For the fifth year in a row SAGIndie has programmed a panel at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, CA.
The AFM is one of the most important film markets in the world and I strongly recommend that every filmmaker try to attend. Even if you don’t have a product to sell, it’s a great opportunity to see how the process works, what’s being sold, and to whom.
Our panel was entitled “Indie Budget/Major Talent: SAG’s New Low Budget Contracts Help Bridge the Gap;” and included producers Matthew Greenfield (The Good Girl), Gina Kwon (Me and You and Everyone We Know), and actor/filmmakers Danica McKellar, Aisha Tyler, and Amber Benson, who discussed how the changes to the low budget agreements benefit both actors and filmmakers. 
It was a great discussion and I am always impressed by how great a job the IFTA (the organization that produces the Market) promotes their events. Every year we’ve had a standing-room audience. 
Oh, and for those of you who think actors are self-absorbed and rude, as I was driving to the AFM I realized I had to make a left turn across Ocean Avenue to get to the venue. Of course, none of the drivers in the opposite lanes would let me cross… until a Mercedes stopped and the driver let me make my turn.
Thanks, Eriq LaSalle!
