How I got Taft Hartleyed into SAG on my own project

A lot of people have been asking me about how I got my SAG eligibility, so it made me realize that a blog post might be really useful for some people.

I'll tell you my story, but before I begin I'll tell you why it's interesting: I became eligible because of the work I did on the web series that I created.

I never imagined this would be one of the (many) benefits of creating my own project, but, low and behold, it was. I feel like I tapped into one of the best kept secrets in the industry. To be honest, it feels like I got away with something, and because of this I have been hesitant to tell anyone about my experience. I feared that SAG would hunt me down and strip me of my honor for letting their secret out!

But you know what, oh well! If they have a problem with this method, they can change it, right!? And maybe they will, but until then, if you have the drive and the resources, you too may be able to do what I did.

My Story

Last April I wrote a web series called "Leaving Bliss" so that I could have a project to act in. I was non-union, and we shot the first five episodes non-union, but several SAG actors were involved in the show because at the time SAG was lenient about its actors doing internet work.*

Several months later, after we released our first episode in January, my producing partner, Steve Yager, and I decided we wanted the project to be SAG because we were looking into a distribution site that only hosts web shows that have union status. I'm not WGA and Steve's not DGA, so we thought we could most easily register with SAG because we already had so many SAG actors in the project, not to mention we wanted to continue shooting episodes and using talented SAG actors. It just felt right (and long overdue) to register with the union.

Steve called SAG and asked about registering an internet project, and they transferred him to the right department. A very lovely woman named Maria helped Steve work through the process. He had to fill out some paperwork about the show, including information on budget, and he had to submit a copy of the script.

After Maria received this paperwork, we went down to the SAG office on Wilshire to meet with Maria and sign some paperwork. I gave her a list of all the SAG actors in the project, and she gave us a notebook outlining our responsibilities as a SAG signatory producer. We received time-sheets and copies of the SAG Internet agreement, which is fully negotiable.

At the end of the meeting, she handed us a Taft Hartley form and said that if we needed to, we could Taft Hartley principal actors. It is not necessary to do this under the agreement that we have with SAG, but if the actors would like it, then we can do it for them. I asked her if there was a fee associated with the process, and she said no. Steve and I played it cool, took our paperwork, thanked Maria for all her help, and were on our way. By the end of the 30 minute meeting, Steve was a SAG signatory producer, the show was union affiliated, and I had hope in my heart that I could soon get my own SAG membership.

The next day, we filled out the 2-page Taft Hartley form and sent it in to SAG along with my headshot and resume. After a few days they approved my application, and I was good to go!

My Advice to You

If you are a principal on a web series that has SAG status, ask your producers about the Taft Hartley process and ask if they are willing to do this for you. If so, all they have to do is give you the two pages of paperwork, which you need to fill out and send in with your headshot and resume. (Again, Steve and I are working under the SAG Internet Agreement, so if your producer has a different contract, I do not know if the process is any different/harder.)

If you are an actor who wants to create your own web series to try to get your SAG card, call the SAG office in your area and ask about setting up an Internet Agreement for your show. They will get you started on the process. If you want advice in general about starting your own web series, I am considering doing a post on that topic in the near future.

Best of luck in your endeavors! If you have any questions, let me know!

:)
Shanna



*My understanding of things. I cannot say for certain if this was the case.

Today I feel like talking about obsession.

No, not the "refreshing, oriental, woody fragrance" by Calvin Klein.




Rather, the arresting, dominating, persistent state-of-mind that occasionally consumes me.




I'm usually not a very obsessive person. In fact, I'm usually pretty aloof about most things. But I've been consumed recently, and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit what I'm obsessed about.

Sigh...

Here we go.




Youtube hits.


Yes, the number of times people watch my videos.


Oh god, it hurts to even write it. I suddenly feel like a 13-year-old with nothing better to do than slack off on homework and sit at the computer, checking again and again to see how my video is doing.

And it doesn't stop at video views! I'm obsessed about how many YT subscribers we have, how many YT friends we have, what the comments are, what the video responses are. Luckily, I stop short of doing math to determine the difference in hits from one day to the next.




But don't think it hasn't crossed my mind.


I've been living in a very strange virtual world lately. A lot of my life takes place online because of my web series. Almost all my emails anymore are from youtube or myspace. I communicate with people I've never met, who live halfway across the world. While it's cool to connect with new people like this, I'd have to say this obsession is drawing me away from my real life quite a bit. I don't get very many "real" emails these days. And it occurred to me yesterday that this is because I don't send very many anymore! Because I'm totally, ridiculously obsessed with this online world of hits and comments and pm's!




