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76 SAG-AFTRA | Fall 2016 | SAGAFTRA.org On Location BROADCASTER WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD C ongratulations to Maureen Bunyan for being named the first recipient of the Ed Walker Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting Award from the National Capital Radio & Television Museum. The award recognizes the impact local radio and television broadcasters have had on local citizens. Bunyan, who is a Washington-Mid Atlantic Local member and television news anchor for WJLA, was presented with the award at the museum's annual fundraiser Sept. 10. A founder of the International Women's Media Foundation that serves women in the media in 100 countries, Bunyan was noted as being a newsroom leader and an advocate for women and minorities in journalism. "Maureen is truly deserving," stated SAG-AFTRA National Board member and Broadcast Steering Committee Chair Joe Krebs. "Her career has been characterized not only by dedication, intelligence and integrity, but also by her consummate grace and respect for her craft, for her stories and, especially, for her viewers." In 1992, Bunyan was named Washingtonian of the Year, and was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014. Washington- Mid Atlantic From left, reporter Jennifer Donelan, master of ceremonies Arch Campbell and 2016 Ed Walker Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Maureen Bunyan TOM BUCKLEY LOCAL MEMBERS STRIKE GOLD T he SAG-AFTRA San Francisco-Northern California Local presented a staged reading of the new musical Gold Mountain for LaborFest 2016. The reading marks the third consecutive year of the local's involvement in LaborFest, an annual cultural arts festival now in its 22nd year. Held at Berkeley's Aurora Theatre, the event was a fundraiser for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Gold Mountain was written by Jason Ma and directed by Alan Muraoka, both SAG-AFTRA members, and performed by a cast of 12, including SAG-AFTRA and AEA members, and Equity membership candidates. Equity stage managers also volunteered their time. SAG-AFTRA performers were Michael Ching, Brian Rivera and Colin Thomson. Gold Mountain explores a pivotal event in American labor history: the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. A love story juxtaposed against the brutal working conditions of the Chinese laborers, the play celebrates the striving immigrant spirit, the redemptive power of love and the ultimate nobility of self-sacrifice. striving immigrant spirit, the redemptive power of love and the ultimate nobility San Francisco-NorCal Actor Michael Ching in rehearsal for Gold Mountain TRIPLE HEADER N ew Mexico hosted three excellent events in one week in August. It began on Aug. 9 with a Low Budget Agreement and New Media Contract presentation for the local industry with SAG-AFTRA Regional Education & Outreach Liaison Cynthia Williams. It was gratifying to see a full house of filmmakers who were interested in the signatory process or receiving more information about contracts they were already using. The following evening, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation conducted a Casting Access Live Online session. Twenty-one New Mexico Local members participated in an audition workshop and Q&A via Skype with Los Angeles-based casting director Sara Isaacson. The atmosphere in the room was comradely rather than competitive, and Isaacson's feedback gave the actors a good sense of themselves, their capability and key information about how to improve. The next day, Williams held an informal member coffee mixer. Members had an opportunity to ask questions and engage in a relaxed setting. It was a lively and informative discussion, with both veteran and new members talking about member benefits, set etiquette, residuals, agent issues and a whole lot more. New Mexico Local members with Cynthia Williams New Mexico