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UPDATE:A veteran publicist for some of Hollywood's Triple-A List stars just emailed me this prediction about the SAG meeting next week: "I will bet you a dollar to a donut that they will 'ask' that we not have our clients do any media or promote their films or TV series in any way. This is what happened in the 80's. The fallout on our end was a lot of actors then put their PR reps on hiatus, and everyone was hurt."
The email (see below) was sent out today by Jennifer Heater, manager of the Screen Actors Guild's National Policy & Strategic Planning. It went to every Hollywood and New York big-time publicists and talent managers. 
Sources are telling me it's to discuss the upcoming strike authorization vote and and how it would affect actors' participation in movie and TV campaigns, publicity bookings, award shows, etc. (But SAG insiders say there's "no agenda"...) The meetings will take place in LA and NYC. My sources tell me that SAG will be sending out the strike authorization ballot sometime right after Christmas. Expect the timetable to be announced on Monday. But it would be another 30 days to receive the result of the vote. So the Golden Globes on January 11th look safe (unless a boycott is organized...) 
/>I do believe it's now likelier and likelier that, no matter if there's a strike authorization or just a boycott, SAG (maybe joined by the WGA) will target the Academy Awards in order to get the moguls' attention so they engage in formal or backchannel negotiations. There's now also some talk among the Hollywood CEOs about moving the Oscars' February 22nd date to later in the event of a strike authorization or boycott by the big actors union. That was contemplated when the WGA strike threatened the broadcast, as well as an all-clips version of the show.
As for the publicists and managers, I can't imagine they want their clients looking awkward like Powers Boothe who still hasn't lived down how in 1980 he won a Best Actor Emmy for the CBS TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones and, during the SAG strike that fall, was one of the few actors who showed up to claim his award. He said at the time, "This may be either the bravest moment of my career or the dumbest."
Here's the email forwarded to me by a source:
From: Jennifer Heater
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 12:32 PM
To: Jennifer Heater
Subject: Screen Actors Guild Negotiation Update MeetingDecember 5, 2008
RE: Screen Actors Guild Negotiations Update
As part of our ongoing outreach to SAG members and other members of the entertainment community, we are holding a meeting for managers and publicists at Screen Actors Guild Headquarters in Los Angeles, the meeting should last about 1 ½ hours.
We have received numerous inquires about the status of negotiations, and we’d like to have the opportunity to discuss the situation together. Please join us at this important meeting.
Please RSVP to Jennifer Heater.
In solidarity,
Alan Rosenberg, President
Doug Allen, National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator
Pamm Fair, Deputy National Executive DirectorScreen Actors Guild Negotiations Update for Managers & Publicists
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
8:00 a.m PST, 11 a.m. ESTIn Los Angeles:
James Cagney Boardroom
5757 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(parking will be validated)In New York:
Leon Janney Board Room
360 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10017
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Interesting that they didn’t include agents in these invites since agents are the ones who can actually book their clients on lucrative TV campaigns. Maybe because SAG knows agents feel this is the best deal SAG is going to get? Or maybe because they’re tired of being made fools of at their own meetings when agents point out the ineptitude of their negotiating committee?
Good. The only thing the greedy companies understand is when they get hit in the pocketbook. Canceling award shows and interrupting the publicity machine gives SAG leverage just like the strike authorization will. They are offering a bad deal and no doubt wonder why SAG won’t just bend over and take like the other unions.
None of the actors I know want a strike but they also don’t want a bad deal either and are planning on voting “Yes” on a strike authorization. We are at the crossroads here and if we give away new media now then we are more stupid than the AMPTP thinks we are. A strike authorization will get their attention. Vote YES! Spread the word. The future is on the line here.
P.S. A big thanks to the negotiating committee because they are holding the line and refuse to accept a shitty offer. The only “ineptitude” I see is coming from the shills who aren’t very clever at disguising who they are when they post on this board.
Hmmm….every major movie production since May has been shipped out of the US due to SAG DRAGGING THEIR FEET and/or inability to negotiate. Television productions are mostly operating on AFTRA contracts and I’ve been out of work since.
Enough with the vote yes nonsense. You have no idea what a strike will do if you are planning to authorize one.
The only reason why agents would be excluded is because they work as negotiators as well and can be bribed to reveal what their client or clients are planning to do. SAG wants to spring the element of surprise which would likely mean that Nikki may be watching the first half-hour of the Golden Globes, and suddenly the SAG board has voted to strike NOW, and that it turns out that the Authorization ballot was mailed out sometime ago, tallied and released on New Year’s Day, and SAG board votes to strike as soon as possible with the srike announcement being done as an invasion of sorts with SAG office workers carring pickets into the ballroom for the actors. I’ll bet NBC would love that.
