It's time to get the branch wheels back in motion. Anyone who was an Online Branch regular may recall that Jan, Feb and Mar were call to action time in regard to formulating and submitting motions for the annual conference.
The Equity Conference is the place where the most representative slice of the union come together to debate and pass new motion which guide and direct the unions activity. It’s the voice of the members. *cough* !! I love Equity but it is far from perfect. Don't ever think that because I post with fanfares and trumpets I don't feel the icy bite of living beyond the fiery warmth of Guild House! The Equity Staff work tirelessly on our behalf.
The winds of change have passed and 2024 in the landscape we inherit. The new framework dictate that motions now need to reach head office by the start of March with regions meeting to determine which branch motion progresses to conference by the end of March.
For the East Midlands Branch who meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month we have just Jan 10th and Feb 14th to formulate and score consensus on a motion from the branch. The Midlands Regional meeting is Mar 22nd.
So to those not in a branch you are of course welcome here in the Online and Beyond group. However, Branches need a minimum of 10 people in attendance to make decisions. Make it your new year resolution to attend one meeting this year. Find your branch. Join its Facebook Group. Make it your business to get to know the committee. Also think about what you’d like to change and how you think that might formulated into a motion for the annual conference.
In the meantime… The East Midlands Branch is open to everyone. This group is also affiliated to the North & South London Branches as a place for travellers no longer served by the branch boundaries.
New Branches are finding their social media homes which is not as easy as it once was. The Highland & Island Branch is a perfect example. Hello to Myette. The Birmingham & West Midlands Branch too with Tracy Briggs taking the Campaigns Office role. Manchester’s Chris Clarkson visit the East Mids Zoom as well as actively contributing in the Loomio Equity Members Network to share his insight to West Midlands’ Tracey Briggs and Georgie Taylor. What’s happening at your branch?
But I started this post to share with you the next East Mids Branch speaker, Brendan Bradley.
Brendan is an accomplished actor and storyteller who has performed in over 100 TV shows, movies, video games, and immersive experiences. He's shared the screen with Hollywood stars, while also creating his own original content.
Currently based in LA, Brendan has been on the frontlines of the recent SAG-AFTRA strike serving as a strike captain making daily videos explaining the common sense demands that actors and writers are fighting for.
Brendan is a pioneer in live virtual reality performance, having acted on 3 continents in real-time VR. He's supported 50 XR prototypes at the Innovation Lab he founded at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
Join me and welcome Brendan as he shares insights from his wide-ranging acting career on stage, screen, and the metaverse. He'll be pulling back the curtain on the actor's life and helping us stair into the matrix in 2024.
The meeting is on Zoom. It starts at 7.30 UK time. Speakers tend to go first and branch business is second. There will be a breakout rooms session for digital ‘bar and banter’. For the truly adventurous you can visit the XR Web and VR space which will host its Edinburgh Fringe meet up in the Summer. I love this space commission my Cybersalon its a faithful recreation of the very first Cyber Cafe Siberia which was located at 39 Whitfield Street in London. It is currently a hub to access 3 Galleries created for the RSA’s Augmented Society Network and curated by them.
The Galleries are accessible 24/7 but guided public tours are being host during January.
2024 is going to be a crazy year to be alive.
Some of you may know I have a word to the year. In previous years I’ve had Legacy, Boundaries, Mindfulness, Posture and last year was Balance. This year is Converse. So… talk to me! I want to be a better listener as well as a more engaging conversationalist.
I did not expect this to turn into a blog post but hey... here we are!
If you want to take part in the East Midland Branch activity, you don't have to be an Equity Member living in the East midlands. Just bare in mind those that do are eligible to vote when consensus is required. All Equity Members are welcome as well as the Equity Curious. We are a branch with total current active membership of around 60 and a members list of in benefit Equity Members of 1100. Meeting tend to get between 15 and 25 member attending. That means its easy to get hear if you have something to say!
So some links
- The Branch's temporary website with past meetings and new updates Doh! now I realise that needs updating!!
- The Meeting Registrations via Eventbrite or Register directly for Zoom. We are a Room and Zoom set up.
- Our East Midlands Branch webpage on the Equity site for contacting the regional officials is live but the branch does not yet have access to update it hence the temporary solution included as link 1.
- Check out Brendan's Instagram
- Find your Equity Branch
- Check out the RSA:ASN XR/VR Gallery Tours 11th and 25th Jan
- Go visit the Cyberia XR Cafe in Spatial.io. Here is a quick first time entry guide to take a peek without having to sign up
We have a Facebook Page and private group as well as a account on X. We are EquityEastMids.
Thanks for reading.