( J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 1 / 0 9 : 2 8 : 4 8 ) 72220-1_ActraMagazine_p01.pdf .1 ACTRA mSUMMER 2agazine 0 11 Over 22,000 performers know that together...WE ARE ACTRA Read just some of their stories inside this issue. ( J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 1 / 0 9 : 2 9 : 0 2 ) 72220-1_ActraMagazine_p02.pdf .1 Inside your union magazine ACTRA magazinfrom THE ALLIANCE OF CANADIAN CINEMA, TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTSe Summer 2011 • Vol. 18, Issue 2 ACTRA magazine is the official publication of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), a Canadian union of performers affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Inter- national Federation of Actors (FIA). ACTRA magazine is free of charge to all ACTRA members. Six Really Great Reasons to Wo r k ACTRA Yo u r Union Applauds Yo ur Performance Tyrone Benskin, Joanne Deer, Ferne Downey, 4 CarolEDITO TavRIALerner, ThADVISeresa Tova,ORYStephen Waddell, 28 ChriCOMMstineITTEE: Willes Thor Bishopric, Tantoo Cardinal, Chris Cornish, Randy Duniz, Megan Gariepy, ArtCONTRIBUTORS Hindle, Brad Keenan,: Jani Lauzon, Allison Roynon, Sandi Ross, Monika Small, Marit Stiles, Lori Stewart, Robert Underwood, Max Wagner, Christine Webber, Karen Woolridge. Erick Querci • CreativeProcessDesign Together... WE ARE ACTRA Our 2011 Wo m an of the Year... Tantoo Cardinal! creativeprocess me.com LAYOUT & DESIGN:@ 16 32 Printed in Canada by union labour at Thistle Printing. All contents are copyright © 2011 ACTRA. All rights are reserved and contents, in whole or in part may not be reprinted without permission. The points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of ACTRA. Please return any undelivered mail to: ACTRA, 300 - 625 Church Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 2G1 ANew Video Hits the Tubes! Farewell to Some Dear Members 26 34 or Fax: 416.489.8076 PhoneEmail: ac: [email protected] 1.800.3Web: www.actra.ca87.3516 416.489.1311 Pubications Mail Agreement #40069134 ISSN 705-9496 COVER: digital illustration/creativeprocessdesign ( J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 1 / 0 9 : 2 9 : 0 7 ) 72220-1_ActraMagazine_p03.pdf .1 A message from ACTRA National President Ferne Downey Christian Paradis is our new Industry Minister, in his home riding of Jeanne-Le Ber in Montreal. Heritage Minister James Moore has been He brought the same integrity, intelligence, reappointed, the Conservatives formed a commitment and charisma to his campaign that maGojorityvernmgovernmentent po andst-Mathe newy 2Officia – soml heeth brouingght otold,hissomething union work thesenewpast 12 MEMBER-ACTOpposition are — the New Democrats. It’s a IVISTSyears. We will miss him but the country is lucky new day and a very different playing field. to have him in his new role. STOur CanadiaEPPINGn cultural industries contribute UP Tyrone was able to join us at our May ACTRA more than $85 billion to the GDP and 1.1 million National Council meeting in Vancouver which jobs and ACTRA is determined that all elected was an extraordinary bridge-building and officials shall know it in their bones. The thrilling week in so many ways. It marked many cultural industries in this country are in the firsts for the union — the first-ever middle of things, in the mainstream — not out ACTRA National Council meeting on the west on the fringes. coast; UBCP/ACTRA President was elected National Vice-President, Toronto The first press release from the NDP Official Councillor was elected Vice President Opposition was about culture — how critical it of Young Workers at the CanadiAlvinanSandersLabour is to our economy and our sovereignty. (That's Congress,I was sworn in as a new VP of the CLC what happens when artists are elected as MPs!) Canadian Council governing body. The new and returning ministers need to under- Eli Goree stand that new copyright legislation must When we threw a reception with AFBS to respect creators’ rights and that the current honour the extraordinary actor limits on foreign ownership of telecommunica- and invited UBCP/ACTRA members, the tions are not to be compromised. Paradis is place was packed. We opened the doors to ob- taking over the reins of the Industry portfolio at servers all weekend long and memTbeanrstoocamCar-e. a pivotal time with a number of tricky files: Thdinalese are very visible symbols of encour- creating a digital economy strategy, reforming aging and deepening solidarity from coast to foreign telecom investment rules, wireless coast. spectrum auctions, the ongoing court battle over the legality of Wind Mobile’s licence, and I am also humbled by the confidence my peers the crucial slate of CRTC hearings. have shown in me by supporting my leadership for a second two-year