Actor/Filmmaker/Casting Director Robert B. Martin Jr officially announces his candidacy today for SAG-AFTRA National President in the upcoming election. He will be running as an independent candidate and is joining the race to be the voice of the working-class actor. Ballots will be mailed out on Tuesday, July 25th and must be returned by August 24th with election results expected that evening.
“The office of SAG President is not a vanity position or about how many celebrity endorsements you have,” says Martin. “The office of the president is and should always be about having the experience and expertise in negotiating and most importantly, executing our contracts in the best interest of the membership.” He believes that the next SAG-AFTRA President should be able to do this for background actors to celebrities. He further explains, “He or she must have a respected reputation and a respected relationship with major studios, networks, ad agencies, production companies, writers, directors, producers, agents, managers, and the global creative community. It is imperative for all SAG-AFTRA members to elect a strong representative that will fight for the rights of all performers regardless of earning scales.”
Martin is directly responsible for guiding endless ad agencies, brand owners, production companies from non-union to SAG-AFTRA contracts. He has done this since the late 80’s. Examples include Ericsson and most importantly Adidas’ 50th anniversary. The Adidas Union contract covered background to celebrities and inspired the feature film “Project X” based on the union talent he provided. By performing these actions, he was directly responsible for wages and P&H contributions and most importantly, he created “real” work opportunities for SAG-AFTRA performers. He plans to continue to educate brand owners, brand managers, board of directors, CEO's, SVP's of Production, heads of production on the cost advantages of deploying diverse contracts for greater investor ROI's over unpredictable and unstable non-union projects. He says, “My entire career I’ve been responsible for providing specialized entertainment services, helping guide entrepreneurs and entertainment creatives to take decisive actions and to make creative choices, so they can put their greatest work into the world.”
The election is coming during a time when the membership is simultaneously being asked to vote on an issue with tremendous impact on SAG-AFTRA members, specifically the working-class actor, not the over scale talent. The ballot will also include the proposed successor agreements covering motion pictures, scripted primetime dramatic television and new media
production. “It is unprecedented that the members are being asked to vote on such a monumental contract in parallel with National Elections,” said Martin.
ABOUT ROBERT B. MARTIN JR.
Robert B. Martin, Jr. began performing as a child, and his chameleon like looks have garnished him some unique and eclectic roles in a multitude of International Film, TV, and stage projects. He holds the distinct honor of being the first teenager to be "Call Blocked" and has starred in hundreds of commercials including KODAK’s #1 commercial of all time, "HoneyMoon" with Monet Mazur. He was the spokesperson for Pace Picante Sauce, Taco Bell, Blockbuster, Jiffy Lube, Snapple, Coke, Diet Coke, and Geico to name a few. His film credits include Starring in “SLACKERS” to Super Billy Hillbilly, a role which he created, in the cult comic book classic “THE MYSTERY MEN.” Other notable roles in feature films and TV series include Oliver Stone’s JFK, AN AMERICAN STORY, FUGITIVE AMONG US, MYSTERY MEN and LA HEAT. On stage, he has starred in numerous productions, including the critically acclaimed one-man show "TRAILER TRASH “and "TRAILER TRASH REVISITED”, which he wrote and performed to sold out crowds. As a director, he created the award winning Anti-Smoking Campaign “Question It,” Levi's "Love", and IKEA “Kitchen” which won a multitude of advertising awards for his famous "reveal." He starred in, co-directed, and produced the two time audience award winning feature film, "Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool" . His short film, “Nice Guys Finish Last,” which he wrote and directed won the "The Standin' on the Corner" Award for Best Narrative short at The Winslow Film Festival. "NICE GUYS FINISH LAST" stars Jane Lynch, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Milo Ventimiglia, Tim DeKay and Heather McComb. As World Wide Creative Director for Equality Source, Robert, Jr. created the worldwide content, branding, and marketing strategy including concept-ing and directing the celebrity campaign for LifeWorks Mentoring which won the top Telly award. He teaches his critically acclaimed acting class and audio book, "The Concept of Acting," domestically and internationally.
For more information on Robert B. Martin Jr and his campaign please visit www.RobertBMartinJr.com.
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