New Website and Opportunities

We have launched!

As you would have seen around a month ago, our beautiful new website is up and running, and thank you all for getting on board and updating your details within the new membership portal. It’s exciting to be able to offer members the opportunity to run their own memberships directly from our website!

I would also like to welcome the 40+ new members who have joined our community since we launched the website. It is great to see the Guild growing, so please spread the word if you find value in our services and offerings. The bigger we get, the more we can do for the sector and you.

We are all Better Together.

We have had fantastic feedback about the new offerings and the ease of the new website, so I am highlighting some of the features in case you haven't had a chance to look around.

Crew Zone! This members-only area is accessible once you're logged in and hosts a full profile area where you can personally manage all your account details and view your new membership e-card (we won't be sending out plastic cards any longer as part of our movement toward greater sustainability). Within the Crew Zone area, members now get free and open access to valuable resources like The Blue Book, Industry Rate Card guides, industry news and NZTECHO mag, and events area.

We have released the first three episodes of our Screen Workers Business Toolkit online learning module, which can be found under Training and Workshops, with new episodes landing in the next month. There are 11 episodes in the online series designed to assist crew with the setup and operation of their screen businesses.

Online workshops are a first for The Screen Guild in recognition that crew need resources direct-to-screen and available 24/7 in favor of attending in-person workshops which take up valuable (and often scarce) time. Watch this space for the remaining episodes as they are released!

One of our most exciting and popular new projects is the Member Discounts program—If you haven't seen it already, you must check it out! We have a fantastic new and comprehensive savings platform on offer to members, providing discounts at over 55 suppliers to help your business (and personal lives) save money—a highly useful tool to utilize during these difficult and stressed financial times. The other super bonus to this program is that within a few purchases, the savings you make should easily cover your membership fees for the year! We will be adding to these over the coming months, so keep your eye on our Member Discounts page. If there are any purchasing areas we haven’t covered, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will see what we can do to get more businesses on board to save you money.

Now here’s where it gets REALLY good on the Member Discounts front… we are currently working on partnerships with several large and industry-specific organizations to offer even better business discounts and supply benefits to members!! Get your NZBN number ready, you’ll need it. Watch this space for the release of our Production Pro Discounts program, where you can save even more with a special discount and benefit structure that is exclusive to The Screen Guild members. Exciting!! (Hint: Production Projects and Screen Companies may want to look into this as a crucial tool to keep more of their budget money on screen).

And it doesn't end there in terms of exciting news. We will soon be hitting the road and visiting a city near you! The Screen Guild will be hosting industry networking nights in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown in early August. Bring an industry friend or two and come enjoy a great social event full of exciting Screen Guild updates. I look forward to meeting more of you, sharing some kai and drinks, presenting our new initiatives including the Member Discounts Program, and chatting through the next steps for the Guild.

Did I mention the prizes and giveaways? Watch out for our new supplier partnership announcement and communications on these events, and book your spot through the events page on our website. We would love to see you there!

Next: The new BLUE BOOK 2023 is out! Current Screen Guild members get their first hardcopy FREE, and to continue our moves toward greater sustainability, you now have the choice to either stick with the online soft copy or order a hardcopy directly from The Blue Book page on our website (members must be logged in to see the button). When you place your order, please allow 14 days or so for us to get it out to you as I’m sure we will be swamped with orders.

To make things a little easier for you, on The Blue Book page of our website, we have included a full set of details outlining all changes to the new book, including a downloadable document in case you need a hardcopy.

I would also like to highlight our new support section on the website. We all know how much this industry can take you on a bit of a roller coaster, so please check out the support area if you or any of your crew mates need some support.

Last but not least, a big thank you to Tracey Sharman for steering the website innovation and the incredible outcome we can now all enjoy.

I want to give a heads-up to the executive committee, who tirelessly give their time and support to me and the members. I really couldn't do this without you all.

Ngā mihi nui,

Kelly