So, yeah. I'm gonna try to step back a bit from this obsession, because, honestly, it's not helping my video views increase any faster.

A moment for moustaches

I should be getting ready for work, but I really feel I need to take a few moments to say something about moustaches.




I have a complex relationship with moustaches, a relationship that is deeply emotionally charged.

I always kind of knew the moustache was a thing for me, but only recently has it really come to the forefront of my consciousness.

And let me tell you what recent event brought the moustache issue to light for me: The US Airways plane crash on the Hudson River.





On the surface, this event and my revelation may seem disconnected. But a not much deeper look into the story reveals Captain C.B. Sully Sullenberger, the moustachioed hero who courageously made split second decisions that saved the lives of 150 innocent people.





This story choked me up like no other. I mean, I was teary eyed when I heard it on the radio, when I heard it on the news, when I read it online, and again when I read it in In Touch magazine. (Yeah, I read it there...)

Now I get that there is a certain emotional factor that is inherent in this story. I mean, it is a plane crashing after all. But I was surprised at how much my heart swelled every single time I thought about this Sully guy doing his job and landing that damn plane on the Hudson.

I mentioned this to Steve, who said, "Is it because he has a moustache?"

At first, I denied this. It was because he was a hero, right?

Right??

But then I thought of older guys at that I occasionally see eating alone at restaurants. It's always the ones with moustaches that make me want to sit down next to them just so they won't look so sad and sweet and lonely.

And I thought of my dad, who has been moustached since the day I met him (which was when I was born, btw).

Thinking about these other mustachioed non-heroes evoked similar emotions to those I felt when reading about Sully Sullenberger. Perhaps the lip hair really is the connection?

What is it about moustaches and the key to unlocking the emotions of my heart?!?

I think maybe it has something to do with this: in my eyes, a moustache makes a person more vulnerable.





I don't know why I think this. It probably has something to do with my dad having a stache, but if I attempt to get into the psychology of it right now, I will definitely be late for work. So I'm going to leave it at that.


But I absolutely must mention that NOT ALL MOUSTACHES MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY!


That's where the complex relationship comes in.


I also HATE certain moustaches on certain people, and can actually feel physically repulsed by them.






I hardly ever have a neutral reaction to a moustache. How about you?



(I would just like to note that blogger really wanted me to spell moustache like this: mustache. I don't like that spelling as much. It takes away from the word a certain panache that I quite adore. I like looking at the word and sometimes hearing it in my head as 'moose-tash' instead of 'mus-tash.')

Things I'm Realizing

Isn't it weird when the most obvious things strike you?



For instance, it just recently struck me that I'm a messy person. I've always regarded myself as a clean person, but I'm not, really. Ever since I was young, I've been leaving clothes all over the bedroom floor, dropping my belongings randomly throughout the house, detesting dishes and chores, etc. But for some reason, I've always held the notion that I'm neat (not neat as in awesome, although that's true too, but neat as in clean).

So, a lot of tension builds up inside when I see the state of my kitchen, bedroom, office, living room, bathroom.... Not only because the mess is gross, but also because the mess goes against my sense of identity. Let me explain this in math terms:

The belief "I'm a neat person." + The reality "I'm surrounded by clutter and grime." = The breakdown "My universes doesn't make sense anymore! There's uneasiness in my chest! Oh god!"

This same thing happens to me in terms of wealth.

I have this notion that I possess more wealth than I really do. Again, in math terms:

The belief "I'm a wealthy person with big desires." + The reality "I live in a crapass apartment, drive an old car, wear the same clothes, many of which are years old, cringe when spending more than $30 at Target, panic every month when my check is a couple days late." = The breakdown "Oh god! I'm seriously poor! I'm never gonna have the house that I want, the vacations I want, the experiences I want!"

So, as you can see, this non-acceptance of reality creates quite the inner turmoil.

But, GOOD NEWS! Now that I'm getting old, I'm waking up. Woo! I'm learning to accept that I'm messy. I'm learning to accept that I'm poor.

But you're like, "Shanna! Don't be all passively accepting things in your life. That's lame! That's what people who spend all their free time watching prime-time (and/or daytime) TV do! That's what people who never do anything great with their lives because they are too busy sitting on their Laz-E-Boys eating Cheez-Its and raw cookie dough while ignoring the fact their their terriers have been licking the same spot on their shins for 45 minutes do!" .

