Author Topic: Name change?  (Read 10375 times)

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Maribeth

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Name change?
« on: Oct 03, 2016, 03:11 pm »
Folks who have gotten married- if you changed your last name, did you change your AEA name?

iamchristuffin

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #1 on: Oct 04, 2016, 12:35 pm »
I'd also be interested in people who have had a name change in British Equity!

loebtmc

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #2 on: Oct 04, 2016, 12:45 pm »
(hmm wonder why you'd ask that ... <g>)

NO, indeed, the women I know are usually established professionals and have kept their professional names. It's how they are known. If they use a married name at all, it often is to differentiate work from home.

megf

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #3 on: Oct 04, 2016, 08:06 pm »
I've seen name changes handled, second hand, in a few ways. At the end of the day, it's what feels right to you. (I didn't change my name, obviously, but for a bunch of other reasons.)

Will it bother you to have a different last name on your mail than on the lobby board?

Will it feel weird to have a resume that doesn't exactly match your pay stubs?

SamanthaR

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #4 on: Oct 05, 2016, 02:18 pm »
I got married before my first union contract so I used my married name for Equity.  I adjusted my email to include both my Birth Name and Married in hopes of one of the two names being familiar.  My Linked in and my Facebook have both variations of my name.  Oddly enough I notice my SMNet name is still with my Birth Name. 

I have been married 5 years and haven't had any issues professionally with changing it.
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SMrose

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #5 on: Oct 06, 2016, 10:28 am »
I had my card before I got married and did not change my AEA name.

Maribeth

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #6 on: Oct 06, 2016, 09:06 pm »
I was planning on keeping my maiden name as my AEA name (and still may), for the reasons loebtmc mentioned. It's my professional identity, I've been building my reputation and network using that name. But it feels a little strange for me to have 2 different names, and to not have my email signature match other documents.... I have thought about using both names in my email, which also feels weird, as both my maiden name and married name are very long.

I think I will keep it as my maiden name for now and see how I feel about it at a later date. Thanks for the input. Would still be curious to hear if anyone else has experience to share.

PSMKay

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #7 on: Oct 07, 2016, 12:18 am »
Hyphenation is also an option.

Maribeth

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #8 on: Oct 07, 2016, 08:45 am »
Hyphenation is also an option.

For some, yes. For me, it would be quite a mouthful.

smejs

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #9 on: Oct 07, 2016, 01:20 pm »
I didn't get married until my later 30s, and ultimately didn't change my name either with AEA or legally. Have only had a few times it mattered...and I can tell when "close personal friends" (spammers, and occasionally utility companies) contact me calling me Mrs. His Name. I actually did debate it, and my husband was one of the first to say it sounded like a big pain to change it. Meanwhile, I know many people who professionally go by their ex's name because that was how they were known in the business.

You do have to make sure your name is listed along with your spouse's on utility contracts (if legally you DON'T change yours)...and that ultimately your paycheck goes to the right legal name if you do have a difference. It gets trickier for me when people use their married name for publicity, introductions, etc, and then their maiden name is still connected to their email address. But it's a personal decision, and I can see both sides of whether to change your Equity name. Just hope for the chance to be able to proof your bio/program info. (Yes, it's in the Equity contract, but still one I have to fight to remind companies of...didn't happen on my last one for instance. Luckily the typo was just an errant set of italics in mine.)

Editing to add more thoughts: As another thought, maybe you can have parentheses around your "other" last name in your email signature? Including however you list yourself in a given program like Gmail? If you do use the email for both work and personal, especially.

I do think it would be kind of nice to have different names for different "worlds" - there are some folks who call me by my initials versus first and/or middle name, and I don't "mind" being called Mrs. His Name most of the time. I certainly introduce myself as His Full Name's wife when I meet someone who may not get the connection, but I know we have one. Certainly Mr and Mrs. His Name is easier to write on invitations. I do love when spam/bulk mail goes to The My Name Family, or he's occasionally called by my last name.

I think the big thing to do is make a decision and stick to it. I had one singer friend who - after being married for a while - kept changing whether she then wanted to be listed professionally (non-union) with or without her husband's name. I still don't remember which is the "right" one now. Certainly anyone has the right at any time to change their name, but right at marriage to me is the most understandable time to do it if you're going to. And as I mentioned earlier, I have several friends who are "stuck" using their ex's last names as that's how everyone knows them professionally - they tried to change back and it was too confusing they found. I think our business is much more understanding of having a difference in names than some other areas, too, simply for the whole stage name factor, regardless of whether someone is married.

Erin
« Last Edit: Oct 07, 2016, 01:38 pm by smejs »

SMAshlee

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #10 on: Oct 10, 2016, 12:55 pm »
I joined AEA before I got married, but also did not change my AEA name, thought I did change my legal name.

Issues I've had:

- Over the course of several years, my email signature has morphed into my married (legal) name for various reasons. When I submit for a job posting, I try to remember to just add my maiden name to my signature.

- I have to make it very clear when I accept a contract, that my AEA name is what is on my resume.

- After moving to a large city, I quickly realized that our mailperson was not delivering anything from AEA that had my maiden name on it. My mailing address in my AEA profile is now:
First address line: C/O (insert legal name)
Second address line: number street

Hope that helps!

KMC

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #11 on: Oct 15, 2016, 05:26 am »
If you do elect to change your AEA name, modern social media will be a huge asset in communicating the change.  LinkedIn and Facebook are great tools for stuff like this!  Congrats on the nuptials :)
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Lizzie

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #12 on: Oct 29, 2016, 10:57 am »
Out of curiousity, does US Equity permit two members with the same name? UK Equity doesn't, even if they are an SM and an actor.

When I joined UK Equity (admittedly mostly for the public liability insurance cover they offer as a benefit - the differentiation between union and non-union gigs here is not so strongly delineated as in the US), there was already an actor member registered under my legal name. So I had to change my name to join, I chose something very close to my original name. I'm not married, but should I marry in the future, the thought of having a third name is just too much!

SMMeade

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #13 on: Oct 29, 2016, 01:12 pm »
US Equity does not allow members to share names, even if they are SM/Actor. If I remember correctly, that's why our very own Matthew Shiner is billed by a different name. 

smejs

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Re: Name change?
« Reply #14 on: Oct 29, 2016, 10:42 pm »
Slight sidebar, but Equity doesn't actually track "SM" vs "Actor" members, since members can take either contract. They can only ever tell you how many work weeks were observed in each category, but don't take stock of how someone "self-identifies."

Erin

 

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