[NEohioPAL] New Organization for Unapid Actors... Actors' Inequity

[Brian Diehl]

For Immediate Release
   
  Contact:  
Brian Diehl, Co-Founder, Actors’ Inequity
P.O. Box 572 Hudson, Ohio, USA
bdiehl at actorsinequity.org 330.283.9550
  
 
   
  Unpaid Actors Happy with Inequity
  
 
  For almost 100 years, professional actors worldwide have formed “equity” organizations, unions that protected their interests.  Now, an organization has been formed to support the world’s unpaid performers, “Actors’ Inequity.”
   
  “Actors’ Inequity was established to provide free, or affordable, services to unpaid performers and small theaters.  It also has a membership card that’s fun to show off!” said Brian Diehl, co-founder of Actors’ Inequity.  The Actors’ Inequity membership card, or “Inequity Card,” is a parody of the “Equity Card” that so many professional actors are proud to carry.
   
  “The idea came from a friend who was joking that unpaid actors deserved their own union,” Diehl noted, “so, I put together some resources that small theaters and aspiring actors might want.”
   
  Those resources, found at www.actorsinequity.org, have become a growing pool of work for Diehl, as he is now continually designing free signs for theater lobbies and back stages, sample resumes and affordable show logos to help theaters promote shows without getting into copyright issues.  
   
  “I was thrilled to find a useful resource for myself and for the theaters I’ve been working with,” said Eric Oswald, a veteran Cleveland actor, “plus, the ‘Inequity card’ really cracked me up!”  Oswald was one of the first people to receive an Actors’ Inequity membership following the site’s unofficial opening.
   
  Even though Actors’ Inequity launches officially on March 1, 2008, through a January 10, 2008 “soft rollout,” the organization’s roster has already grown to more than 150 people.  One show producer purchased 47 memberships for his entire cast and crew as a closing night gift.  “Our growth has been a dream-come-true,” said Diehl, “I think that the amateur theatre community loves the inside joke of being able to say, ‘I’m Inequity.’  Apparently, they also love keeping me busy making new signs and designs!”
   
  Diehl, 42, is a former director of marketing for a division of NEC America.  He now owns his own creative and graphic design firm, Thinknik, which specializes in branding, positioning and marketing materials – not a far cry from the skills necessary to put together Actors’ Inequity.  This, combined with more than 35 years of paid and unpaid acting, has created a perfect storm for creativity.
   
  As Actors’ Inequity grows, Diehl says he will continue to expand the free offerings and services to the unpaid acting community. “It’s an industry that has not been well supported,” he said, “and it’s about time for the unpaid actor to get a little limelight!”  
   
  The organization hopes that many of its members move into the professional world, allowing them to carry what the Actors’ Inequity web site refers to as a “more equitable card.”
  Diehl’s company, Thinknik, www.thinknik.com, was founded in 2005 to provide marketing and creative services for companies of all sizes.  Prior to founding Thinknik, Diehl, and several cohorts from NEC America founded Ayalogic, a communications company in Akron, Ohio which won $2 million in venture capital funding.  Diehl lives in Hudson, Ohio.  He graduated from Kent State University and is an Eagle Scout.
   
  Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers. 
   
  British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.
   
  Canadian Actors' Equity Association: a professional association of performers, directors, choreographers, fight directors and stage managers in English Canada who are engaged in live performance in theatre, opera and dance.
  
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  Eric Oswald (quoted above) may be reached at: 216.529.2800 or bigredeo at yahoo.com
   
  Actors’ Inequity logo (high resolution) is available upon request:  bdiehl at actorsinequity.org
   
  Actors’ Inequity is in no way associated with Actors’ Equity Association
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