On Tuesday, May 2, SAG-AFTRA held its eighth annual Rock the City event to celebrate labor in New York City and honor those working in the entertainment and media industry. The lively gathering was held in SAG-AFTRA’s New York City offices, and was attended by everyone from working actors and directors to government officials and labor leaders. Among those who attended the event were SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon, and New York Local President Mike Hodge.
Although the event’s current name, Rock the City, was adopted in the last few years, the gathering first came to fruition almost a decade ago after Hodge and Damon decided they wanted to create an event that united New York’s labor leaders.
“The first six years, we just kept the event to the labor community,” said SAG-AFTRA’s Director of Special Projects and Events Maura Walker, who has helped to coordinate the event since its inception. “And then two years ago, we opened it up to a much wider group [of all] facets of the entertainment industry.”
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Rock the City began before the SAG and AFTRA merger, and the aftermath of the momentous event only strengthened the community feeling, bringing along a whole new grouping of industry professionals including broadcasters, singers, and recording artists.
“It’s a gathering of people who are like-minded [and] who are doing the same things,” said radio broadcaster Bob Lee, who went on to say that he has been attending the event for several years.
“People spend a lot of time meeting, but this was a real chance for people to meet, socialize, figure out where they had common ground, [and] figure out how they could be helpful to each other,” Damon said.
Carteris also acknowledged the power of conversation, especially in such a communications-driven industry. “I think some of the best work that we do in our industry and as a union is when we are really together having the conversations,” she said. “And this is the perfect environment for the conversation.”
During a short break in the event, Carteris, Damon, and Hodge took time to thank those in attendance and talk about the flourishing media industry in New York.
“One of the reasons for this occasion is the fact that the New York tax incentive has been extended yet again,” Hodge said to the room of cheering attendees. “That’s another five years that we have film [and] television growing in New York City.”
Above all, Rock the City represents the accomplishments and growth of SAG-AFTRA over the years. “The event reflects the fabric of the fact that we are now the largest entertainment and media union on the planet,” said Damon. “The fact that we’re one.”
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