A few people still ask me, “why should I join the PGA?” To me, the reasons are so self-evident that it sometimes takes me a moment to put together the right answer. After all, not everyone joins the Guild for the same reasons, or derives the same kind of value from their membership. So I’ve decided to borrow some advice from our colleagues over at the Writers Guild: SHOW, DON’T TELL. The best way to explain the reasons for joining this organiza- tion is simply by showing what the Guild does. To that end, consider March 22-29, a perfectly ordinary week in the life of the PGA. No major projects happened — no conferences, awards shows or black-tie galas. And yet, here’s what the week looked like... Saturday, March 22 – Non-fiction Job Forum. Our biggest job forum yet, this one featured over 100 members meeting with 17 employers. The TV business is boom- ing; you could see members landing jobs in the room, in real time. Sunday, March 23 – A full day of rest! Monday, March 24 – Dancing in Jaffa screening hosted by the Doc Club of the National Capital chapter. DC-based producers get to meet and ask questions of producer Diane Nabatoff and doc subject Pierre Dulaine. Tuesday, March 25 – The new Women’s Impact Network has its first meeting on the west coast to start setting its ambitious agenda. Meanwhile, PGA East members attend a Google Glass Open House and Reception (at Google Glass Basecamp in New York) while National Capital members get to chat with PGA East eminence David Picker about his memoir Musts, Maybes and Nevers. Wednesday, March 26 – PGA members in L.A. attend the popular Pirates, Pythons and Passports seminar, presented with AFCI. Everyone leaves knowing a lot more about location shooting than when they went in. Thursday, March 27 – In Los Angeles, the New Media Council holds a workshop, teaching members about the benefits and process of live streaming. (NMC Chair Michael Bellavia literally streams the event from his phone.) Meanwhile, in New York, members attend a screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel, featuring a post-screen- ing Q&A (including a slideshow!) on the film’s remarkable visuals, including locations, miniatures and stop-motion animation. Friday, March 28 – A visit at the PGA office from Denis Lillie, the Film Commissioner of South Africa. During the productive, in-depth meeting with members of our International Committee, Denis details the benefits of producing in his country. Saturday, March 29 – Don’t sleep in! On the west coast, it’s time for the Guild’s Habitat for Humanity Build, under the auspices of the PGA Green Committee. The members who attended the Build were occupied all day, but the rest of the west coast membership had the chance to sharpen their AVID skills with a seminar in the morning, and then relax in the evening at the Guild’s special opening weekend screening of Darren Aronofsky’s blockbuster Noah. So you see, there was nothing special about this week, except for, well... everything. Even a perfectly average week at the PGA is packed full of events and opportuni- ties that can help you get a job, introduce you to new technologies, improve your networking opportunities, refine your craft, and simply show you a great time at the movies — nearly all of them at no charge to members. So the next time someone asks you why you should join the PGA, no need to tell them anything. Just show them this column. -National Executive Director Vance Van Petten
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 00:45:14 +0000
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