RerunIt.com celebrating "classic" television celebrities and American pop culture launches

I'm a big pop culture fan. Being a member of the first generation raised on and by television, I was forever influenced by Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, the shot at a free bicycle on Art Linkletter's "House Party" and the frustration over why I couldn't just move in with "The Brady Bunch." I got caught up in the adventures of the stranded castaways on "Gilligan's Island" (when it was a first-run show!) and longed to travel to unknown places if only I could step into "The Time Tunnel."

I'm not old; I'm experienced. And experience (and a career in the business of acting) has taught me a tremendous appreciation for the people who brought escapism into my life during my formative (and not so formative) years. I know I'm not alone.

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity, and an outlet, starting when I was just 15 years old, to meet and interview so many of the people and personalities I had become in awe of. Moe Howard of "The Three Stooges," June Lockhart from "Lassie" and "Lost in Space," Desi Arnaz, Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz"), and so many others.

Having recently unearthed this massive archive of audio and video tapes, I have discovered a history that I wasn't aware of previously. In their own words, actors, authors, personalities and others who have helped shape and define American pop culture, talk about their work. I became in awe all over again.

The result of the passion this project has unearthed in me can be seen on the new Web destination we have just launched at RerunIt.com.

At the site, you can view clips from hundreds of hours of these interviews that date back to the 1970's. You can also have an opportunity to purchase DVDs, CDs and books associated with every guest featured on the site to begin or to enhance your own personal collection.

Please check the new site out. There is also an Audience Page where you can share memories of your favorite shows, favorite actors and favorite moments from television that was meaningful to you.

It's about the business of acting from another perspective.

We got to where we are today because of the hurdles faced, challenges met and achievements earned by those who came before us and laid the ground work for what we watch and what influences our lives today. We've come a long way since black & white TV in the 1950's. But without the pioneering spirit of this amazing group of people, YouTube and all of the other media sources that provide us "entertainment content" today couldn't exist.

RerunIt.com is my way of saying, "Thank you" to that generation of media pioneers.

I hope you'll check it out.

BL

Can I Have My Excedrin Back?

What a waste of two tablets. I was on the verge of a migraine wondering how us managers, my agent friends and all of the actors I know (and those I don't) could survive another work stoppage (read: strike) in the business of acting. Then the results of the new AFTRA contract vote were announced and then ... nothing!

It feels a lot like gay marriage. It became the law in California (at least until November) and the clocks still tick, the traffic lights still work, and gas prices are still too high. Now, we have a new AFTRA contract that, according to the SAG leadership, would, if passed, have been the ruination of all things we have come to know: Actors would stop seeking work as actors; sportscasters and newsmen in Peoria would start to dictate how much "top of show" on a sit-com would be; why, it looked, for a time, that had SAG prevailed in its mission to derail the new AFTRA contract, that we might even have seen the end of talking pictures!

A little sarcastic? Well, maybe. A lot sarcastic? Definitely, though all in the journey of making a point.

There was so much negativity circulating in the business of acting community about what union members should do, what they should not do, how all would suffer if the new AFTRA contract was ratified by its members. And what was accomplished, really?

It's been a month since the vote and it's been business as usual -- and while AFTRA has a new work agreement in place, SAG, still, does not.

Both unions need to be (back) in the business of representing the best interests of all of their members and not in the business of politics. There has never been a level playing field in the business of acting; there never will be. It's hard enough in a business where talent has little to do with who gets the jobs. Both unions need to focus on bridging the divides that exist. That's in the best interests of the members of both unions. Going out on a limb, it might even be time to perform a "gay" marriage of another kind and merge these two entities so that they can move into the future as one, united force. In the end, we're all in the same business. Let's behave that way.

If you have a comment about the "new" landscape as the dust settles from the Battle of the Unions -- and how both unions should proceed from here, post your comments here or e-mail me at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com and I'll share them.

BL

The Score is in For Round One: AFTRA 1; SAG in PR Trouble

Last night AFTRA announced that its new, three-year contract was ratified by 62.4% of its membership giving it the victory sought and, in the process, backing SAG leadership into corner in their own contract negotiations with producers and studios.

In its attempt to put a PR spin on the nasty, dead-on-arrival campaign undertaken by SAG to convince its members (who are also AFTRA members) to vote down this agreement, SAG President Alan Rosenberg released a statement to the press claiming a “moral (if not numerical) victory” against AFTRA. Rosenberg claims that less of the eligible voters voted for the new contract because of SAG’s high profile campaign to derail the agreement they believe isn’t in the best interests of (union) actors.

