A Message from Your Branch Councilor

By Jerry Winsett

This is a period of real confidence in the Carolinas. Here in North Carolina, Gov. Bev Perdue signed the film incentive, Senate Bill 943, in August, and it is now expected that we’ll see this area become much more fiercely competitive in the regional film market. Already, a large number of productions are scoping out the Carolinas for future projects. As we say here in the south, “Y’all come on down!”

Many North Carolina SAG actors have found work in varied productions such as The Marc Pease Experience and the historical drama The Conspirator. In recent history we have seen a new casting office (Jackie Burch), new acting classes and a new talent agency in Wilmington, bringing in actors from all across the Carolinas. The Cucalorus Film Festival, named one of the "Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals" by Moviemaker Magazine, celebrated its 15th anniversary as an international film festival in 2009. 
 
South Carolina has been promoting its 20 percent film incentive package, and South Carolina film projects in post-production or pre-production include Ponytail and The Legend of the Gray Man. It’s a good time for producers to come to the Carolinas!

To help get our membership more informed for the increased production, we had a SAG meet and greet on January 19 in Wilmington at the Bluepost Pub (with many thanks to owner Barbara Weetman for extending her hospitality). And due to popular demand, a second iActor information/help session was held July 20 on the University of North Carolina-Wilmington campus. (Our gratitude goes to Jorge Figueroa of UNCW for helping us set that up!)

It’s an exciting time to be a SAG actor in the Carolinas. We enter a new year and new decade filled with optimism.


Nick Basta, Jack Landry, Sydney Penny, Jerry Winsett, Karen Brigman, Phillip Troy Linger, Misty Hall and Richard Browne

SAG Meet and Greet a Success

By Jason Tomlinson

On January 19, Jerry Winsett and I hosted a “meet and greet” at the Blue Post Pub in Wilmington, N.C. It was a great opportunity for local members to get to know their fellow Carolina SAG members in a relaxed atmosphere. We also entertained a few eligible non-members. The non-members were able to speak with many of the current members to ask questions and hear firsthand about the benefits and importance of becoming a member of Screen Actors Guild.

I had a great time meeting everyone. I think that I can speak for the majority in saying that the meet up was a success. We hope to have similar events in the near future. The general tone was that of optimism for the Carolinas. The 25 percent film incentive, which started January 1 of this year, has renewed hope for the rebirth of Carolina filmmaking. With two feature films being shot in the state this month already, the future looks bright for the Carolinas in 2010.

SAG on the Scene

By Jason Tomlinson

While in North Carolina, I took the opportunity to visit the sets of two productions currently shooting in the Triad. The first set I visited was Elephant Sighs in High Point. Elephant Sighs was written and directed by Ed Simpson, the chairman of the Performing Arts Department at High Point University. The comedy/drama based on the play of the same name by Simpson, explores loss, loneliness and the healing power of friendship. The film stars Ed Asner, David Wells and John Cariani.

I also was able to visit the set of StaleMate in Winston-Salem. StaleMate was written and directed by North Carolina School of the Arts alum Lovinder Gill. StaleMate, a drama about a woman torn between two men, stars Sheetal Sheth, Josh Randall and Burgess Jenkins.

Current Carolina Production Activity

The Guild has been contacted by the following productions about becoming signatory to one of our collective bargaining agreements. These producers may not have completed the signatory process at this time. It's the responsibility of each member to confirm each producer has signed the applicable contract before making an agreement to render services. Failure to confirm the signatory status before rendering services may lead to disciplinary charges being filed. If you have any questions, please contact the office at (504) 585-7324.

A Box for Rob - Modified Low Budget
Uptone Pictures Inc.
Start: April 30, 2010
Location: Wake Forest, N.C.

All In A Day’s Work – Ultra Low Budget
EGTE Films
Start: TBD
Location: Wilmington, N.C.

Ruby’s Saturn Return – Ultra Low Budget
Ferro Films LLC
Start Date: February 2010
Location: Charleston, S.C.

One Tree Hill – TV Series
Warner Bros. Television,
A Division of Warner Brothers Studio Enterprises Inc. 
Start: June 17, 2009
Location: Wilmington, N.C.

ALL ABOARD iActor 3.0
Casting Database Now Simpler, Faster

Screen Actors Guild has announced new enhancements to the iActor online casting database (iactor.org). The new features enable actors to create profiles that reflect their talents more accurately than ever. The upgrades also make talent searches more focused and easier, a significant benefit for casting agents, producers, new media developers and others needing to cast their projects.

The enhancements are geared toward providing actors with the ability to further personalize their online profiles to better capture their unique attributes that will influence the casting decision. They also improve the functionality of the site by reducing the number of steps needed to perform common tasks. The enhancements include:

Profile enhancements
• Improves published resumes by providing both PDF and HTML formats for more flexibility
• Offers additional options for actor body type, ethnicity and special skills
• Adds description fields for “voice quality” and “sound-alikes” to voice-over resume
• Adds a new integrated media slideshow
• Updates options for gender
• Adds the ability to create custom credit types for more control and flexibility

Functionality enhancements
• Adds drag-and-drop functionality throughout the site for superior ease of use
• Allows the ability to include a mini headshot on printed resume
• Allows the ability to update business contact numbers within iActor
• Combines “Actors to Locate” with iActor search to provide results for all SAG members
• Adds the ability to publish multiple resumes to public sites
• Changes the way languages are selected; adds options for proficiency and accents or dialects
• Allows additional cross-platform interfaces to share data with third-party casting services

For more information, visit iactor.org or e-mail info@iactor.org.

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