Three Locals Join Seattle Film Summit

Three locals, Colorado, Portland and Seattle, were well represented on the Seattle Film Summit panel Being a SAG-AFTRA Member. The Seattle Film Summit describes itself as an annual event “to help shape a dynamic and socially responsible film economy in the Northwest by linking to A-list industry professionals and empowering regional artists with the information and tools necessary to hone their craft and bring their stories to light.” This year, the summit ran from Sept. 3–11. The panel, which was held on Sept. 5, featured SAG-AFTRA Colorado Local Board member and actor Sheila Ivy Traister and SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local President and actor Rik Deskin.The discussion was moderated by SAG-AFTRA Portland Local President and actor-stunt performer Michelle Damis. The virtual audience numbered around 75. Traister and Deskin discussed their first SAG-AFTRA jobs, casting, the SAG-AFTRA Health and SAG-Producers Pension plans, the benefits of SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs, the ease of utilizing SAG-AFTRA agreements and the ethics of producers’ responsibilities.

This item originally appeared in the SAG-AFTRA magazine Fall/Winter 2021 issue.