From the Nashville President

From the Nashville President

By Mike Montgomery
President, SAG-AFTRA Nashville Local

In 2012, when SAG and AFTRA became one union, many were skeptical that so many disparate groups of artists with seemingly different aspirations and goals could be successful in supporting one another. And given the entrenched opposition and vitriol that surrounded previous failed merger attempts nationally, it indeed seemed like a tall order. But Nashville has always been different. Prior to merger, our local SAG Council and AFTRA Board had a few members in common and the bodies had a long history of joint meetings. So we had long been aware of each other's concerns but now, through merger, we were inextricably linked. We held a general membership meeting and elected our first board, consisting of recording artists, singers, singer-songwriters, actors and stunt performers.

In the beginning, our meetings were filled with many starts, stops and questions, as we tried to understand each other’s cultures, motivations and contracts. It was simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating. And then the catalyst arrived in the form of the television series Nashville. The show employed every category of our membership in almost every episode and a remarkable cross-pollination began. Our actors were now working as “singers,” our singers and recording artists were working as actors and our songwriters were helping create careers for fictional artists. Suddenly, the connective tissue between our different performing categories began to grow as it became obvious that the old lines that once separated us were now blurred and well on their way to being completely erased, and we were truly stakeholders in each other’s successes.

This realization brought a renewed spirit of innovation, cooperation and determination to our local board and membership. Member committees are offering ideas and will soon be leading workshops and panels on using Pro Tools, self-taping and promoting your career on social media. A showcase featuring student films is happening in the spring and a membership mixer is in the works. If you’re interested in becoming involved or feel you have a skill to offer, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

In the meantime, get out there, do your thing and go watch others do theirs. Tune in to CMT to support Nashville, Still The King and Sun Records. Buy a friend’s new album. See a friend’s new play. Get ready for the Nashville Film Festival. Just remember, there’s always a Nashville connection. But you already knew that.

In solidarity,

Mike