DALLAS/FORT WORTH

Brent Anderson, SAG Dallas/Fort Worth Branch President

I’ve always known that earning a living  as a professional artist is a challenge in any field, but having been a member of SAG for 17 years it’s clear to me that the difficulties facing union actors today are simply astounding.  Serving as both the SAG and AFTRA President here in Dallas-Fort Worth, I’ve worked hard over the past 7 years to help our local members navigate the murky waters of finding jobs in a Right-To-Work-For-Less state.  As a local voice representing North Texas actors at the national level my message has always been one of inclusion—the only ones looking out for actors ARE actors and we must be united to survive.  That goes for SAG, AFTRA, AEA—you name it.  Working together we can fight to create jobs for EVERY actor in EVERY zip code…working apart, we only dig deeper holes for ourselves.

The entire landscape of what we do has changed.  It makes no sense to pursue strategies and tactics leftover from the cold war to deal with an industry advancing at the speed of light.  We are a national union with an international reach—we need member representation capable of seeing a bigger picture, not just the one tacked to their own headshot.  The founding fathers said it best and I believe events surrounding our beleaguered union over the past few years confirm it:  UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.

Of course, that’s why they call it a UNION.

I can be reached at brent@scotchdog.com if you care to share your thoughts.

Suzanne Burkhead, SAG Dallas/Fort Worth National Board Representative

I believe in a truly national union. A strong SAG presence in Texas is vital to our survival as professional actors. I am committed to finding creative solutions to provide more job opportunities for our members. Creating more contracted union work is particularly challenging in a Right-to-Work state. In Dallas, we rely on solidarity with our sister union to combat the enormous non-union presence in our market. I am dedicated to unity among performers and merger of the performers' unions. Contact me any time at sburkhea@swbell.net.