SAG-AFTRA Visits the Fairfax Academy

On Feb. 19, Senior Business Representative Jess W. Speaker III visited the Fairfax Academy in Fairfax, Virginia, for its annual Career Experience Day. The event was a chance for students to attend sessions hosted by professionals in various communications- and arts-based industries, including dance, photography and filmmaking.

Speaker’s session, Performers and Unions, guided the group of more than 30 students through a discussion of the general need for the labor movement and power it gives performers. The group explored the core functions of SAG-AFTRA, the benefits of membership, the pathways toward membership and how being a union member is an important part of a professional performer’s career. Speaker answered questions and found that most of the students were interested in finding out more about how to join and what kind of benefits members’ receive.

Fairfax Academy for Communications and the Arts is a specialized “school within a school” housed inside of Fairfax High School that offers communications and arts-focused courses taught by industry professionals for students in grades 9-12. Students are provided with a plethora of opportunities, including internships and job shadowing, résumé and interview assistance, and hands-on workshops and career fairs.

Photo: Washington-Mid Atlantic Local Senior Business Representative Jess W. Speaker III speaks at the Fairfax Academy for Communications and the Arts on Feb. 19.