BTW, most of the current primetime network TV is SAG and that is insured because most episodes are started and filmed on a weekly basis. Most movie productions are done on a case by case basis. Insurance for movie productions is based on location, type of work, and length of production. For example, let’s say I was filming in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding area. The type of work is mostly flat land with extensive use of Atlanta freeways for chase scenes with filming scheduled for two months. I would be required to get insurance for all filming including special permits for the freeway work, and if I don’t complete that work, I have to pay the insurance companies. There are more then one example like that, and that is the main reason why there isn’t any movie production as of right now.
The assumption that all the big stars will boycott the awards shows is iffy at best. Do many names are furious at SAG for obvious reasons. They may just tell SAG to stuff it and attend the shows. Wouldn’t surprise me. If getting a strike authorization is up for grabs, why does anyone assume the names would willingly boycott the awards show just because SAG wants them to?
How much more interesting would it be if rather than boycotting the awards shows, the actors actually showed up and used their acceptance speeches to trash the AMPTP.
Re: Why agents weren’t invited:
SAG has not invited the agencies simply because the big 5-6 agencies (CAA, Edvr, UTA, ICM, WMA, Pdgm) know that their power comes from the studios and networks.
It used to be that “way back when” agents developed and signed talent and had the talent’s interests first and foremost. It used to be that an agent’s power derived from the talent they developed and their priority was to protect their talent.
Now that these agencies are more interested in hiring ivy league lawyers and MBA grads to develop “Revenue streams” instead of people, the professional reps with a gift and a mandate to assess and protect the talent have transitioned to theatrical management.
Actors gladly pay the 5%-15% for that loyalty. Paying for the manager’s to keep their agents in check.
So the agents are now free to push and cajole their talent to take multi-million dollar pay days and it is now the job of the manager (if he/she is good) to be the ethical compass and moral concious and another set of eyes, ears (noses) to evaluate material for their talent.
Don’t forget that all these major agencies have literary departments where their agents are trying cajole their talent dept. colleagues to attach their performers to their own agency writers material in order to secure package deals with the studios. (regardless if the script is good or not)
So ulterior motives and machinations that aren’t in the actors best interests are rampant in those agencies.
The managers also serve as the talent developers for the agents so they (the agents) can concentrate on securing, negotiating and executing contracts with the talent’s lawyers and with Big Media. The only agents that still develop talent are the quote unquote “small fish” that presumably have their talent swallowed up eventually by the bigger fish.
These big fish agents don’t want to rock the big media boat
Bottom line, “good” managers have flourished as it has become more clear over the years that when it comes to the big tent pole agencies, someone has to “mind the Minders” and officially be the new protectors of the talent.The scary part is as management companies get as big as the agencies (360, Untitled, 3 Arts, Brillstein etc.) they will have more leverage at the cost of their talent’s freedom to accept or refuse work.
The answer to that I think is for actors to get back to basics and find smaller, but respected agencies and a management company with a great reputation but with a smaller (but well respected client list) allowing the actor more control and the manager to actually manage the details and work alongside the agent.
Their are agents and managers that do compliment each other nicely that way. I know this personally.
I think this should answer the question why no agents at these meetings. SAG wants to deal with the rep’s that truly have the ear and trust of the talent.
Sadly, the truth is actors have to pay more to protect themselves from unscrupulous people.
That’s right, boycott the award shows and put hundreds of more people out of work, people that have hard a very bad financial year already. All these shows employ hundreds of IATSE, DGA, WGA and free-lance production people not covered by any guild or union. But I guess a local 600 cameraman losing his house isn’t an important part of the big picture here…
Dear Ms. Joosten,
The goal of every actor is to be a professional one and to be paid to work in the medium.
To do commercials, TV and film you don’t get there without joining SAG.
You don’t join SAG, you are not yet a professional in the eyes of Casting, Agents, Managers and Yes – The studios and Networks.
If you think for one second that prominent actors would cross the picket line of the union they dreamed of joing then you are one naive and delusional puppy.
Clearly you have not been in this business long, nor have worked closely with talent as I have.
Your assessment is not even in the realm of possibility.
Actors may vote not to authorize a strike, but if there was one, you can bet not one single actor would scab.
The shame brought upon them by their fellow actors would never let up. Would you want to work in that atmosphere where you would be endlessly ridiculed behind your back and perhaps spit on the front?
The brotherhood and sisterhood of actors is a lot stronger than other areas of commerce by a large margin.
Kathy wrote:
“If getting a strike authorization is up for grabs, why does anyone assume the names would willingly boycott the awards show just because SAG wants them to?”
Because some actors DO care about the future and the rights of middle class actors who do not get the mega-bucks deals. Anyone who has read the offer being pushed at us by the AMPTP realizes it is the end of residuals. If you have actually read the crappy deal you wouldn’t have to ask your question.
“why does anyone assume the names would willingly boycott the awards show just because SAG wants them to?
Comment by Kathy Joosten”
Two words, Kathy.
