Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1339408
35 SAG-AFTRA SPECIAL ISSUE 2021 // SAGAFTRA.ORG in the ever-popular "I Am an Actor" vignettes. This theme will be expanded upon this year in a way the show has never done before and will be woven in among the categories and winner announcements. Leaning into the overarching idea of this year's show being a "celebration at home," the team has plans for a night unlike others in the past. In addition to a fresh take on the awards-standard nominee gift bag (see page 59), Cooper's Hawk, a longtime sponsor, is curating a special "Weekend Watch Box." Nominees will also be capturing the moment with special at-home portraits. "This year's show is really going to be the actors' party in the actor's house," said SAG Awards Digital Manager Nic Vivas. "We really want to photograph the nominees in a natural environment that felt warm and intimate, and recognize the year many in the industry have had." While a level of glamour is expected and even hoped for after the year we've all experienced, the awards remain dedicated to its raison d'être: raising funds for members during their time of need — and this year it's even more critical. As per SAG Awards ® tradition, fundraising efforts will go to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to help support many of its relief efforts and programs. Since March 2020, the Foundation has raised and granted more than $6 million in aid to assist thousands of SAG-AFTRA performers and families in financial crises. "The focus of the show has always been to raise visibility and support for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, and that has never been more true than in this instance," said Williams. "We understand how important the Foundation is to our members, particularly with COVID, and so our work has been crucial." As change continues on an industrywide scale, the one thing that has remained constant is the impact performers have on our everyday lives. As long as the spirit of union actors continues to endure, so too does the spirit of the SAG Awards ® . A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SAG AWARDS COMMITTEE THIS YEAR FOR THEIR ENDURANCE, RESILIENCY AND CREATIVITY IN MAKING THIS YEAR'S AWARD SHOW. FROM LEFT, MEMBERS WOODY SCHULTZ, ELIZABETH McLAUGHLIN AND JASON GEORGE, SAG AWARDS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KATHY CONNELL, SAG AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIR JoBETH WILLIAMS AND VICE CHAIR DARYL ANDERSON.