News

SAG-AFTRA, the new performers' union that was formed on March 30 with the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, has taken its first official action by establishing an initial 24-member executive committee. The panel was announced on on Wednesday, Variety reported.The committee is composed of a dozen national officers, and SAG-AFTRA co-presidents Ken Howard and Roberta Reardon have each appointed six additional members. Per the merger agreement, Howard and Reardon will chair the SAG-AFTRA executive committee.The officers are Ned Vaughn, executive VP; Amy Aquino and Matthew Kimbrough, co-secretary-treasurers; Gabrielle Carteris, Los Angeles VP; Mike Hodge, New York VP; Craig Dellimore, mid-sized locals VP; David Hartley-Margolin, small locals VP; Michael O'Keefe, actor/performer VP; Catherine Brown, broadcaster VP; and Jim Ferguson, recording artist VP.The appointed members are David Browde, Assaf Cohen, Rebecca Damon, Denise Dal Vera,...

In a Screen Actors Guild election that was widely considered a referendum on merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, proponents of that idea emerged with a clear mandate.When the results of SAG's 2010 national board of directors election were announced Sept. 23, MembershipFirst, the SAG faction that emerged from the group of actors who helped scuttle merger in 2003, lost the fight for all 13 Hollywood-based national seats up for grabs to its rival faction, the pro-merger Unite for Strength. MembershipFirst partisans had held all 13 of those seats. The loss hands the coalition of Hollywood, New York, and regional moderates who had held a slim majority of the national seats—and who have been vocal in support of merger—a commanding boardroom advantage.Even more striking is MembershipFirst's loss of its majority on the Hollywood board. Unite for Strength won an overwhelming 33 of 35 open seats. Ufs, formed in...

The Screen Actors Guild announced Wednesday the list of candidates for its upcoming national-board elections. Ballots are scheduled to be mailed to members Aug. 24, and must be returned by Sept. 23. From the Hollywood division, 13 national-board members and 22 alternates will be elected. Twelve of those board members will serve three-year terms. The 13th board member and all alternates will serve one-year terms.New York will elect five national-board members to three-year terms and nine alternates to one-year terms. Eight national board members from the regional divisions have already been elected, with one seat in Chicago still to be decided. The SAG national board holds 69 members. The complete list of candidates follows:Hollywood Division1. Clancy Brown 2. Esai Morales3. John Tremaine4. Mobin Khan5. Michael O’Neill6. Woody Schultz7. Ron Perlman8. L. Scott Caldwell9. Valerie Harper10. Bill Smitrovich11. David Clennon12. David Hillberg13. Salazar14. Marisol Nichols15. Pete Antico16. Bob Carlson17. Leigh French18. Angela Watson19. Jane Austin...

The SAG board’s moderate majority fired National Executive Director Doug Allen today by using a document signed by board members and called a “written assent.” Much to my surprise, Allen chose not to fight and instead emailed the SAG staff acknowledging that he had been terminated and saying goodbye. A copy of the email is below.

Perhaps one reason Allen agreed so readily is that—as has not previously been reported—the assent provides that his contract will be paid out in full. The assent itself has not previously been released. However, I’ve received a copy. See below.

A natural question is how the process unfolded. I spoke to two sources close to the situation who laid out the following narrative:

At around 11:00 a.m. Monday morning, a group of board members went to SAG’s La headquarters. The group included Unite for Strength leader Ned Vaughn,...