Maybe the reason the AFTRA agreement was voted in by a majority of AFTRA members is simply because a majority of AFTRA members believe it’s the right agreement for the landscape in which the business of acting currently operates?

SAG has a duel problem now, one that is rooted in a tainted image both within its own membership community and with the general public. Its divisive campaign against AFTRA pitted actor against actor in a battle that has caused far greater damage than anything positive achieved by it. It’s not that SAG waged this anti-AFTRA campaign; it’s how they did it.

So, Mr. Rosenberg, go ahead and claim a “moral” victory for your union, but what about the moral decline and confidence slip in SAG so many of your fellow members now feel because of how SAG behaved throughout this process? How do you now ask these same actors to sit (or morally stand) side-by-side to help you achieve a new SAG contract that most industry insiders now believe is unachievable because of the position you and your team have placed your union in?

My clients, like most actors, just want to the ability and the opportunity to work. They’re not necessarily “political” people, but they are all people of “morals” who, today, feel very unsatisfied, not because of the ratification of the new AFTRA contract (that most of them voted for), but because they’re uncertain how their other union can now possibly go to bat for them, as actors, when the leadership seems too concerned and too preoccupied with playing a different game that has little or nothing to do with them.

Politics and show business … neither should be entered into lightly. Usually, blending the two creates an environment where someone usually ends up paying a price. Have you seen the Dixie Chicks documentary “Shut Up and Sing?”

Your thoughts and comments on the AFTRA vote and where both unions go from here? Post on the Blog page or e-mail me at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com.

BL

Actors ask, “Who’s union is it anyway?” as AFTRA members cast ballots

Reaching a peace accord in the Middle East might be easier than what it will take for AFTRA and SAG, the two actors union, to come together after the eventual end of SAG’s divisive campaign to get dual union members (those actors who belong to both SAG and AFTRA) to defeat the new work agreement assembled by AFTRA that is being voted on right now.

July 8 is D-Day in Hollywood. That’s the date AFTRA officials will announce the results of the voting by their members on whether or not to ratify the new contact. SAG has spent a ton of its member’s money in a nasty campaign to attempt to get this contract kicked out of Hollywoodland. SAG says that it can negotiate a better agreement for all actors. But SAG has also made a lot of enemies in the process of their own negotiations with producers and studios, none the least of which are members of their own union.

Regardless of what happens on July 8, one thing is clear: SAG will have a lot of kissing and making up to do once the dust has settled. Whether or not the AFTRA deal passes, the bigger picture of “What next?” will still linger.

Regardless of how AFTRA members vote, the current SAG contract still expires at midnight tonight. Regardless of whether the new AFTRA contract is approved, SAG will still be contract-less, unless a deal is reached today or night, which no one expects can or will happen.

Assuming the AFTRA deal passes (and many industry observers believe that it will), SAG will be left with a big mess to clean up. But that can only happen after they finally get a contract of their own they can present to their members that is worthy of a “yes” vote.

The (union) actors I have talked with about this issue seem to all agreed that they just want the opportunity to work whenever and as often as they can. Yes, they want to be compensated fairly for their talents and their contributions, but the last thing any of them seem to want is a work stoppage, thus titling the playing field into “out of order” status for a community much larger than just actors.

What a tangled web. This is a crisis of image and reputation that will require lots of strategic PR for both unions to fix. In the end, it’s also going to require a lot of bridge building. The two unions exist to serve the same population, not to pit member against member.

How do you feel about the damage done and the need to rebuild those relationships for both unions? Post your comments here or e-mail me at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com.

BL

The AFTRA SAG Dilemma - Is an Actor's Strike Now Inevitable?

Could there really be another strike in the offing in the business of acting and, if so, what would that really mean to most “working” and “wanting to work” artists?

As SAG and AFTRA publicly battle out their differences and disagreements with and over a new contact AFTRA has secured that SAG claims is almost evil, what, really does all of this mean? Who’s to blame? Is a strike inevitable? Where do we go from here?

One at a time …

I was one of about 50 or so managers who participated in an invited meeting with SAG leadership last week to hear their side of the AFTRA contract story and to hear them plead their case against the new AFTRA contract, which members will soon be asked to vote on, SAG's position is that the AFTRA agreement is not good for actors of any union nor the business of acting in general. That's what they said, But, let me be honest. What I heard (instead) seemed to me to be a lot of propaganda that seems to be rooted in protecting the business interests of the union and not in the best interests of the members of either or both unions.

It’s all economically-based. The bottom line is always the bottom line. Yes, actors, performers and artists should be fairly compensated for their talents and their contributions in a marketplace that has seen far less of the fair share go to them and more and more going to the studios and the producers. But how do you level the playing field? There in lies what should be the crux of the issue for both sides.

