorships of the Cinequest Film & VR Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Sacramento International Film Festival and Mill Valley Film Festival. Our sponsorship of these film festivals has again this year led to increased engagement with producers and stronger relationships with these film festivals, resulting in a larger network to increase our local’s visibility within the community.
We worked with the California Film and Television Production Alliance, which has resulted in an extension of the current California Film & Television Tax Credit Program through 2025. Signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, the tax credit features an extra 5 percent credit for productions filming in California outside of Los Angeles. This extension will play a key role in bringing production to Northern California, translating into increased work opportunities for our members.
The San Francisco-Northern California Local has made major strides throughout the year 2018. As we move forward, let us to continue to remain strong, professional and unified. Please check out additional information on sagaftra.org and the local’s page for details of activity and for resources available to you as members.
In unity,
Kathryn Howell
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