We Are the Union: True Stories from Portland Local Members

We all know that the union is ready to stand up for us when we need it to — but every day Portland Local members are doing their part to stand up for their union and their fellow members. This is one in a series of stories from “the trenches” about how SAG-AFTRA has been there for local members and how members have done their part to strengthen SAG-AFTRA in our market. This time around, we hear from Portland actor Todd A. Robinson.

"I remember being a 13-year-old drama geek in Southern California and meeting my dad’s friend, who was a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He had recently appeared in a co-starring role on The Golden Girls, and I was so impressed! I told him that I wanted to get my SAG card, too. He gave me some great advice that I would eventually put into action as an adult and planted the seed in my mind that I could someday become a member. It didn’t happen for another 20-plus years, after landing a principal role in a studio-backed feature film shot in the area, but I was still as excited as that aspiring kid I used to be.

"As a SAG-AFTRA member, I have had the great fortune to play memorable roles on several television series and independent feature films — but to be completely honest, being a union member in a local market like Portland comes with an added responsibility if you want to stay busy with more than your day job. There are only a handful of scale wage-paying union opportunities that come through this market each year, so even the most frequently working union members may only land a couple of these gigs annually. That means that local members MUST become union advocates to increase their chances of staying busy without working “off the card.” Many of the locally produced movies that I have worked on were not intended to be signatory projects, but I convinced them that fulfilling the necessary requirements to become one was worth the extra effort to be able to book me in their productions.

"This year, I joined the Portland Local Organizing Committee because I was tired of seeing local members working on non-union regional commercials and accelerating the race to the bottom. I believe that this can become a strong union market again if the local membership will collectively adhere to Global Rule One. I’m always encouraging the union-eligible actors to consider joining right away to potentially force the hand of local producers to go union when no favorable options are available. I also spend a lot of time with indie producers and directors, extolling the virtues of working with union talent and the ease with which it can be made possible. I remember the days when there were union commercials, direct response media, industrial videos, MOWs, voice gigs and major motion pictures frequently casting Portland actors in significant roles. I was not a member yet at that point, but I really wanted to be a part of it. I wholeheartedly believe that Portland and its SAG-AFTRA membership can thrive like that again."

This item was featured in the Portland Local newsletter.

Have you done something to help strengthen SAG-AFTRA in our market? Has the union been there for you when you needed it? We want to hear your true stories! Send them to portland@sagaftra.org and they might just be included in future newsletters.