The message is clear as a sizeable SAG majority gives the green light to a new contract …

It’s a good day in the business of acting today as both union and non-union actors alike – and all other industry professionals – begin to absorb the acceptance of a new two-year SAG contract, which was announced as approved by a stunning 78% of the Screen Actors Guild membership last night.

There is not much need for analysis here. It appears that the overwhelming victory for the new agreement sends a clear message: Stop the infighting, stop the politics and let us, confidently, get back to work.

This new contract has many gains, including its expiration date, which will allow SAG to make nice with AFTRA over the next two years and then work together in carving out a new “new” agreement that will be in the best interest of all union members – and those who will become union members.

Next up, SAG leadership needs to make nice within its own ranks. Too much infighting, too many harsh words, too much “actor vs. actor” … And the winner is … “nobody.” The new contract isn’t perfect, but given the landscape in which the business of acting currently exists, it’s a fine achievement, for now.

Full steam ahead. Let’s all get back to work with some sense of accomplishment. Seventy-eight percent? That’s a strong statement.

Complete details at SAG.org.

BL

Hot tips on how to get your first film industry job now on "Inside the Business of Acting"

Whether you have just graduated from college or have been in the job market for a while, any information that can help you get a foot in the door and an on-ramp to the career journey you seek is hot, valuable and must-have information. It's even better when it's free.

Actor, writer, producer, director ... whatever your career goals and aspirations are in the business of acting, you must make time to watch our three-part interview with industry executive and entertainment career consultant Karen Kaufman Wilson, now playing on-demand on our Web TV series "Inside the Business of Acting."

Karen offers up some critical advice on how to open doors in Hollywood with a strategy that can't fail to get you moving in the right direction, if you follow the proactive plan of approach talked about in our interview.

Okay, now get moving to the Virtual Channel Network and have a pad of paper and pencil ready!

BL

Caps and gowns at the ready: Class of 2009, line up!

It’s that time again … cap, gown, post-graduation expectations, student loans lurking. Class of 2009, prepare to launch!

We finished our classes at the Emerson College Los Angeles Center this week, which was proceeded by the Business of Acting class’s industry showcase. It’s a terrific project and I’m thrilled that we are able to make this opportunity available to my students. It’s their final project for the course. We spend the semester studying, discussing and workshopping the issues now impacting the business of acting. We spend the semester exploring the options for creating, launching and maintaining a smart, professional career journey after graduation. We end the semester with a student showcase that the class has being assigned responsibilities from scene selection, theme selection, branding, marketing, reception catering and more, and then, after they get the business of the project done correctly, the joy of performing.

I always tell the class that it doesn’t matter who is in the audience, if anyone. The objective is to learn how to create and pull off a project like this. I hold a safety net under them during this learning process, but after graduation, there will be many times where knowing how to do this well will prove enormously beneficial.

And so it went. An impressive group of both industry and college supporters attended. Sharing food and beverage afterward, connections were made, new relationships were started and the first steps in each student’s transition from student to wanting-to-be-working professional began. It’s an exciting process to participate in; it’s even more exciting (for me, anyway) to observe.

In our last class, we deconstruct the project and the experience. I ask the class to write their individual assessments of how they think they showcase went, from producing to performing; I ask them to discuss what they learned in the process and how they would do things differently next time – because there will always be a next time, for all of us.

Now, with the semester behind us, my students (and senior students everywhere) march towards graduation day, loaded with the excitement, fear, apprehension and possibilities that that day – and more importantly the days after, will bring.

If you fall into this category, I have both a note of congratulations and a note of warning for you: First, brave! You did it! Next, take heed. Emotional fitness during this important time is dependent upon two things: 1) Learning how to manage the expectations others have of you (your parents, for example), and 2) learning how to manage the expectations you have of yourself, in the “what comes next” process.

Relax. Have patience. Prepare for the journey ahead by planning for the journey ahead. Take the time to create a business plan for yourself. There is a chapter in the book to help you with this. You can also read my Back Stage article about this process, which I hope you will find helpful.

Lastly, if you have a minute to check out my Blog from last year at this time, I have a few suggestions about how those who want to gift you can do so in meaningful and significant way that can help jumpstart the funding for the launch of your career journey. It’s a concept I call The Business of Acting Gift Registry. Check it out.

Congratulations Class of 2009! You are about to enter what many define as a “challenged” work environment – and I won’t deny the struggles that so many are having in this tough economy just to make ends meet. But, you are not them.

The truth is that you will never be more employable than you are right now. It may not be the job or position of your dreams (yet), but your youth, your talent, your flexibility and, perhaps most importantly, your potential, will help open doors to the opportunities you seek. Patience along the journey is critical, now more than ever. That goes for you and your family, who want nothing more for you than at least a hundred times what you want for yourself.

Bravo, indeed.

BL

Deal or no deal? At last, SAG members will now have their say on a new contract.

I have been quiet on this issue for some time now, mostly because I really didn't have anything new to say. Today is different; the news is, actually, positive.

The SAG board yesterday approved by 53 percent the new contract with the studios and the producers -- and that's good news. What will be frustrating to those who have watched from the sidelines these many, many months will be the realization that for as long as it took to come this far, very little has been achieved for SAG members.

Yes, some compensation will come their way for use of products they appear in on the Internet; but residuals for this usage are out. That was a huge issue for embattled SAG president Alan Rosenberg; it's a big deal for SAG members because Rosenberg just said "no" many times during this process because the terms -- and specifically this term - wasn't what he claims he was fighting for.

