Portland Members Line Up To Learn How To “Flip The Job”

Sheldon Smith, mid-Atlantic SAG-AFTRA member and Howard Keel Award winner, returned to Portland on April 14 to present his renowned seminar on how to flip a job from non-union to union.  About 50 members and prospective members lined up out the door of the Deep End Theatre to hear Sheldon’s message. 

Often members are challenged by employers who want us to work off the card.  It can be hard to say “No, I’m sticking with the union,” when our livelihoods are at stake.  After Sheldon shared the deceptively simple steps he developed many years ago to persuade a reluctant employer to hire him under a union contract, the session was opened for questions, fellowship and some seriously delicious pizza!

The takeaway: Never say, ‘no.’  Say, ‘What do you have in mind?’ After you work with your Local Exec to find the contract terms that fit the project, then you can go back to the employer and say, “I’ve got good news!”  It’s a win-win for both actor and employer.

Your Local Board has programmed a number of exciting workshops to help us up our game in our market.  Be sure to visit the Local Events page of our web site to find out about them.