In its continuing effort to eliminate sexual harassment and protect its members at work, SAG-AFTRA has instituted two significant initiatives that will help protect and support its members: the first industrywide accreditation for intimacy coordinator training programs and registry, and a tool that will allow members to report harassment right from their smartphones.
Intimacy coordinators play an important role on set. An intimacy coordinator is an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate scenes. With today’s announcement, the union, in collaboration with the intimacy coordinator community, is establishing the first industry-wide standards for training, registration and continuing education of intimacy coordinators. Having experienced, qualified intimacy coordinators on set helps ensure SAG-AFTRA members who are filming scenes with nudity or simulated sex are able to work in a manner that maintains their personal and professional dignity while realizing the director’s creative vision.
“Protecting the well-being, security and dignity of our members is the reason that SAG- AFTRA exists,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. “Last year, SAG- AFTRA took a huge step toward normalizing and encouraging the use of intimacy coordinators in productions large and small. These professionals have proven to be effective in changing the culture while safeguarding the safety and security of our members as they work.”
SAG-AFTRA also announced SAG-AFTRA Safe Place, a new reporting platform available through the SAG-AFTRA member mobile app and at sagaftrasafeplace.org, which makes it easy for members to discreetly and securely report incidents of sexual harassment.
The introduction of the new web portal at sagaftrasafeplace.org and the sexual harassment mobile reporting tool will allow anyone who works under a SAG-AFTRA contract, or third-party bystanders, to safely, securely and discreetly report an incident of sexual harassment that they personally experienced or witnessed.
Once users file a report of sexual harassment using the portal or app, their report will be handled by SAG-AFTRA’s Equity & Inclusion team, who are trained in trauma awareness. They will work with the user to determine the best course of action and provide additional resources. Users can opt to report an incident anonymously if they prefer.
“This is the latest development in our ongoing effort to eliminate sexual harassment in the entertainment industry through innovative technology improvements, strategic partnerships, raising awareness of these issues, and expanding contract and legislative protections,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White. “This effort reflects a long collaboration with the leaders and working professionals in the intimacy coordinator community. We could not be more pleased to add this contribution to the work being done by colleagues and allies across the industry to address this issue.”
The Intimacy Coordinator training accreditation and registry programs will help safely expand the number of experienced professionals to serve in this role nationwide by providing “gold standard” criteria for employers to identify qualified and experienced candidates to serve in this role. It builds on the Standards and Protocols for the Use of Intimacy Coordinators originally introduced in January 2020.
In addition to the process for review and vetting of candidates for the role of intimacy coordinator, the accreditation system will establish a standard to help potential registrants identify high-quality training programs. It also includes a commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion for all applicants. Additionally, SAG-AFTRA will sponsor an intimacy coordinator conference annually for registry and pre-registry participants to meet a continuing education requirement.
Submissions for the accreditation of training programs will begin May 1 and last through July 31. Submissions for applicants to the registry and pre-registry lists will begin Aug. 1 and run through Oct. 31.
“As the use of intimacy coordinators continues to rapidly grow, we believe that establishing these standards will help to safely expand the profession and provide support and security to actors as they practice their craft,” said Amanda Blumenthal, founder of Intimacy Professionals Association.
“The steps we are taking today are to amplify and unite the working professionals in the field of intimacy coordination,” said Alicia Rodis, who serves as HBO’s in-house intimacy coordinator. “We are proud to be working with SAG-AFTRA on continuing to set the standard of excellence for this rapidly expanding industry. The continued safety of performers on set is our number one priority.”
The steps are the latest efforts in SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing and industry-leading commitment to fight sexual harassment in the workplace and protect member safety. SAG-AFTRA has:
- Negotiated stronger provisions into its major contracts with studio and network producers that guarantee members significant rights and protections in intimate and highly exposed scenes.
- Developed and released the definitive code of conduct to prevent harassment and assault in the industry.
- Put a stop to improper private meetings and interviews in hotel rooms and personal residences.
- Built internal and external programs and retrained its staff to provide support to survivors who wish to report an incident or who need referrals to therapeutic resources or other assistance.
