Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/184869
On Location A CONVERSATION WITH CHASKE SPENCER O Ohio-Pittsburgh Chaske Spencer, second from right, and members of the SAG-AFTRA National Native Americans Committee, from left, Joe Cross Jr., Nancy McDoniel, Tania Villanueva, Dawn Jamieson and Donna Lynn Brooks. T he Ohio-Pittsburgh Local kicked off the summer season on June 24 with a social for its Pittsburgh members. As a part of the local conservatory, this is hopefully the first of many picnics for the local. More than 30 members and their families had a blast at one of Pittsburgh's beautiful city parks, Schenley Park. It was a great night to beat the heat with fellow members. New York BROADCAST MENTORING WRAPS UP WITH DEMO REELS T he New York Local's Ninth Annual Broadcast Mentoring Program, organized by the New York News & Broadcast Department, wrapped up on April 27 with a day of demo reel critiques. More than 50 students from local colleges and universities who are pursuing careers in radio and television broadcasting participated. They brought their reels to the SAG-AFTRA office to be reviewed by a panel of professional broadcasters and received feedback on how to improve them for the professional industry. SAG-AFTRA members Marc Ernay of WINS/TTN Sports; Ines Rosales, traffic reporter for Fox 5 Good Day New York; and Dave Price, formerly of CBS News, made up the professional mentor panel. The first session, held on April 13, was a panel discussion and resume review with broadcast members Ernay; Bob Huessler, WFAN; Sean Adams, WCBS-AM; Rick Sommers, formerly of WLTW; Dave Carlin, WCBS-TV; and Andrew Torres, WINS/TTN Traffic. These members shared their stories of how they got their starts and how valuable SAG-AFTRA has been to their careers. SAG-AFTRA OnLoc_v9.indd 32 INCOMING TIDE FOR HAWAII FILM PRODUCTION T he Hawaii Local continues to ride the ebb and flow of the production wave. As CBS's Hawaii Five-0 launches its fourth season on Oahu this summer — meaning "plenny more work" for our members — preproduction is also underway for the lowbudget feature Under the Blood Red Sun and locally produced indie The Fishing Club. In addition, a few major motion pictures are shooting in the islands this summer: a Godzilla movie, Tim Burton's Big Eyes and an unnamed Cameron Crowe film. The Hawaii State Legislature recently passed a 5-percent increase to tax credits, so qualifying productions will receive a 20-percent credit on Oahu and a 25-percent credit for filming on the neighbor islands. Gov. Abercrombie signed the bill into law on June 3. We look forward to the high tide headed our way. DANIEL BAILEY Panelists and SAG-AFTRA members, from left, Marc Ernay, Ines Rosales and Dave Price critique a reel submitted by one of the program participants. 32 MARK ROBERTS n June 4, the SAG-AFTRA National Native Americans Committee hosted Careers in Focus: A Conversation with Chaske Spencer, which featured a candid conversation with the rising star of The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Eclipse, as he discussed his life and career on stage and screen. Attendees were given the opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow performers, broadcasters and filmmakers, as well as representatives from co-sponsors American Indian Community House, Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group, The Eagle Project and American Indian Artists Inc. at the reception that immediately followed. Hawaii On the set of The Fishing Club. | Summer 2013 | SAGAFTRA.org 8/28/13 2:42 PM