Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/821178
56 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2017 | SAGAFTRA.org On Location SYLVIA KAUDERS RECORDING STUDIO NOW OPEN T he Sylvia Kauders Recording Studio, housed in the SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Local office, is now open. Many thanks to friends and family of Sylvia Kauders, who donated money to create the studio and to Local Board members Neil Samuels and Meagan Hill, National Board member Helen McNutt and producer John Bell for creating this valuable resource for local members. The studio will be open to paid-up members to self- record and submit auditions after attending one training session. To see a video of the Sylvia Kauders Recording Studio ribbon-cutting, visit the local page at sagaftra.org/philly. LOCAL KEEPS BUSY L ed by Director, Contracts & Member Services Jessica Maher, the New England Local's December conservatory focused on what members need to know once they have booked a principal job. Topics included engagement, cancellation, fittings, consecutive employment, turnaround and travel. In November, a conservatory on audiobooks, led by SAG-AFTRA member Derek Perkins, covered how to break into the book-narrating business. Perkins has narrated nearly 200 audiobooks and has won several awards, including an Audie, the industry's top honor. In 2016, he published the Audiobook Narration Manual: How to Set Up a Home Studio, Find Work and Record Audiobooks for a Living. Additionally, the New England Local hosted a highly engaging pre-member event and participated in the Annual Mass Media Expo on Nov. 5. New England ACTIVE AND INVOLVED I n early November, New Mexico Local Board members represented SAG-AFTRA at the New Mexico Film and Media Conference hosted by the New Mexico film office. This two-day event brought together industry leaders from around the state and offered a variety of diverse panels and dynamic presentations as well as great networking opportunities. This year they also debuted the Emergent Media Playground, an interactive environment designed to encourage attendees to touch and play with the technology of the future and to learn more about how technology is currently being used in New Mexico. As one of the events sponsors, SAG-AFTRA had its own booth, and members were on hand to talk with pre-members and industry representatives about the benefits of SAG-AFTRA and the advantages of using a union contract. At one point, members Bob Odenkirk and Michael Mando, two of the stars from Better Call Saul, stopped by the table to say hello and show their support. New Mexico Local Board members are joined by Better Call Saul stars Bob Odenkirk and Michael Mando at the New Mexico Film and Media Conference. Derek Perkins leads the audiobook conservatory. New Mexico National Board member Helen McNutt with Susan Saltzman, a friend of the late Sylvia Kauders, at the Dec. 8 ribbon-cutting. TOM SCHUCH Philadelphia