A lot has change in the nearly one-year old fight for a new SAG contract: In short, as we're all experiencing first-hand, the economy has put a serious dent in options and opportunity for most people. The landscape just wasn't right to strive for the kinds of financial gains Rosenberg and the union hardliners were fighting for. Not this time around, anyway.

This new agreement would run for two years and looks a lot like the agreement the other talent guilds have settled upon. Who knows what life will be like two years from now? Maybe, just maybe, it will be a better time then to smartly and realistically revisit these issues taking into account the landscape and the economic climate at that time.

The only remaining hurdle is whether or not the majority of SAG members will vote for this new contract or whether it all goes back to the table -- or worse yet -- to a strike authorization vote.

I encourage you to read up on the terms of the proposed new deal at SAG.org. SAG member or not, it's all about the business of acting and it's important to know what is at stake for all actors, both union and non-union alike.

What are your thoughts on the offer? If you are a SAG member, will you vote for it or not -- and why?

Let's start that dialog here.

I'm eager to read your comments.

BL

"Yes, I Can. Yes, I Can!" Uphill movement in the right direction today at SAG.

So now that Doug Allen has stepped down as executive director of the Screen Actors Guild and head negotiator in the union’s attempt to seek and settle on a new contract, what happens next and what does this mean to the business of acting for both union and non-union actors?

In short, I’m encouraged.

The greatest fallout from what has been the SAG dilemma can be measured in terms of both negative public and internal relations. The infighting at SAG has not played out well in the public arena. Instead of garnering support for the predicament it finds itself in (as the Writers Guild did during the strike), SAG leadership, in fact the entire union, has come off in the public eye as rather unlikable. Then there is the infighting pitting one celebrity name against another in a war of rhetoric and best acting. Next year’s SAG Awards ought to have a category for Biggest Idiot in the War of Words.

Of course all of this has absolutely nothing to do with a new contract that must be secured as soon as possible. As in all campaigns, there comes a time when aiming for a sound bite on the evening news has to end and the real work begin. Even President Obama had a dinner honoring John McCain shortly before the inauguration ceremonies.

My advice: It’s time to start fresh and with a clean slate – and under the new team in place at SAG, under the leadership of David White as interim director, the union and its board have a good starting point and an opportunity to actually get some work done that will benefit both their current and future members.

I’m happy to help SAG spin this in the right direction, when the time comes – and that will be soon. That’s if I’m asked. You see, those of us who represent talent also feel the impact of the stalemate. SAG needs to reassure the industry as a whole that it’s getting it’s act together – and taking it on the road – that is on the road to reasonable discussions, reasonable expectations and a reasonable, new contract that its membership will embrace and the rest of us can support in the journey of getting back to both the fundamentals and to work.

Then there is the curious case of Alan Rosenberg. He’s in a tough spot, personally and professionally. After all, when all is said and done and his term as SAG president has expired, I assume he intends to return to the ranks of “working actor.” If that’s the case, then, indeed, he has some PR strategy to work on, as well.

Full steam ahead …

BL

Want to know what casting directors really think of actors?

Now playing on “Inside the Business of Acting,” on the Virtual Channel Network, is our four-part interview with the wonderful, Los Angeles-based casting director Michael Donovan. Whether you’re new to the business or looking for a fresh perspective on how the changing landscape has impacted the business of talent casting, what Michael has to say will help, comfort, inspire and empower you. It’s the best 50 minutes you’ll spend in support of your career.

I hope you take the time to watch this – and I hope you’ll share your comments about it with me afterward.

By the way, if you want to really know how to maximize the services of ActorsAccess.com in ways that can help you be both smart and pro-active in both the pursuit and support of your acting career, access our five-part interview with Breakdown Services founder and president Gary Marsh, also available on-demand in the episodes listing section of the “Inside the Business of Acting” Web TV series home page at VirtualChannelNetwork.com.

It's all free.

BL

Another fine mess for SAG

I have been silent for the last month eagerly anticipating something positive to comment on regarding the internal (and public) bickering with the seemingly endless Screen Actors Guild to-authorize-a-strike or not-to-authorize-a-strike serial melodrama.

Is it just me, or have you had enough of this already?

I know it’s important; I know it’s about what actors deserve. But, I also know that now months into this struggle, it appears that the industry is no closer to a new SAG contract than it was when the issue for the union was focused on their members voting down the new AFTRA contract (which, as we know now, was also unsuccessful).

While it appears unlikely that the SAG leadership will get 75% of their actor members to vote “yes” on a strike authorization (should they still decide to seek it), the bigger picture, which is really the smaller picture, might matter most. That is, aside from seeking a strike authorization, SAG also needs to think about seeking unity from among its membership – and how to get everyone effected back on the same page.

It doesn’t much matter who’s in, who’s out or who’s on first as much as it will matter if the union is ever able regain the respect of all of their actor members they’re supposed to be representing fairly and equally.

Is it just me or is it time for some movement in a positive direction beginning with a fresh look at what makes sense for the people effected and the impact of this long stalemate on the perceived and real health of the business of acting?

The only good news of late is that SAG and AFTRA are actually casually dating again, sitting down together in search of a new commercial contract. Bravo to the SAG powers-that-be that realized the sense of both building this bridge and crossing it. It makes me wonder whether these same people at SAG now wish they did this a lot sooner.

Another fine mess, indeed.

BL