Since union members pay their bi-annual dues based on a percentage of the union work they have been paid for, it is in the best (financial) interests of both unions to scoop up as many production contracts and affiliations as possible. SAG, the long time leader in this area, stands to lose a huge chunk of change if productions that have been (or would be SAG sanctioned), started becoming produced under AFTRA’s jurisdiction. On the other hand, AFTRA stands to gain tremendously by collecting increased dues from its members who would work in formerly SAG jurisdiction productions that they would now control.

Yes, the talent should be paid more for Internet use and downloads of material in which they appear. Yes, talent should share in a greater percentage of the profits from DVD sales on products containing their work. Of course talent should have control over where and how the use of clips containing their images and performances are licensed.

But my fear is that what now seems to be a school yard bully fest started by the SAG leadership isn’t getting anyone anywhere, except closer to a strike that no one can afford.

The long-term solution is unity, not divisiveness. SAG’s behavior isn’t productive in this process. AFTRA played politics, too, in this election season and, for now, seems to be ahead.

So where do we go from here?

It was historic that SAG, who has never before officially welcomed nor acknowledged the role we talent managers play in the life of a client’s career (in fact, they have gone out of their way to take a stand against us, as witnessed in Rick Siegel’s long legal battles in the California State Supreme Court over the rights and protections of managers to be paid for the work they do for the clients who hire us).

Interesting that now SAG thinks we matter; interesting that now SAG recognizes that we have some positive influence with our clients in the decisions they make regarding their careers; interesting that SAG has tried to “sell” us on the merit of our (union) clients turning down the AFTRA deal in support of what SAG claims it can better achieve later. Interesting that SAG now wants us to take that message to our clients.

AFTRA hasn’t invited me to any breakfast meeting, so it doesn’t appear that they’re all worried. It’s not that I’m looking for a free breakfast or a commute to Museum Square at 8:00AM, but it remains interesting that they have been silent to the talent managers community at large on this issue.

What does all of this mean?

Who knows, really? I just get to rant and share my perspective – hoping that you will do the same. For union actors, a strike would be devastating. For non-union actors, I really think that, while things slow down, things won’t stop. Non-union actors will work as they always have (for non-union wages); union actors who elect to take Financial Core status will also have a opportunity to work (in non-union projects), but to what end and how many will actually go this route.

An actor acts – or ought to whenever and wherever possible when it makes sense to do so. For new or young actors, very little will change, strike or no strike. The leadership of both unions say that these struggles are not just for now, but for the future.

I’d say it’s looking pretty bleak right now.

I hope I’m surprised by the outcome of all of this. Agencies, casting offices, managers, writers, producers, directors are all still struggling with trying to emerge healthy from the writers strike of not so many months ago. How possibly could most survive in the climate of another ugly strike?

It’s all perspective and opinion – and I’d love to hear yours. Post your comments directly here or e-mail me at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com.

Here’s hoping for a sane strategy to follow …

BL

Class of 2008: Ready, Set, Launch!

It’s that time again: Graduation! Parents rejoice in the celebration, amplified by the realization that they’re done paying for their children's educations, while students also rejoice in the celebration, tempered only be the slow onset of the realization that soon enough debt incurred during college will soon be theirs to manage.

With degree in hand, millions of graduating college seniors will seek to begin their career journeys in their chosen fields, counting on their education, their training and their potential to carry them far. While that is often the case in most fields, it’s hardly the case in the business of acting.

There is no level playing field in this business; the best, most qualified person rarely gets the opportunity simply because they are the best, most qualified person for the job (or in this case, the role).

What’s a graduating performing arts or acting student to do?

1. Think strategically.

2. Create a plan for your immediate future that consists of how you intend to generate income while you pursue your career.

3. Be gift smart! Ask anyone who might gift you for your graduation to gift you with something that will really benefit you. Instead of a watch, a business suit or a gift certificate to your favorite store, ask for financial assistance in launching your career.

The Business of Acting Conceptual Gift Registry strategy is yours to use for free.

Ask for money towards a professional photo session; ask for money to help you pay for post-college, professional-level classes and workshops; ask for some assistance in helping you get your professional actor’s tool kit in order by helping to pay for your online subscriptions to the critical resources you will need from day one: ActorsAccess.com, LACasting, Back Stage and/or Back Stage West.

It’s always nice to be gifted, but in this economy when giving can be tight or impossible for some people, accept whatever assistance you can in any form that you can get it to help you in your early career journey.

You can’t get to step one, until you have gotten through step two. With confidence, fortitude and the belief that your talent and skills, will always be a work-in-progress, but will also take you far, you can do this!

