New Mexico Local President’s Report

Dear SAG-AFTRA New Mexico Members,

The new year has sprung! This year is already looking to be a record-breaker in terms of total production. There are at least eight feature films on the slate this spring plus new and returning TV series. And, like the past several years, New Mexico actors are being considered for recurring roles. It’s a great time to be an actor in New Mexico!

Here’s what’s been happening for us over the past several months:

Take 1 - We celebrated the SAG Awards in late January at a new venue for us, the Albuquerque Country Club. It’s always fun to meet face to face with fellow members for what has always been a lovely soiree. The venue was classy, the food was excellent and it appeared a good time was had by all. 

Take 2 - A couple weeks later, we set up a table at Film & Media Day at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. This year’s celebration of our local industry was packed and attended by several thousand people over the course of the day. Many of our members stopped by to say hello, and we had the opportunity to chat with pre-members, who had questions about the benefits of membership and how to join. Actor Chris Browning, a former Taos resident, was our guest speaker and expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm for his success, which had its beginnings in the New Mexico film and television industry. Also, SAG-AFTRA Regional Education & Outreach Liaison Cynthia Williams conducted a very informative workshop regarding our low budget contracts. In attendance was a sizable number of serious independent filmmakers. I hope to see their films being produced and shot here soon. 

Take 3 - We will be having our general membership meeting on Saturday April 1, 2017, at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North (5151 San Francisco Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109). SAG-AFTRA Director of Professional Representatives Xochitl Cerda will be joining us to present Working with Your Franchised Talent Agent: Best Practices.

Membership meetings are a great way to meet your fellow union members, ask questions and get involved. The meeting will be held from 1–3 p.m. Hope to see you there!

New Mexico Local members join Better Call Saul cast members Bob Odenkirk and Michael Mando at the 2016 New Mexico Film & Media Industry Conference sponsored by the New Mexico Film Office. 

Take 4 - Finally, an exciting announcement: We have been working very hard to develop a list of local businesses that would be willing to offer discounts to our paid-up, current members. This is a concerted attempt to offer more benefits to our members and support local New Mexico businesses at the same time. The listing of discounts can be found at the end of this newsletter, on your new member app and on the website.

That’s it for now. Many thanks to your SAG-AFTRA New Mexico Local Board for their continued hard work and to all of our members who are making New Mexico a great place to shoot.

See you on the set!

Sincerely,

Tom Schuch
President, SAG-AFTRA New Mexico Local Board