Branch Welcomes New
Council Members and Officers

Candidates recently elected from the Utah Branch are: Anne Sward, president; Paul Mulder, vice president; Kathy Jarvis, secretary; Tracy Scott, treasurer and Cheryl Gaysumas, council member at large. All began serving two-year terms on September 25, 2009. Also chosen to fill one-year terms that began on the same date are Joyce Cohen and DonRe’ Sampson, serving as first and second alternate council members respectively.   
Those members elected as officers and council members at large are also elected as alternate national directors who may be called upon to serve at National Board meetings when the National Board member from the Utah Branch is unavailable to attend.

All candidates ran unopposed and were elected without the necessity of ballot vote, pursuant to the Branch Rules of Procedure.  Congratulations to them all, and our deep thanks for their willingness to serve their fellow Utah members.

Here We Go Again

By Anne Sward

I would like to thank the Nominating Committee for their confidence in presenting their electoral slate. The Branch will have a wonderful group of officers and council members representing SAG in Utah. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Susan Dolan for the service she gave to our membership during her tenure. Susan is the consummate professional and represented us with intelligence, grace and charm. There are few people who work so tirelessly and with such a firm commitment to this union as Susan. Thank you Susan for all that you do. You will be greatly missed, and yet I know you will be on the side lines, right?

Also, thank you to K.J. Shelton, who has stepped down as Utah Branch treasurer. K.J. has been in this Branch from the very beginning and on council for years. That kind of dedication is hard to find. Council meetings will not be the same without her. K.J.’s historical memory of our organization is tremendous, and she was a part of that history. How can anyone thank someone for this kind of service? K.J., please know you always will be remembered. We all appreciate you for supporting SAG and for being a nurturer in our early days.

So, here we go again. The council will be setting goals and defining who we are. Again, we need to hear from you. We need to hear your concerns and issues and to develop our community as best we can. We will be starting the Utah SAG Conservatory and need volunteers to serve on a committee and help organize the events we have proposed. My e-mail is UtahPresident@sag.org; please contact me if you want to be included in the conservatory, or you can contact me through the office at (800) 724-0767.
 
These are hard times. Box office is doing fairly well, but investment monies for films is hard to find. Production is down in Utah, but the economy will push forward, and so must we. Until we get another TV series or film, see if you can do the low budget indie films. You can get summaries of the SAG-approved contracts at SAGIndie.org. Always have the conversation of going SAG. Keep in contact with what is going on in town. We must communicate and organize. When filmmakers realize the selection of SAG contracts they are amazed. It is about education. We will continue to have seminars and forums regarding our contracts. Push your agents to get you OPO’s. Again, it is educating people.

We will have our annual meeting on November 16. You must attend. (No really, you must!) There are many industry ”meet and greets” in town now. We get to have our own. It is a good time to get out, compare notes and discuss the issues. More importantly, it is a time to meet and find out who SAG is. I want to be able to put a face on the membership, your face. The council needs to know who you are. Collective bargaining works.
See you in November. Let’s talk.

Utah Film Commission Update

By Marshall Moore
Utah Film Commissioner

Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with nine members of the Utah film community. The visits have been very enlightening and productive. These meetings have been with crew members, vendors and organizations seeking to understand and learn more about what we are doing to bring more work to Utah and to gain a better understanding about the mission of the Film Commission. I appreciate those who have taken the time to come in and look forward to meeting with those of you who have not yet taken the opportunity.

Recently, the Motion Picture Advisory Committee and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board approved the following productions for incentives:

My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend: Completed photography July 2009.

The Letter: Completed photography August 2009.

Area 51: September 2009-November 2009*

John Carter of Mars: November 2009-June 2010*

The Root Beer Christmas: November 2009-December 2009*

High School Musical 4: December 2009-May 2010*

Circle of 8: Approved for incentives in July 2009.
 
*Includes pre-production.

There will be another production in the cue for incentives at next Thursday’s MPAC meeting along with another under $1 million incentive application for Timed Out. There is currently a total of $12 million  still available for appropriation in the current fiscal year, which began on July 1.

We appreciate the efforts of the advisory committee, The Motion Picture Association of Utah  and all the members of the Governor’s board for serving tirelessly on behalf of the state of Utah and the Utah film industry. Thank you all for your continued support as we work our way through a very difficult time.

If you would like to come to meet with me, simply contact our office at (801) 538-8740 to set up an appointment.

Thank you and see you on the set.

Our Mission

By Don Livesay
Utah Executive Director

For those who've never read it, the mission statement of Screen Actors Guild reads:

The Screen Actors Guild represents its members through: (A) Negotiation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for performers. (B) The collection of compensation for exploitation of their recorded performances and protection against unauthorized use. (C) The preservation and expansion of work opportunities.

Are we fulfilling our mission?

To answer that question, let me share some exciting things. I see contracts recently re-negotiated being used in hiring our Utah members after a long dry spell. I see growing interest to hire members of SAG in new media projects. I see expanded SAG influence in Utah as we cast our net for new jobs and new members. I see a truly inspired package of state filmmaking incentives geared to increase Utah production like never before—incentives that many Utah SAG members and their colleagues in the business strove hard to deliver. I see a talented and diligent film commission staff fully equipped to coax filmmakers to Utah. And most importantly, I see that same staff eager to listen to our Utah leadership in Screen Actors Guild. Recently Film Commissioner Marshall Moore met with President Susan Dolan and myself and agreed to add “Utah-based talent” to the promo list of the highly skilled personnel available and willing to work. Be encouraged.

But the picture I see is not all rosy. What I’d like to see are more knowledgeable members willing to trust the system and to stand up for what is due them.
Recently, it came to light that some members think they can accept background performer work without a contract, no matter what the contract. In their minds they think that background work is simply not SAG work. They are mistaken. It is true that we don’t cover background performers under SAG film and television contracts in Utah, but we do for industrials and commercials. When you work without a SAG contract in commercials and industrials, whether as a principal or background performer, you violate Rule One.

SAG cannot perform its mission for the benefit of its membership when some of our people undercut those efforts by taking non-union work. No SAG organizer can succeed if, while he or she is beating the bushes trying to find producers to sign an agreement with us, members are taking any job that comes down the pike.

The reality is that our mission cannot be accomplished without our members’ support. If you really want to make a difference, start by communicating to this office and to your elected leadership. If you find out about a project or audition, let us know. Our experience has proved that we can turn non-union projects into union jobs, and you can help. The success or failure of our mission depends on how well all of us are listening to one another, finding answers that work and then standing as one.