Well, let me assure you, I am NOT becoming passive. I can still strive to be neat and wealthy (the true American dream!), but the inner acceptance of my current state really helps my sense of peace now.

This acceptance is kind of a hard thing to wrap my head around because it feels deeper than words, but hopefully another math term will help.

The belief "Yeah, so I'm kinda poor right now. It's okay." + The reality "I don't have stuff as nice as that older rich lady, darnit." = The inner peace "You know what, she's at a different place in life than me. That's cool."

That's cool.

Getting things in order

I'm slowly, one step at a time, getting things in order for my acting career. Sometimes I feel frustrated that I'm not further along in the process (i.e., already a successful actor), so I have to remind myself to just relax and accept that I'm a beginner.

Granted, there's still a lot I need to do, BUT, look what all I've accomplished in a year!

-Graduated from I.O. West
-Got into Howard Fine's master class
-Got some great headshots
-Created my website
-Got some awesome business cards
-Have shot some sketches with the Elders
-Have written a webseries
-Got cast in a kickass industry showcase
-Have gotten a bunch of bad auditions under my belt (and a few good ones too!)

My next goal is to get a manager and commercial agent. Wish me luck!!

Bar-Beeeeeee-Que!

Oh god, since becoming a meat eater again, I have discovered lots of yummy things. Yummy meaty things. Like lil smokies. And chicken salad. And PULLED PORK! Aiyaiyai, I freaking love pulled pork.

Pulled pork. And a glass of beer. And some fries, or baked beans, or potato salad... the side doesn't really matter. There's just something totally awesome about this meal.



Steve and I just got back from Ribs USA in Burbank where we had some pulled pork and Fat Tire and watched the Lakers / Celtics game. I totally stuffed my face, but not really. I mean, I didn't even eat the bun from my sandwich, and my stomach still feels all stretched and tight. But in a good way.

I always feel really happy when I eat BBQ. I think it's because the activity is surrounded by a sense of fun and relaxation. It reminds me of eating at Bones Roadhouse in Gualala, where I first had pulled pork last summer on our vacation to Sea Ranch. Also, there were about 9 years of my life in which I didn't eat meat, so now, having an overwhelmingly meaty dish feels a bit rebellious, which is exciting. Yaaaaa!!!! I never had much of a rebellious phase when I was younger, so I'm living it now, baby!

Okay, that makes me sound like a big dork.

Anyway, if you like BBQ and cheap pitchers of decent beer, you should go to Ribs USA. This restaurant rocks!

Blogging sounds fun again

For some reason I feel like writing stuff and putting it on the internet again. Yay!!!!

To kick things back off, here's a nugget from the past. This is a blog I wrote over a year ago and completely forgot about. I'm posting it now.

_________________________________________

Steve and I popped into the mall today to get an iced tea from Coffee Bean. We decided to walk around a bit because he has a $50 American Express gift card leftover from Christmas and he's interested in getting some new shorts.




First of all, I love malls. I know a lot of people have contempt for malls because they represent the superficial, commercial, money hungry side of American culture. Not me. Being in a bright, clean mall, ripe with the promise of owning a cute new outfit or delicious smelling new lotion, brings me a mix of comfort and thrill.

Comfort, I think, because I used to love going to the mall when I was little. In retrospect, the mall near our house was kind of small and junky, but as a kid it was fun and exciting.

My most vivid memory of Metro Center mall is the one corner that had the Sears, Kay-B Toy store, Walgreens, and the piano store. Often, I would pop into the piano store and pluck out some Fur Elise on a baby grand. It was awesome.

Thrill, I think, because I dream about how fun it would be to be able to afford all the super cute clothes that I see.

I love clothes.

Love them.

I just can't afford them right now. So I think about the day when I'll have more money and I can buy whatever I want. It will be so fun!

Childish, I know. Don't judge!


Second of all, what baffles me about malls, is the amount of people that I see there that actually CAN spend a lot of money. In the middle of the day. In the middle of week.

Who ARE these people in Los Angeles wandering around Macy's at 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday or Wednesday, browsing the Coach bags, parking their Mercedes in two spots instead of one?

Los Angeles is full of people who seemingly don't work but can afford luxuries. It's a phenomenon that I've kind of gotten used to, but not completely. The concept of wealth itself eludes me.