Author Topic: Joining AEA!  (Read 5941 times)

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CARo

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Joining AEA!
« on: Oct 09, 2018, 07:00 pm »
Hi all!

I will be getting my equity card soon! (I have yet to sign and speak with AEA)

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of things I should look out for or do as I transition into an AEA SM.  Is there anything you wish you knew when you first joined?

Any words of wisdom and advise is greatly appreciate it!

Thank you!

Maribeth

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Re: Joining AEA!
« Reply #1 on: Oct 09, 2018, 09:10 pm »
Congrats! I think the number one thing I didn't know is that when you have a question, it's totally okay to call your AEA rep! They are there to help. A lot of AEA questions that come up are situation-dependent, so you can't necessarily get a clear answer by asking someone else. Sometimes a particular theatre will get a special concession from Equity about a particular rule, so something that's okay at one theatre or on one contract might not be okay at another (or vice versa).  I've never had a rep mind me calling and asking, and it's usually the quickest way to get a question answered. If you don't know who your rep is, ask your production manager (or whoever handles AEA contracts at your theatre).

I also think it's really helpful to print out a hard copy of the rulebook for whatever contract you're working on and put post-it flags on any rules that you might want to reference quickly. For me it's usually things like the rules regarding rehearsal and performance hours, how many hours of fittings are allowed, etc. So much easier to reference them quickly. (Though the search function on a pdf is helpful too!)

Michelle R. Wood

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Re: Joining AEA!
« Reply #2 on: Oct 15, 2018, 02:07 pm »
Quote
Congrats! I think the number one thing I didn't know is that when you have a question, it's totally okay to call your AEA rep!

This statement is very true and not just for those getting their card, but for those managing Equity actors on Special Appearance or Guest Artist contracts. The first time I reached out to the office I was intimidated, but they were super helpful and efficient with helping me work through a weird situation.
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