Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1157135
sagaftra.org | Summer 2019 | SAG-AFTRA 9 D AV I D W H I T E A Letter from the National Executive Director "These tremendous advances open up new job opportunities and protections for SAG-AFTRA members." incorporate these professionals into the regular flow of production when sexual and other intimate scenes are being shot. As with stunt coordinators, intimacy coordinators work alongside others on set to ensure the safety and integrity of an intimate scene. Done correctly, an intimacy coordinator adds an essential resource for the director, producer and other decision- makers on a set to accomplish their vision. Most importantly, a well-trained intimacy coordinator provides the choreography and essential protection to protect our members from harassment and other inappropriate activity that can happen on any set. The recently approved Netflix agreement is another significant and positive develop- ment for SAG-AFTRA members. In addition to multiple improvements to our basic industry contract, which may serve as an accelerator for gains that we would like to see in the basic contract, this new agreement provides a substantial expansion of work in the area of dubbing. Given Netflix's growth strategy for multiple non-English-speaking jurisdictions hungry for new content, there is reasonable expectation that this will be a significant generator of new jobs for our members. As has been discussed by several industry observers, the Netflix agreement helps to ensure a steady diet of work opportunities for our members as we enter negotiations with the studios in the coming year. These tremendous advances open up new job opportunities and protections for SAG-AFTRA members. However, much has occurred behind the headlines as well. Our broadcast team and organizers have been steadily bringing new broadcast units into the SAG-AFTRA family, including KCRW, a flagship public radio station in Southern California. We have won important victories against SBS, the largest Spanish-language producing radio conglomerate in the USA — victories that have forced the company to give back pay to our members, re-hire them and treat them with respect. More than 8,000 members have signed up with our residuals direct deposit service, and more are coming on board every day. Members are also enjoying the expanded features of our updated mobile app, which now has face ID and touch ID features, and allows members to check in at events with a QR code. We are also pressing forward with our effort to use artificial intelligence in our contract enforcement efforts. We believe that, in time, these features will enhance our ability to seek out and determine instances of unpaid exhibition of your content, so that we can ensure you are properly paid for the use of your voice, likeness and performance. As we approach the TV/Theatrical negotiations and the national convention, there's a lot more to do. Your staff and I will continue to work hard under your guidance to sustain this momentum and secure the union's place in an ever-evolving media and entertainment industry. In solidarity and looking forward, David White Dear Member, A s we move through the summer months, I can hardly believe how fast 2019 is rolling by us. We have accomplished a great deal since the beginning of the year, and also since my last letter to you. First, I want to provide some additional context to some of our recent milestone achievements. By successfully concluding our strike against advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty U.S. Inc., we have sent an important message of enormous solidarity to employers throughout the industry — and they are paying attention. Importantly, we ended this strike after having negotiated the groundbreaking deal with the industry's bargaining representatives, the Joint Policy Committee. The agreement has been widely applauded by the industry as one that addresses many concerns about producing commercials in the digital age. These two accomplishments represent SAG-AFTRA's philosophy to be "easy to work with, hard to fight." Every time we are able to showcase both of these attributes, I consider it an important success. I also could not be more excited about our campaign to expand the space for intimacy coordinators and to standardize the protocols around this critical, emerging role in the entertainment industry. In partnership with Intimacy Directors International and other groups that have established intimacy coordinators, and in collaboration with sister guilds and other allies in the industry, we believe that we can build the industry's capacity to