On Saturday, Feb. 24, while the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles hosted the 2024 SAG Awards ceremony — streamed live globally on Netflix for the first time — Twin Cities Local members and their guests were treated to their own gala celebration and viewing of the awards, hosted at the St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) studios.
This was our first time at SPNN, a working studio and educational facility, but it proved to be perfect for our event! Local Board member Teri Deaver commented, “It was so great to see new faces at the event. Opening it up to non-member guests was also a great way to meet new people, to recognize our allies during the strike, and foster relationships with those who we hope will be our next wave of Twin City Local members. It’s all about building community and demystifying the union.”
Everyone in attendance agreed that our local SAG Awards Committee co-chairs, Board member Veronica Wayne and member Kristin Gregerson, did a wonderful job selecting the site and adding touches to make the evening special, such as using round tables with black coverings and flowers in the center for seating attendees — helping to make us feel like we were sitting in the Shrine with the nominees! In addition to the studio space with its movie theater-style screen, SPNN included a red carpet-style entry and photographer.
Local Board member Steve Simpson shared the following review: “My favorite part of the party this year was the venue. Such an appropriate space for those of us from both the worlds of acting and broadcasting coming together in a studio.”
During the breaks built into the well-paced Netflix presentation, Local President Casey E. Lewis shared some comments and news with attendees, including introducing all Local Board members in attendance and specifically thanking National and Local Board member Randal Berger for representing the Local on the National Board. President Lewis also acknowledged special guests Melodie Bahan, executive director of MN Film & TV, and Kera Peterson, president of St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, both of whom are partners in our legislative efforts to bring the film and TV industry back to prominence in Minnesota.
Other breaks included an update by Mark Bradley, co-chair of the Organizing Committee and chair of the Government Affairs and Public Policy Subcommittee. Bradley spoke about our push to create a Minnesota Film Office this session to take over the promotion and administration of the film production tax credit, as well as other issues. He encouraged members to join the Organizing Committee/GAPP Subcommittee, and to look out for our calls to action at the Capitol.
Lewis also recognized Lily Rains, one of our Conservatory Committee (formerly Education & Outreach) co-chairs. Rains spoke about the committee’s work to bring professional development programming specific to Twin Cities Local members’ needs and encouraged interested members to join the Conservatory Committee.
Before the final awards were presented onscreen, Lewis again thanked SPNN for hosting us and said he hoped we could partner for other projects and events. He also again mentioned our search for more committee members and asked those interested in joining or providing input to email us at twincities@sagaftra.org, and help our local continue to plan fun and impactful gatherings and activities in 2024.
Twin Cities Local Committees are:
- Broadcast Committee
- Communications Committee
- Conservatory Committee
- Film Festivals Committee
- Government Affairs and Public Policy Subcommittee
- Organizing Committee
- SAG Awards Committee
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