Creating a business plan to help organize your life as you launch your career will empower you in these early days of your transition from student of the performing arts to working, professional actor. There is a step-by-step guide to help you do this in a chapter devoted to this topic in The Business of Acting book. You can also access my Back Stage West article on the topic to help you get started.

My congratulations to the class of 2008! I know what a struggle getting to this point has been from time to time. I also understand the fear generated from the uncertainty that awaits you. This is the time to seek inspiration and support from friends and family who want nothing less for you than you seek for yourself.

I know that as my students from this year’s classes at the Emerson College Los Angeles Center begin their transitions, they do so with respect for the process and the knowledge that each person is own their own, individual career journey. No one will ever be able to take from you what is yours to have. They also know that opportunity knocks when you’re ready for it. Train for that opportunity in strong, healthy and emotionally fit ways. These are important concepts to embrace for all of you.

I wish you all much success as your take your first steps and hope that you will also share with us your progress and lessons learned along the way.

If you have a comment or question, please post it here or e-mail me directly at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com

BL

Driving in L.A. is taxing enough; The least you can do is deduct it!

It’s tax season and before you get too deep into what you might owe for the privilege of having worked in the business of acting in 2007, don’t forget to take a good look at what it cost you not just to generate the work you did but, what you spent – or rather invested in support of your career.

I call it “Fiscal Fitness” and chapter 9 in The Business of Acting discusses how to organize your business life to take advantage of all of the write-offs and deductions you’re legally entitled to take. It’s true that you have to have earned money as an actor during the reporting year (and actually report it as income) in order to write-off related expenses. But it’s also true that the expenses you incur in the pursuit, development, education, training and growth of your career can be worth some money back into your pocket if you do it right and if you follow the legal rules.

Because you are your own business, you’re entitled to file a IRS Schedule C with your 1040 tax return form. This is where you get to list all of the items you spent money on during the year. Most actors know that the cost of photo sessions and photo reproductions are deductible. But you would be surprised to know that there are a large number of actors who either don’t know or don’t remember to deduct the costs of other key expenses, like the cost of your memberships to Web site services such as ActorsAccess.com and LACasting.com and the costs of those holiday cards you sent to your industry contacts (including postage).

Another often-overlooked deduction is the cost of parking when you go to an audition. Cash-strapped actors (even actors with lots of available cash) rarely will park in the rip-off garages of office buildings where the privilege of parking for the duration of an audition could easily set you back the cost of a week's worth of Starbuck’s lattes. Street parking is (usually) where it’s at, when you can find it (which is why it’s always a good idea to plan to arrive at your audition location at least 30 minutes early so you’ll have plenty of time to hunt down a place to park without stressing that you’ll be late).

The government wants to see receipts, but what can you do if you’re dropping quarters and other loose change into parking meters that won’t issue you a receipt? Always keep a pad of small notepaper in your car with either a pen that works or with a pencil that actually has a point. When you can’t get a receipt for what it cost you to park, write down all of the pertinent information on a piece of paper: Day, date, time, location, how much money you put in the meter, the meter number and what the audition you went on was for. When you get home, put the piece of paper into the file box you created (every year!) just for this purpose in the folder you’ve labeled “Parking Expenses.” At the beginning of the next year, when you begin to add up what your career cost you, total up the “receipts” you’ve generated and accumulated and viola! Now you have a legitimate deduction.

Of course, parking expenses incurred during the course of conducting your business during the year aren’t just limited to when you go to an audition. Parking for a class, parking when you have a meeting with your agent or manager, parking when you go to see the new George Clooney film to study his process of character development … It’s all money spent in the development of your career.

Often, even the mileage you drive to and from these career-related activities can be written off against a percentage against your earned income.

Check out chapter 9 in the book for a handy worksheet listing all of the deductions you may be entitled to. The chapter also offers up a perspective on other fiscal fitness matters that might prove helpful to you. You should also talk with any CPA or certified tax preparer, although one who specializes in the business of acting with clients who are actors or other creative types will ensure you get someone who “gets” the uniqueness of the acceptable write-offs for you that people in other industries wouldn’t get.

True, I’m not a CPA, but I am a “businessperson.” Besides, I’ve learned a lot over the years from my own CPA and financial guru, Christopher Debbini. At least I can pass some of that on to you. We’re entitled to write-offs that standard employees are not. The worse thing that you could do is to not take advantage of what might be due you in return for filing your return.

Consider all of your options as you consider how to tackle tax season 2008. Happy calculating!

Your comments and questions are welcome. You can post here or e-mail me directly at blemack@TheBusinessOfActing.com.

BL