Gather together online with your NYWIFT colleagues at our February virtual speed networking mixer. We will be joined by our friends from SAG-AFTRA!
Come ready to share creative ideas, suggestions, and contact info for further engagement. While all are welcome, we encourage filmmakers casting their next project to attend to meet on-camera and voiceover talent.
We will begin the evening with a brief salon conversation between SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon and NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez to discuss organizational initiatives and the latest industry updates including safety and the Return to Work, followed by an hour of speed networking. The hour will be broken up into smaller chunks of time, during which you will be randomly paired off with other attendees to network one-on-one.
NYWIFT will also offer a discount on membership to any new members who attend that evening.
NYWIFT hangouts are a safe space to ask entertainment related questions, seek advice, employment and other industry opportunities. Prep your elevator pitch and get ready to make connections!
As always, all members are welcome and encouraged to attend and mix, mingle and get to know our dynamic and talented members and staff in an informal setting.
DATE
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
TIME
6 PM – 7:30 PM EST
PLATFORM
Zoom
Free to attend.
Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, February 17 at 3 PM EST in order to attend.
About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York, and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond.
About New York Women in Film & Television
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) advocates for equality in the moving image industry and supports women in every stage of their careers. As the preeminent entertainment industry association for women in New York, NYWIFT energizes women by illuminating their achievements, presenting training and professional development programs, awarding scholarships and grants, and providing access to a supportive community of peers. NYWIFT brings together more than 2,500 women and men working both above and below the line. NYWIFT is part of a network of 50 women in film chapters worldwide, representing more than 15,000 members. NYWIFT produces over 50 innovative programs and special events annually, including the Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement, which honors women in front of and behind the camera, and Designing Women, which recognizes costume designers, makeup artists and hair stylists in the industry.
Opening Salon Conversation
Rebecca Damon was first elected SAG-AFTRA executive vice president, the union’s second-highest office, in 2016. She was re-elected to a two-year term in 2017 and again in 2019. Damon, a New York-based actor and voiceover performer, was also appointed to serve as president of the New York Local in 2017, and was re-elected to the position in 2019. She is national chair of the Government Review Committee and Innovation and New Technology Committee, and serves on the Executive, Finance and Government Affairs and Public Policy committees. Currently serving on the President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement and as chair of the Member Outreach Relations & Education Committee, she is a fierce advocate for education and empowerment of performers nationwide.
A champion for workers’ rights, Damon’s leadership includes strengthening New York’s right of publicity and digital image rights for the benefit of all members. She was twice recognized as one of the most noteworthy figures on the front lines of New York this year by City and State Labor Power 100. During her tenure as Screen Actors Guild New York Division Vice President, she was a founding member of both the SAG President’s Forum for One Union and the joint Group for One Union, helping lead the effort to unite SAG and AFTRA. As co-leader of the Operations Workgroup, Damon was a key architect of the merger.
Cynthia López is an award-winning media strategist, and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, where she implemented strategies to support film and TV production throughout the five boroughs. López is the recipient of many coveted industry awards including: 11 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, a Special Emmy Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, three Peabody Awards, and two duPont-Columbia Awards. In addition, she received the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Award for Commitment to Corporate Diversity. Prior to working as Commissioner, López was Executive Vice President and co-Executive Producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series American Documentary | POV, and was involved in the organization’s strategic growth and creative development for 14 years. Her ability to forge strategic partnerships among corporate and public interest media has been a signature of her work. Notable partnerships include: New York Times, Reuters, Al-Jazeera Network, Discovery Communications, The Moth, Story Corps, Harpo Studios and ABC News, NIGHTLINE with Ted Koppel.
López is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), and is proud to have spent her career collaborating with independent filmmakers across all portions of the film and television industry. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center, NYC & Company, Museum of the Moving Image and the Tribeca Film Institute Latin America Fund Advisory Board. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Latino Public Broadcasting, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Hunter College IMA Program.
This program will take place virtually as a webinar via Zoom. Please register in advance, and all registrants will receive a link to attend the webinar the day of the event.
We encourage you to download Zoom in advance.
Free event.
membership@nywift.org
Join the conversation on social media:
#nywift | @nywift
NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
