Notes on USA 829 at USITT, La Bricoleuse on Facebook
I found the notes file for the session i attended at USITT hosted by USA 829, the costume designers' union, and realized i'd never posted it. Now that i'm off contract for the season at PlayMakers, i can catch up on a lot of posts i've had percolating. Yay!
So, first up, here's the transcript (now a bit out of date, since this was last month and the text refers to "yesterday") on the union session:
I did get into the USA 829 intro session yesterday--I gather from some colleagues in other programming tracks that some of the rooms have been filled past capacity, and have had to turn people away.
The union presentation was interesting and informative, though heavily slanted toward scenic design and scenic artists, both in the panelists and the information covered. It was clear that the presentation was aimed at undergraduates--panelists kept throwing in phrases about "when you're young like you all are," and "when you are first beginning your career like you," and so forth, which felt a bit odd, given that when i looked around the room, i saw several attendees like myself, people 20 years or more into their careers.
Much of the information presented and the questions asked from the audience were things you could find on the union website--info about dues and fees, contract specs, locations of offices, etc.
It was worth attending though, in that they did elaborate on several topics not covered on the website--such as what their primary foci are ("Film and TV are our bread and butter," which makes me wonder how much they prioritize serving their members who work primarily in, say, theatre or opera) and what the nature of their entrance exams are like.
They answered a lot of questions about the nature of their benefits program (insurance/pension) for members, which is a definate concern for most freelancers, and gave some interesting figures on membership and payscale. For example, they estimated that for any given round of entrance exams, they had around 110 prospective candidates vying for admission, that around 30 made it to the final round of interviewing/examinations, and that they offered membership to about 7 of those. So, joining isn't easy, and not something you can just choose to do and get right on it.
As a designer, should you prioritize trying to join? The reps advised yes (as you would expect), but not right out of school--they advocated working first and building up a good portfolio for the entrance exam. (Good advice, not just for the union but for grad school application processes as well.)
Myself, well, the majority of my work is production, not design; it's not something i plan to join unless my career were to take some kind of drastic turn. Career designers, though, perhaps it'd be a smart move. I'd be interested to see how the 829's benefits package compares with the group insurance you can get as a member of the Surface Design Association--i always advise my freelancing students and colleages to check out the SDA for access to health insurance options.
Food for thought.
Also, a quick announcement that i've set up a Facebook page for labricoleuse, so if you aren't a LiveJournal user or if you'd rather follow posts over there on your FB feed, you can Like it and do so easily! (I admit, i was inspired by the new FB page for A Sketch A Day...)
So, first up, here's the transcript (now a bit out of date, since this was last month and the text refers to "yesterday") on the union session:
I did get into the USA 829 intro session yesterday--I gather from some colleagues in other programming tracks that some of the rooms have been filled past capacity, and have had to turn people away.
The union presentation was interesting and informative, though heavily slanted toward scenic design and scenic artists, both in the panelists and the information covered. It was clear that the presentation was aimed at undergraduates--panelists kept throwing in phrases about "when you're young like you all are," and "when you are first beginning your career like you," and so forth, which felt a bit odd, given that when i looked around the room, i saw several attendees like myself, people 20 years or more into their careers.
Much of the information presented and the questions asked from the audience were things you could find on the union website--info about dues and fees, contract specs, locations of offices, etc.
It was worth attending though, in that they did elaborate on several topics not covered on the website--such as what their primary foci are ("Film and TV are our bread and butter," which makes me wonder how much they prioritize serving their members who work primarily in, say, theatre or opera) and what the nature of their entrance exams are like.
They answered a lot of questions about the nature of their benefits program (insurance/pension) for members, which is a definate concern for most freelancers, and gave some interesting figures on membership and payscale. For example, they estimated that for any given round of entrance exams, they had around 110 prospective candidates vying for admission, that around 30 made it to the final round of interviewing/examinations, and that they offered membership to about 7 of those. So, joining isn't easy, and not something you can just choose to do and get right on it.
As a designer, should you prioritize trying to join? The reps advised yes (as you would expect), but not right out of school--they advocated working first and building up a good portfolio for the entrance exam. (Good advice, not just for the union but for grad school application processes as well.)
Myself, well, the majority of my work is production, not design; it's not something i plan to join unless my career were to take some kind of drastic turn. Career designers, though, perhaps it'd be a smart move. I'd be interested to see how the 829's benefits package compares with the group insurance you can get as a member of the Surface Design Association--i always advise my freelancing students and colleages to check out the SDA for access to health insurance options.
Food for thought.
Also, a quick announcement that i've set up a Facebook page for labricoleuse, so if you aren't a LiveJournal user or if you'd rather follow posts over there on your FB feed, you can Like it and do so easily! (I admit, i was inspired by the new FB page for A Sketch A Day...)