Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1186820
For Members 20 SAG-AFTRA | Fall 2019 | sagaftra.org A SCARY GOOD TIME AT NEXTGEN MIXER NextGen performers gathered at Busby's East in Los Angeles on Oct. 22 for some pre-Halloween fun. Hosted by Jake Borelli of Grey's Anatomy, the mixer invited attendees to come dressed as their favorite television or film character, with prizes awarded for the best costumes. National Board member Ben Whitehair attended. SAG-AFTRA is focused on attracting more young members to union service, and at its board meeting in October, the National Board formed the National NextGen Performers Committee. T he SAG-AFTRA podcast has resonated with members since its launch in January. Now, the successful series is catching the ear of an even wider audience. Total downloads reached more than 30,000 in October, thanks to the release of some popular new episodes. "Stacking Auditions in Your Favor," released Oct. 1, hit 2,818 downloads in less than four weeks. It is the podcast's most-downloaded episode after "Social Media Superstars on the Future of Entertainment" (2,050 downloads), released Feb. 17, and "Actor-to-Actor with Alan Alda" (2,038 downloads), released May 24. The show, hosted by President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White has released 21 episodes. It features in-depth interviews, industry insights and compelling stories affecting the entertainment and media industry. SAG-AFTRA also produces a Spanish- language podcast hosted by members Ana Carolina Grajales and Sylvia Villagran and Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. It isn't a translation of the English version; it's crafted specifically for Spanish-speaking performers, including those who are members of Latin American sister unions, since they often work under SAG-AFTRA contracts or for producers in the United States or in their home countries. Like its English counterpart, the hosts interview industry movers and shakers and go in-depth on the issues that matter most to listeners. HOW TO LISTEN Visit sagaftra.org/podcast for a library of all English episodes and sagaftra.org/ podcastespanol for episodes in Spanish. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts and TuneIn. HEAR, HEAR! S AG-AFTRA is working to build a coalition of allies to promote passage of a bill that would update federal tax code to put more money in members' pockets. The bill, known as the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act, would update the Qualified Performing Artist deduction. The coalition includes Actors' Equity Association and the American Federation of Musicians, and the union is seeking other supporters. Introduced in May by Reps. Judy Chu, D-California, and Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, the bill would be the first update to the deduction since the 1980s. The Qualified Performing Artist deduction was intended to benefit middle-class artists, and applied to performers making less than $16,000 annually when it was signed into law by President Reagan. But it hasn't kept up with the times, and in today's dollars, $16,000 is no longer a living wage. "We would like to thank Reps. Chu and Buchanan for introducing this bill," said SAG- AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. "SAG-AFTRA members work hard to entertain people around the globe while providing for their families. Any slight changes in their income could be detrimental and it is imperative that tax reform protects our community of performing artists as well as hardworking middle-class Americans." UNION BACKS TAX BILL From left, SAG-AFTRA members Sandra Karas, secretary-treasurer of AEA; Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon; Rep. Judy Chu; National Board member Stacey Travis; and David Dastmalchian CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW