Showing posts with label 2009 SAG President Ken Howard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 SAG President Ken Howard. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Screen Actors Guild Declares October “Diversity Awareness Month”

Los Angeles — Screen Actors Guild announced on September 29, 2009 that it has declared October “Diversity Awareness Month.” For decades, SAG has been a leader in advocating diverse hiring of underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, women, seniors, LGBT actors and performers with disabilities in the entertainment industry.
While the Guild works year round to advance issues of employment diversity, it is shining a spotlight during October on the efforts of its Affirmative Action & Diversity Department, as well as the union’s various diversity committees comprised of SAG members.
“Screen Actors Guild historically and consistently has strived for fairness and diversity both within our Guild and the industry at large,” said Interim National Executive Director David White.

“We are continuously working to make a difference toward a more representational, multicultural community,” White said. “I encourage all of our friends in the creative community to work toward a more diverse and accurate media landscape and invite them to participate in our diversity events in October and throughout the year.”

“Screen Actors Guild’s membership is made up of diverse actors,” said SAG Ethnic Employment Opportunities National Committee Chair Sumi Haru. “It is the media’s responsibility to be a reflection of its diverse audience and our members deserve a fair opportunity to be employed. While we’ve certainly seen improvements in this area over the years, SAG continues in its quest to fully make the media reflective of the American scene.”

In October, SAG will release various diversity-based reports and videos via SAG.org, including the highly anticipated Casting Data Report. This analysis of hiring statistics based on ethnicity/race, age and gender is an instrumental tool used by the entertainment industry.

“Diversity issues in the workplace, such as equal employment and representation as well as prevention of harassment and discrimination, impact all employees on a daily basis,” said National Director/Senior EEO Counsel of SAG Affirmative Action & Diversity Rebecca Yee.

The month features a dozen events either sponsored by SAG or where SAG members are participating in an effort to make visible those who are invisible in media. A full list of events is available online here. SAG kicked off its celebration on Monday, Sept. 28 with the National President’s Task Force on American Indians Membership Caucus where SAG National President Ken Howard addressed the Guild’s American Indian membership.

Additional highlights of the month include:
Oct. 7 – Out in Hollywood III: The Rise of the LGBT ActorIn celebration of National Coming Out Day, SAG National LGBT Actors Committee and GLAAD present a panel of LGBT actors, director-producers and casting professionals to explore the challenges and opportunities of being out in entertainment. Featuring Mad Men’s Bryan Batt, Oscar-winner Dan Jinks, Emmy-winner Paris Barclay, and more. SAG James Cagney Board Room, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 & 11 – National Equality March in Washington, D.C. SAG National LGBT Actors Committee leads a group of members, staff and allies marching for full federal equality for LGBT people.

Oct. 19 – 18th Annual Access Awards Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will present an Access Award to the tri-union (SAG, AFTRA, AEA) I AM PWD campaign for its “leadership, commitment and outstanding contribution for advancing equality and access for people with disabilities.” Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens, Downtown Los Angeles

Oct. 24 – The Hollywood Disabilities ForumThe tri-union I AM PWD campaign, in partnership with WGAW Writers with Disabilities and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, presents an executive industry conference on accuracy, inclusion and access of people with disabilities in entertainment. UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

About SAG:
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents over 120,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.

Follow SAG Communications on Twitter and Facebook! http://twitter.com/sagnews and http://fblink.com/ScreenActorsGuild

Editor Note: It is an honor and pleasure for Diversity News, a consumer news magazine published by DIVERSITY NEWS PUBLICATIONS to see how other organizations celebrate DIVERSITY.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

WON AN EMMY AND NOW KEN HOWARD IS ELECTED AS SCREEN ACTORS GUILD PRESIDENT

Los Angeles, CA - Screen Actors Guild announced on September 24, 2009 the results of elections for its top two elected positions. Ken Howard will serve as Screen Actors Guild president and Amy Aquino will serve as secretary-treasurer. Both will serve two-year terms beginning September 25.

Ballots were mailed to 99,485 paid-up SAG members on August 25, and 27,295 were tabulated today, for a return of 27.44 percent. Presidential candidates Ken Howard received 12,895 votes, with Anne-Marie Johnson coming in second with 8,906 votes, Seymour Cassel got 4,838 votes, and Asmar Muhammad received 402 votes.

“I’d like to be among the first to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our newly elected Screen Actors Guild national leadership. I look forward to working closely with our new president, Ken Howard, and new secretary-treasurer, Amy Aquino, as we focus on the wide range of critical issues facing our members in the coming year,” said SAG Interim National Executive Director David White.
“I also extend my thanks, and the gratitude of SAG members and staff to Alan Rosenberg and Connie Stevens for their service and sacrifice on behalf of our union.”

