Screen Actors Guild Production Center and Online Signatory Application Debut at Produced By Conference

Public Beta of the Application Already a Hit with More Than 500 Producers Using the System in the First Month

Los Angeles (June 4, 2011) — Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director David White today publicly previewed SAG’s  new online application for producers as part of the Guild’s appearance at the Producers Guild of America’s Third Annual Produced By Conference at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif.

The presentation kicked off the SAG and SAGindie panel, “Big Names, Small Budgets: The Influence of Professional Talent on Indie Projects.”

Less than a month since going into public beta, Screen Actors Guild’s new online signatory process has facilitated more than 500 digital applications by producers in production on SAG signatory projects, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

The online application is part of the Screen Actors Guild Production Center, located at SAG.org/ProductionCenter, and is the first such tool of its kind in the industry, making it easier and faster for producers to gain access to top talent. The online application is currently available for producers of new media, student, short, ultra-low budget and industrial-educational projects.

“The Production Center and Online Signatory Application are terrific tools for producers,” said Screen Actors Guild National Executive Director David White. “The Production Center’s easy-to-use interface assists our industry partners by speeding up the process of signing with SAG, ensuring that actors get to work faster. We’re very proud of the technology behind the application, but the real advance is in better meeting the needs of those who employ our members.”

“Time is money for producers at any budget level, and that’s what makes this new application so great,” said Karen Borell, SAG National Director, Entertainment Contracts. “It makes the signatory process faster and easier, even for those contracts that aren’t available for complete application in the online tool.”

In addition to the online application, the Production Center offers all producers easy-to-follow signatory tutorials, FAQs, fillable forms, rate sheets, live helpdesk assistance and more.

Producers’ reactions to the new tool have been enthusiastic:

Allison Allain, producer of the new media project “My Mother Never…, “ was the first to have her online application approved. “It’s very clear…It was really easy to follow for somebody who’s never done it before,” she said. “I’ve been asking everybody, ‘Have you tried it? I’ve already told 10 or 12 people about it.”

“The upload, the download, the ability to share files, that all has been extremely simple,” said David Wolfson, producer of the short film Nuts and Bolts. “I think this is going to make producers very happy.”

Douglas Morse, producer of the ultra low budget film The Jew of Malta, said, “I always like being able to do as much work in front of my computer as possible because it is the most efficient way to keep track of documents and emails and information. Using the Production Center allows all of that information to exist in one place on my computer desktop.”

Daniel Andre, a student film producer of Transport from Pima Community College in Tucson, applauded the online signatory process. “It was self-explanatory…Very fast, efficient and easy,” he said.

“It was phenomenal. I wasn’t expecting it to be that fast at all,” said producer Rachel Rath, who signed SAG online for her new media project Masters of the House. “If I hadn’t gone through the process, I wouldn’t have the talented cast I have now.”

The new SCREEN ACTORS GUILD PRODUCTION CENTER offers:

• Online signatory application (public beta now available) for new media, student, short, ultra-low budget and industrial-educational projects
• Step-by-step signatory process tutorials
• Rate sheets, sample performer contracts and FAQs
• Direct access to SAG’s Actors to Locate database and Station 12 cast clearance
• Videos by and for producers to assist in the signatory process
• Easy-to-locate fillable forms that can be downloaded as needed or together in one complete zipped file

See everything the SAG Production Center has to offer at SAG.org/ProductionCenter. Live and in-person helpdesk assistance is available through online chat or telephone during normal business hours.

To download a high-resolution image of the Production Center, click here.

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About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 Branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 125,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.

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Contact: Pamela Greenwalt                         
SAG, Communications Executive Director
(323) 440-2892                     
pgreenwalt@sag.org