Powers Booth.
There’s going to be tremendous pressure to buckle. Don’t do it! This is it! No second chance! There will not be a next time! SAG’s entire future is on the line!
Hey Agent Provocateur, what planet are you on? The brotherhood and sisterhood of actors is a lot stronger than other areas of commerce by a large margin? PLEASE. Everyone one of these smile in your face, stab you in the back, self indulgent, King and Queen of their own imaginary island hacks are out for one person, and one person only. Themselves. How do I know that? I am one of them. If you really feel that way, you are either a delusional extra that thinks that when Patrick Dempsy walks by and smiles, you guys are “buds,” or you are Alan Rosenberg. I don’t know which one is worse.
This strike is not getting widespread approval because it will not benefit the working actor. End of story. We all saw that months of tough guy rhetoric and an eventual WGA strike (which got broad support from EVERYONE) got the writers basically nothing, other than a classic South Park parody. A strike, especially now, is not going to work. Period. If we do strike, it will take jobs away from us in the short term (sucks), and will take jobs away from us in the long term (DOUBLE SUCKS) since it will most likely bankrupt smaller production companies, writers, directors, and even studios that… drumroll… EMPLOY US. So piss of with your sanctimonious BS and get a job – at Starbucks.
Stuart,
You are wrong in what you have stated, except for the part about you not working. However, everything you have said will become the truth very soon.
By the way, do any of you fellow SAG members find it interesting that SAG is sending out ballots during the Christmas holidays? What a great time to ensure that there will be low voter turnout, which will most likely result in Alan’s desired outcome, a strike authorization. See, most working actors that actually have an actual career at stake get their SAG related mail sent to their business managers, who are conveniently closed for the holidays. Oh Alan, you sneaky little devil.
To “Turd”
You can disagree, it’s a free country. Time will tell. “If” there is an authorization for a strike, I will will be proven right. Mark my words and then you may send me a nice apology for your wrong headed attitude.
Clearly we know that if you were nominated for an Oscar during a strike you’d be running , not walking to pick up that statuette while being belted with refuse.
Btw. I’m neither an extra or Rosenberg. I am a talent agent. And if you look at my previous posts, I’m pro Actor and Pro SAG. The best kind of agent an actor (working or otherwise)could hope to wish for.
To Agent Provocateur –
What kind of lame agent are you, spending all your time writing on comment boards? Get off the internet and get your magician/ puppeteer clients some work.
To “Turd”
It’s Sunday. I’m taking a break from reading scripts with roles you won’t book (not with that attitude and little faith for your fellow actor) while enjoying a cold beverage you bagged for me at Ralphs.
Thanks!
Hey AP
It’s so cute how you keep replying. I am actually beginning to feel sorry for you now. Awwww…. Maybe I’ll hire one of your ventriloquist clients to come over and cheer you up. Where should I send him? Who’s basement do you live in? Does your address end with one of those quirky 1/2’s or 3/4’s? Do tell.
Why don’t you leave him alone? Agent Provocateur has represented many fine actors over the years. His clients are in fact quite well known and have appeared in many famous films. For example do you remember
the chariot scene in Ben Hur? One of AP’s clients played the 3rd Roman soldier from the right.
how about he funeral scene in Ghandi? AP repped 2 of mourners. Got them 7 Rupees a day and a plate of Chicken tikka masala.
And who could forget the fabulous ADR “actors” who redubbed the voices of the courtroom spectators in Kramer vs. Kramer? Guess who their agent is?
wow…LP..and I thought it was the producers that you felt showed no respect for actors. Kevin Costner was an extra in a Ron Howard picture before he was famous. Many famous actors have done ADR, including Andy Garcia, Craig T. Nelson and others. It’s hardly a crappy job to many who have had the opportunity. Perhaps it is you who should temper YOUR contempt for actors. You are one, aren’t you? So much for “solidarity”.
It’d be funny if Agent Provocateur was Agent Provocaturd’s agent…
Keep the burns a flying, ladies.
The worst mistake SAG ever made was taking in SEG. It’s why we are where we are today.
FYI EXTRAS bring in 3% of SAG’s income yet 95% of SAG’s resources go to dealing with them.
We need to fire Doug Allen
Instill qualified voting
Merge with AFTRA
Lose the extras
Then let go of anyone who makes less than 50K per year.
oh and btw, like many actors I did extra work when I first started out in this business. Then I realized that being an extra was for pathetic losers with no dignity who enjoy being treated like crap and whining about overtime and smoke pay and vouchers and who just dream about one day being plucked out of the crowd and upgraded to stardom.
I’d rather wash dishes, bus tables or dig ditches.
“…if you can’t make money as an actor, you`re either incredibly stupid or tragically unlucky.”
John Malkovich
AWTY, which one are you?
I can’t tell of LP is totally sarcastic here in support of SAG, or just an arse…