“I am deeply honored to be chosen by the membership to lead the Screen Actors Guild,” said Ken Howard. “I campaigned on the promise that I’d do everything in my power to strengthen our position at the bargaining table by building a greater unity with AFTRA and the other entertainment unions, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Despite the sharp differences that those of us active in Guild affairs sometimes have over strategy and tactics, we need to continually remind ourselves that we’re all on the same team, fighting for the same thing — and by pulling together, we’ll only grow stronger.

“I am truly honored that the members have entrusted me with this responsibility,” said Amy Aquino. “Progress has already been made toward strengthening SAG’s finances and I want to make sure it continues. Only by fortifying SAG in this way can we hope to ensure the protections that performers need in these challenging times.”

Screen Actors Guild also announced election results for the National Board of Directors. Twenty-two of the 69 national board seats were open for election this year, representing Screen Actors Guild’s Hollywood, New York and Regional Branch divisions. “It is my privilege to welcome and congratulate our newly elected Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors for 2009-2010,” said White. “Along with our staff nationwide, I look forward to working with them to pursue a robust agenda as we navigate the Guild through these changing times.”

The National Board members elected today will assume office on September 25 for terms of three years. SAG’s Hollywood Division elected eleven National Board members; the New York Division elected four National Board members; and seven National Board members were elected from the union’s branches in Chicago, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Philadelphia, Portland and San Diego. National Board members elected from the Hollywood Division: Martin Sheen, Ed Harris, Elliott Gould, Ed Asner, Anne-Marie Johnson, Connie Stevens, Diane Ladd, DulĂ© Hill, Hill Harper, Nancy Travis, and Marcia Wallace (all three-year terms).

The following were elected to serve as National Board alternates and to the Hollywood Division Board of Directors (all one-year terms). Gabrielle Carteris, Jenny O’Hara, Michael O’Keefe, Clyde Kusatsu, Dawnn Lewis, Doug Savant, Michelle Allsopp, Alan Rosenberg, D. W. Moffett, Joe Bologna, Robert Hays, Jason George, L. Scott Caldwell, Clark Gregg, Patrick Fabian, Bill Smitrovich, Ellen Crawford, Stacey Travis, Mandy Steckelberg, Renee Taylor, Bernie Casey and John Carroll Lynch. National Board members elected from the New York Division: Sharon Washington, Monica Trombetta, Sam Freed and Liz Zazzi (all three-year terms). Additionally, New York Division members elected Mike Hodge as NY Division President.

The following were elected to serve as national board alternates and to the New York Division board of directors (all one-year terms.) Manny Alfaro, Sheila Head, Marc Baron, Joe Narciso, Jay Potter, Dave Bachman, John Rothman, Kevin Scullin and Justin Barrett.National Board members elected from the Regional Branch Division: John Carter Brown (Chicago – three-year term), David Hartley-Margolin (Colorado – three-year term), Dave Corey (Florida – three-year term), Scott Rogers (Hawaii – three-year term), Helen McNutt (Philadelphia – three-year term), Mary McDonald-Lewis (Portland – three-year term), Don Ahles (San Diego – three-year term).

Ballots for all eligible SAG members in Hollywood and New York were mailed on August 25 with a September 24 return deadline and were tabulated today by the independent election company Integrity Voting Systems. A total of 13,718 ballots were tabulated in the Hollywood Division (representing 25.25 percent of ballots mailed in the Hollywood Division) and 5,997 ballots were tabulated in the New York Division (representing 26.11 percent of ballots mailed in the New York Division). The number of ballots returned in the Regional Branch elections varied by region.


About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents over 120,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.

For complete results, please visit SAG.org. Follow SAG Communications on Twitter and Facebook: http://sag.pr-optout.com/Url.aspx?516974x67500x43974 and http://fblink.com/ScreenActorsGuild

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DIVERSITY NEWS, wants to congratulate Mr. Ken Howard for winning the award for Best Supporting actor in a miniseries or a movie for Grey Gardens at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 20 in Los Angeles. And now for been elected as SCREEN ACTORS GUILD PRESIDENT. Also congratulations to AMY AQUINO for been ELECTED AS SECRETARY-TREASURER for SAG.
Ken Howard photo by Esteban "Steven" Escobar, Diversity News
(C) 2009 By Esteban Escobar and Diversity News Publications. All Rights Are Reserved.

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