GY MIRANO & O.S.U. ENDORSED BY ALINA SEGURA-BUSTAMANTE, WIDOW OF BELOVED SAG & HOLA LEADER FRANCISCO RIVELA

To be so blessed with an endorsement from Alina Segura-Bustamante is a high honor for Gy Mirano. Francisco Rivela was a LION in our SAG community, for HOLA members, and for the entire Screen Actors Guild membership. I know Gy will make Alina proud, and I know Francisco will be watching over her.

-- Paul Christie, former 2nd National V.P. and New York President.

 

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

When I decided to run in this year's SAG New York election, a very special person was in my thoughts: my dear friend and colleague Francisco Rivela. His memory gives me the strength and inspiration to get through the most difficult moments. It was his desire I run, and I'm finally here. Francisco’s wish is reality, and I'm glad to finally fullfil it. I'm running in his name, to carry the torch of his legacy.

Today I'm deeply touched to say I have the great honor to be endorsed by Alina Segura-Bustamante, Francisco's extraordinary wife. Alina, the love of his life and his biggest supporter, walked with him on the difficult path of being a responsible union leader, committed and passionate about his work.

Francisco was masterful in his craft as stage actor and voice-over artist. Audiences will never forget the magic he created when he stepped on stage or behind the microphone. The impact of his legacy is felt and lived everyday by actors everywhere.

Without Francisco we would not have a Spanish Language Organizing Department, or Spanish Language Media Task Force. It all started here in New York 10 years ago in his living room – a small start with huge potential, in that way great things are often created. He called his friends and tempted other actors by wooing us to a meeting to discuss community affairs over tapas and Spanish wine. That was Francisco: "Let's get their attention, here I am, this is what we need to get done."  Francisco de armas tomar. Francisco always took charge.

I met some of my OSU colleagues and friends back then, in the days of the strike: Paul Christie, Cynthia Vance, Paul Reggio and Sue-Anne Morrow. It was Francisco who took me to my first SAG rally and first picket line, and taught me the value of our union. He led by example: knowledge, passion, honesty, hard work, he was never afraid to take a stand. This is Francisco's legacy and gift to me, these precious friends and colleagues who supported him and cared for him deeply. Alina knows that, and we embrace her as our sister.

We all have each other now. Cynthia's words reflect what I feel: "I miss him often, the velvet throated, brilliant and charming man. Beloved..." Beloved and sorely missed by many.

It is an honor to still walk this path with the friends of our community, these exceptional union leaders who embraced Francisco, and all he stood for.  The story repeats itself. I'm lucky to have their support, and with Alina’s generous endorsement, I will carry Francisco Rivela’s message on.

Together we raise a goblet of fine Spanish wine and say with pride : Here is to you Francisco!!  You live in our hearts forever.

In solidarity,

Gy Mirano

 

 

Gy Mirano - Working To Organize More Union Jobs For Commercial Performers

Dear Colleagues,

I'm pleased to share this article published by Variety this week about the newly launched SAG Commercial Survey.

First I thought of this idea as a tool to organize and explore the situation of Spanish Language commercials. Later it become obvious to me it is a problem shared by the Englisn language contract as well.  Wanting to expand the survey to include both the Spanish and English commercials markets, I brought the project from the Spanish Language Media Task Force to the Commercial Performers Committee to continue the development and launch of the survey from there. The survey is anonymous and confidential, and it will serve to find helpful information about the flux of the commercial market in the U.S. Actors are out there every day going to auditions, getting job offers, and in the middle of the action, we the actors know before anyone else what the new trends are.

Happy survey!

In unity, 

Gy Mirano 

SAG probes non-union ads                                         August 2 - Variety              

By Dave McNary

Guild website seeks info from members

The Screen Actors Guild is asking members for information about non-union casting calls for commercials -- and promising that it will keep the information anonymous.

In a posting on its website Friday, SAG said it's seeking to learn more about non-union casting calls for commercials in order to better serve and represent the members.

"If you have any recent knowledge of non-union casting calls, please take a few minutes to fill out this brief survey with whatever information about the casting call that you wish to provide," it said. "All information provided is completely anonymous and will be used to help us better understand the non-union work space and create more work opportunities for our members."

Ray Rodriguez, national exec director of contracts, told Variety that the idea originated with the guild's Spanish-language task force, given that such commercials are more of an issue for Spanish-language performers. "We're trying to develop as much insight as we can," Rodriguez said. "The fact is that member earnings are up for commercials. It's not in response to any kind of spike in non-union work."

Rodriguez also said there's no agreed-upon metric for measuring non-union work and added that the survey will probably remain on the SAG website for six months. SAG covers about $800 million in commercials earnings from its members, based on pension and health contributions from employers.

Rodriguez said the survey's unrelated to a recent move by leaders of SAG and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists to ask the ad industry for a one-year extension of the current commercials pact, which would move the expiration back to March 31, 2013.

SAG and AFTRA struck for six months against the ad industry in 2000. The guild subsequently disciplined 187 non-union thesps for crossing picket lines during the strike -- 133 membership bans ranging from six months to 4 1/2 years, along with 54 bans for the maximum five years.

SAG also fined Elizabeth Hurley and Tiger Woods $100,000 each for performing in non-union spots during the strike.