Screen Actors Guild

My 6 month adventure in Hollywood has reached another milestone as I've joined SAG - the Screen Actors Guild. Down the road, this will hopefully mean I will be covered under their health insurance ;) But, for now this is a big step for me, as many TV shows and films are filmed under union contracts, which means they must hire union actors. Also, most theatrical (TV/Film) agents will only look at actors who are already members of the union, so from that standpoint being SAG should help as I begin my search. But, it is certainly not a given that having union status will allow me to get a good theatrical agent. It is extremely tough to get one -- most want to see some good TV/film credits. Of course, it's hard to get such credits without an agent getting you those elusive auditions. A true Catch-22...

Also, there is the potential union work stoppage, as SAG tries to get a new contract done with the studios/producers before the current contract expires at the end of the month. A strike would not be so good for me right now, but I do hope the union holds out for a fair deal. So, please keep your fingers crossed as both sides return to the negotiating table next week...