Scene Around Town

Dynamic and Diverse—SAG-AFTRA members and staff, along with Emmy nominees, joined with the Television Academy to celebrate the trend toward increasing diversity in television at the Saban Media Center in the NoHo Arts District on Sept. 11.

Honoring Breakthrough Women—L.A. Local President Jane Austin, right, paid tribute to SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local Board member Elizabeth McLaughlin and SAG-AFTRA member Kaye Ballard, who were among the women honored for having broken through the glass ceiling in film, television and the arts and at the 10th annual Broken Glass Awards in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 5.

Bringing Hollywood Back—SAG-AFTRA leadership joined fellow co-sponsors, including the L.A. City Council, California Film Commission, Teamsters Local 399, Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund, Producers Guild of America and 1600 Vine for the Made In Hollywood Honors at 1600 Vine on Sept. 12. In attendance were, from left, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works Commission President Kevin James, SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local 1st Vice President Patricia Richardson, SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer and L.A. Local President Jane Austin, SAG-AFTRA National Board member Diane Ladd, L.A. City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, SAG-AFTRA member Renee Taylor and SAG-AFTRA Vice President, L.A. Clyde Kusatsu. The awards celebrated 24 honorees, including shows This Is Us, Westworld, Glow and RuPaul’s Drag Race for bringing work back to the home of entertainment by shooting in Los Angeles.

Celebrating the Artist—SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and her husband Charles Isaacs joined SAG-AFTRA leaders at the third annual SAG-AFTRA Foundation Patron of the Artists Awards on Nov. 8 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The benefit helps fund the foundation’s vital assistance and performers programs for SAG-AFTRA artists, as well as its award-winning children’s literacy program.

Photo Credit: Tommaso Boddi

HCC Entertainment Summit—SAG-AFTRA National Board member Jasper Randall, left, and SAG-AFTRA Vice President, Sound Recordings Dan Navarro, right, were among several SAG-AFTRA leaders present at the seventh annual Hollywood Chamber of Commerce State of the Entertainment Industry Conference presented by Variety. Music icon and CEO of FSM Irving Azoff, center, was a keynote speaker.

Young Stars Shine—Honorees Raven-Symoné and cast members from Disney Channel’s Andi Mack along with a group of SAG-AFTRA leadership and young performers walked the traditional blue carpet emblematic of The Actor’s Funds’ 2018 Looking Ahead Awards. The annual benefit, which was held at the Tagylan Cultural Complex in Hollywood on Oct. 28, is meant to raise awareness and funds for the organization’s Looking Ahead Program that provides educational, financial and community services for the young performer community.

THR Emmy Party—SAG-AFTRA leadership celebrated the Emmy season with President Gabrielle Carteris at the second annual Emmy nominees party hosted by SAG-AFTRA and The Hollywood Reporter on Sept. 14 at the Avra Beverly Hills restaurant. Carteris and THR Editorial Director Matthew Belloni hosted the star-studded evening. Attendees included, from left, SAG-AFTRA National Board member Ron Ostrow, SAG-AFTRA National Board member and L.A. Local 1st Vice President Patricia Richardson, SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer and L.A. Local President Jane Austin, member Trevor Noah, SAG-AFTRA National Board members Ellen Crawford and Abby Dylan, SAG-AFTRA L.A. Board member Kate Linder and member Mike Genovese.

MPTF Women’s Conference—Some of SAG-AFTRA’s most dynamic female leaders converged at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s fourth annual “Deal With It: A Women’s Conference,” an evening designed to support women in the entertainment industry. In attendance were, from left, SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local Board member Vivicca Whitsett; SAG-AFTRA Film Society Committee Chair Timothy Blake; SAG-AFTRA Executive Director, Governance Michelle Bennett; SAG Awards Executive Producer Kathy Connell; SAG-AFTRA National Board member Abby Dylan; SAG-AFTRA members Katie Wallack and Sharon Lawrence; SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local Board member Katie Von Till; and SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local Executive Director Ilyanne Morden Kichaven.

NextGen Pulls Out the Stops—More than 300 young entertainment professionals enjoyed a lively evening mingling and dancing with fellow SAG-AFTRA members at LURE nightclub in Hollywood on Sept. 25. Attending the annual shindig, co-sponsored by NewFilmmakers L.A., were SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer and L.A. President Jane Austin, NFMLA Executive Director Larry Laboe, NGP Subcommittee member Rudy Solis, celebrity host and SAG-AFTRA member Danielle Savre, Subcommittee members Woody Schultz and Elena Dole, Subcommittee Vice Chair Aubrey Mozino, and Subcommittee Chair Ben Whitehair on Sept. 25.