President’s Message
A message for ACTRA Alberta Members from your Branch President.
“Welcome! Here is THE SPOT to find out about the Alberta Branch of ACTRA, representing 1,500 talented Albertans who ply their craft in recorded media. If you are a member wanting to find out what’s shooting, news from the Branch, what the latest professional development opportunities are, and where you can get help from our incredible staff navigating all our agreements, you’ve come to the right place!
If you are a future member, you are also welcome to find out more about our union; how you can join, help in connecting with casting directors, and even links to help secure an agent.
The industry continues to be strong in 2025, after a 2024 that saw our 5th best year on record for productions, income for the Branch, and opportunities for members to show that casting local is a smart move for Production.
2025 looks to be equal or even better. Our brand new IPA has many improvements including historic increases in minimums, codified language on Hair and Makeup provisions for BIPOC performers, increased Background count on set, 11-hour turnaround for Stunt Coordinators, and much more. Productions are starting to ramp up for the summer filming season so be sure to check emails and this site for all the latest news.
And some good news, as union commercials are starting to come back to our beautiful province. Yes, we are still being locked out by Producers and Ad Agencies, but we have side agreements with DOZENS of them, who believe that ACTRA performers sell their product best. I continue to remind members that working on non-union sets undermines our efforts to get the ICA back to the table, and a new agreement settled.
And to help make this our best year ever, I’m going to continue to ask you all a big favour…please create your ACTRA Online Profile! This is THE single biggest tool we have in enforcing Preference of Engagement (that’s ACTRA speak for HIRE LOCAL!!!). When Producers unfamiliar with Alberta come here, they invariably ask “What’s the talent pool like?” Now, WE all know it’s full of hundreds of amazingly talented individuals. But when ACTRA Staff run a report on how many female-identifying performers between the ages of 36 and 55 there are in our ranks for example, and they get a list of only a handful of people, it’s because all the others haven’t updated their profile!!! So I beg you, if you haven’t done so, (you know who you are…) please take an hour or less, and fill out that profile! And if you already have a complete profile, be sure to keep it up-to-date with a current headshot, and a complete list of all your hard-earned credits to make your resume stand out!
To help our members land those roles, the branch will be holding plenty of professional development workshops – for free or at a very limited cost. Please take the opportunity to sign up for the workshops, it will be time well spent.
Also, just a reminder that our union continues to help ensure safe and inclusive sets for everyone. If you experience harassment of ANY kind, please contact HAVEN Online 1-855-201-7823 to get support. And if you see something, say something! The best way we can support fellow members is by standing up and reporting harassment or poor working conditions. Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult to make that first call if you’ve been victimized, so to help out our union siblings, Haven can also get the ball rolling on a better industry for everyone.
All the best for our next filming season, and I cannot wait to see you on set!
