Twin Cities News and Views

A couple of weeks ago, I attended an event that I hope will be repeated many times in the future. Organized by Lynn Steele of Lynn Steele Casting and the Minnesota Film and Television Board and the local SAG-AFTRA Board, it was a chance for a good-sized group of local independent filmmakers and producers to get to know a selection of talented local union actors. I was there to represent the union and to help explain how easy and affordable it is to hire SAG-AFTRA professionals for any size budget. The actors were brought in one at a time to perform an on-camera audition. Then, Pat Coyle or another director gave suggestions, and had the actor redo a portion of their piece. The auditions were great! I talked to a number of directors who had never considered using a professional, but could instantly see the difference doing so would make to their production. After the auditions, we all had a meet-and-mingle where the two groups could get to know each other. I saw directors walking around getting contact information from a number of actors. Our hope is to develop this into a regular event, to serve as an ongoing resource for local SAG-AFTRA members and the Twin Cities film community. Look for another event in a few months. Check with your agent.

A DAY IN THE LIFE ...

Send us your real-life stories on the job

Our newly merged union includes many categories of members, but many of us don’t know much about the work our fellow SAG-AFTRA members do. Let’s share our stories on the job and in our community as local SAG-AFTRA members. We hope to include in every issue of this newsletter going forward short stories submitted by you the members about jobs you have been on recently; auditions or casting experiences; what you do to network and how you train to stay sharp professionally or anything you think would be of interest to share about your union-related work and experiences. We want your “Day in the Life” stories (like Bob Davis’ report in this issue on the recent casting meet-and-mingle in Minneapolis).

Just send us your brief story (250-word maximum) and/or photo(s) by email and note “Day in the Life” in the subject line. Please include your full name and contact information with your submission.

Submissions for the next newsletter are due by Aug. 23. The editors reserve the right to make the final decision on whether or not to include your submission and also reserve the right to edit the piece if necessary. Members whose stories are accepted will be contacted by email and may be asked to sign additional documents granting SAG-AFTRA the right to publish their story in the newsletter.

Bob Davis, Twin Cities Local Board Member