term. These are issues that we hold near and dear to our hearts and that directly affect our So members old and new, hop on this moving livelihoods. We also have a lot to say about train! At ACTRA there’s an open door as we foreign online broadcasting and the need for build an ever more inclusive and diverse internet service providers to contribute tangibly governing council.Think about stepping up and to the creation of Canadian content. Ottawa will standing for local council election this not be seeing less of us — au contraire. We will fall. There are lots of mentors, even though we be diligent, focused, collaborative and persist- lost a good one to the House of Commons! I ent in achieving our goals. am inspired by you and I am proud to serve as your President. National President Ferne Downey with newly elected NDP MP Something else amazing happened on May 2. and Heritage Critic Tryone Benskin at the ACTRA Montreal AGM. ACTRA’s National Vice-President Ferne Downey Until the election, Tyrone served as ACTRA's National Vice-President. was elected as aMember of Parliament ACTRA National President Photo: Tom Disandolo Tyrone Benskin ACTRA magazine Summer 2011 3 ( J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 1 / 0 9 : 2 9 : 1 1 ) 72220-1_ActraMagazine_p04.pdf .1 #1 Better Pay byArt Hindle It’s almost impossible to describe to young actors today what a dearth of work there was th en for the few young actors starting their careers the same time as I did. I would line up with then-unknowns like , , Really Get Paid for and in production company hallways, usually sitting on the floor because of a lack of chairs. Those cattle Today’s Work and Tomorrow’s Use calls could be funnier than whDanate Aveykrro it ydwasEweugene wereLevauditiy oningGilda for.RadneWe'rd anxiouJohnslyCand hopye we’d be cast in this beer commercial or that industrial film or the latest CBC drama. Canadian films Great were very few and very, very far between. You’d hope to get cast in a really good one — those usually came from the heart and soul of a dedicated filmmaker. Those rare moments of That’s what I was told when I first "Perpetuity” - acting in something great fed the soul, but put very little food found out about the 'buyout'. In fact, it may have been the first on the table. In a film like Goin’ Down The Road, my friends Reasons time I ever heard the word. You get the job, they pay you for , , and today, and they ‘buyout’ your future rights in perpetuity. Well probably earned less between the four of them than years later we met the producers at the bargaining table and we’d make in a day on the latest generic movie of the week. we put an end to that. Cayle Chernin Jayne Eastwood Doug McGrath Paul It wasn’t until I moved to Hollywood and joined the Screen I joined ACTRA in 1968 and the only residuals we got back then Bradley to Work Actors Guild that I found out that there was such a thing as were from commercials. Of course, there was so little work in residuals. Get paid for today’s work and tomorrow’s 'use': those days that just getting paid was a big deal. Never mind something as nebulous as a future residual. I was like any other young actor at the time who scrambled to support my In the mid-90’s I started noticing that I was getting significant ACTRA family of three kids. Making the decision to quit being a residual cheques, especially from my work on the successful What a concept! stockbroker to become an actor not only alarmed my drama, E.N.G. We had shot 96 episodes and at one point, it extended family, but also my banker. So future, schmuture. was playing on at least two Canadian channels simultaneously Show me the money today and I’ll deal with the future when it and thanks to an abundance of foreign sales it was being shows up at my door. seen throughout the world. The cheques were rolling in, ( J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 1 / 0 9 : 2 9 : 1 9 ) 72220-1_ActraMagazine_p05.pdf .1 Art with NDP MP and Digitial Issues I spouted when I could, and to whom and Copyright Critic Charlie Angus during ACTRA’s 2010 Ottawa lobby. I could, that performers needed future earnings Photo: Fred Chartrand from their image and performance use. and that’s because demands were made It has been my honour to proudly serve as at the bargaining table by our ACTRA an ACTRA Toronto councillor since shortly negotiating team. They challenged the after that iconic strike and I eventually producers to do the right thing and pay us joined our executive as Vice-president of for use and eventually, they agreed. External Affairs, and ACTRA national as councillor. These positions have allowed me Thanks to wins at the table we were able to set an inside look at how hard our wonderful staff up ACTRAPerformers’ Rights Society in 1993.