SAG-AFTRA

Spring 2018

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42 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2018 | SAGAFTRA.org On Location UNIONS COMMEMORATE MLK A delegation of SAG-AFTRA leadership joined more than 1,000 community and labor leaders as well as elected officials to commemorate civil rights accomplishments at the annual L.A. County Federation of Labor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Breakfast on Jan. 20. The event's keynote speaker, Vanita Gupta, who formerly served as the head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, is currently president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Others who spoke included Rusty Hicks, president of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, Time magazine's Person of the Year Juana Melara and UNITE HERE General Vice President Maria Elena Durazo. From left, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, keynote speaker Vanita Gupta, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Faith Evans, L.A. County Federation of Labor President Rusty Hicks, SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon and SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin. T he #AdsGoUnion campaign, in collaboration with the NextGen Performers Subcommittee, held a Jan. 25 educational panel acquainting millennial union members with the current landscape of commercials performing. The event, which took place at SAG-AFTRA Plaza, was moderated by actor Katie Von Till and Subcommittee Chair Ben Whitehair, both Local Board members. Panelists included performer Brent Bailey, casting director Francene Selkirk, talent agent Jennifer York and SAG-AFTRA Associate Commercials Strategist Shaine Griffin. The panel discussed the trajectory of modern commercials production, emerging struggles and opportunities facing the industry in the changing market, and the importance of union solidarity in efforts to grow and recapture covered work. Panelists shared tips to help young performers succeed in the world of commercials, such as the necessity of taking improv classes, which enhances resumes while boosting one's confidence and abilities in auditions. Panelists also emphasized how commercials performing can translate into theatrical success by providing a lucrative and consistent means of work. From left, casting director Francene Selkirk, talent agent Jennifer York, co-emcee and actor Katie Von Till, commercials performer Brent Bailey, and co-emcee and NGP Subcommittee Chair Ben Whitehair. NEXT GENERATION OF COMMERCIALS PERFORMING Los Angeles S AG-AFTRA teamed up with Tubefilter, a media news and video site, to present a panel that offered insight on how members can manage their brand (image) content. Titled The ABCs of the FTC — How to Protect Your Brand Like a Boss, the Jan. 31 panel at Busby's East in Los Angeles featured content creator Arden Rose, Tubefilter CEO Drew Baldwin, Ensemble Digital Studios CEO Larry Shapiro, ScaleLab Vice President and Disruptiv Agency head Ruben Ochoa, and Federal Trade Commission Western Division Director Thomas Dahdouh. SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White moderated the panel. The panel examined the impact on content creators of the endorsement guidelines issued by the Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency that works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. The discussion also explored the future of branded content, the practice of marketing via the creation of content that is funded or outright produced by an advertiser. Panelists distilled the guidelines into a streamlined set of do's and don'ts. "We're trying to understand the rules of the road," White said. "Our goal is to understand the space and help content creators understand it too." The event was organized through SAG-AFTRA's #AdsGoUnion campaign, an initiative to grow union opportunities in the commercial space. The campaign is focused on member activation and mobilization as well as outreach and education in the content creator realm. CONTENT CREATORS DISCUSS NEW AD RULES

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