Welcome to Episode 18 of the West Park Park Bench Podcast. There's been a week's break between 17 and 18. So if you were looking for 18 last week, it's here a week later. I was thinking of recording one in the week but there's no harm in breaking routine and there's no harm in picking that back up again and having a momentum that you can carry forward, so it was a little bit of a challenge.
So I you've listened to some of the other podcasts. The topic of today. Summit. I'm going to tell you a little bit about the upcoming equity online branch Summit, what it is, why we're holding it, and why it's part of this podcast.
So I have a structure that I operate my events in and that's Plan, Prepare, Deliver, Reflect Report, and I had a delivery period, I went down to London. It was part of the 22 ideas about the future podcast at launch the book launch itself. I was down there to engage in some of that London energy. I've also had some of the Beeston Taise, events to stream the first one triggered the audio podcast that I did, which was about all or nothing audio. And that had its second outing, which meant I was able to get a little desk so that all the little radio mics that people have inboxes and theatre people have these things. They've picked them up somewhere and they have no use for them. So I've got a little AUDIO DESK that plugs in USB into my computer. Anyone who's got microphones, I can put them in DSLR DSLR camera XLR, or using quarter inch jacks or using mini Jacks faux nose aides and say all of that sort of stuff. So that was cool. Did that first one that went great. But there's there's a chaos that goes around delivering stuff because it's happening. It's the thing that you planned and prepared for it's going to happen. And it takes on a life of its own and that's part of the process of planning is to let it have let it have a life of its own. Enable the attendees and the audience to feel that it is really organic and that is happening and that it is spontaneous. But you need to have a structure in which you can hold that event in place and that that two sided coin giving the notion of freedom and spontaneity and yet rigidly planning to within an inch of its life is the art of events organising in my opinion.
So I had a two week stutter stumble that I couldn't really get back on the train as it were. And so I took the decision last week to pause. So here we are at the summit, I think and this is why Summit is today's podcast. This is one physical destination regarding Summit. It's the top of the mountain it is there is nowhere else to go after the summit. If you're really courageous and you do multiple runs, you can do the three peaks challenge you know get into the summit have all three within a certain amount of time. So the summit is that point where there is no higher to go there is only down the other side.
And on the fourth note on the third of November, the equity online branch of which I am chair or holding their annual summit it should have been in September. But because of things that are going on with the rule change with equity, there is a new rulebook that has been devised and it has been circulated and there has been dialogue upon that and there has been feedback and it is going to go to the membership for voting. Do we accept these new rules or do we disapprove of these new rules?
But we have to have this summit. Every branch has an AGM so an annual general meeting happens annually. General it doesn't have a particular focus, but it's a meeting and the things that happen at those meetings. Are the things that need to be done constitutionally for the branch to continue to exist. We have rules that are set down of how our branches can operate and they are those rules by which we govern ourselves. It's the rules by which we hold ourselves accountable. It's the rules by which the process of democracy within the branch takes place. Really, really fundamental.
So the digital Summit is a way of us being able to come together with some interesting speakers because you've got to have a reason for people to come.
So for the digital summit for third of November. We've got two short speakers. They're only speaking for 20 minutes. One is John Barclay, who is the head of recorded media and heads up all of the AI stop stealing our show. The screen in New Media Committee he's record anything that's recorded, or even live broadcast. Actually the new media part of it is John's remit and John also looks after the American network. So yes, there are American networks. But actually, there's a Canadian. There's the Toronto network. There's the Los Angeles network, and there's the East Coast network and those networks form the basis of the audience that me as an online Branch Coordinator and the committee there. They're the people that we are targeting and marketing if you like so those are the people that we really want to get involved in the branch because if you are living in the UK, and you are working for a length of time or you're between jobs, the idea is find your local branch and local branches really, really do need support. So in terms of us marketing, ourselves to attract UK members, it's a little bit disingenuous. So what we try and do is find postcodes or areas of the of the UK where there isn't a branch within sensible distance. And that's actually quite hard to do. Takes we don't have any marketer. So we have a list we have a number of people who are US residents and being able to send out newsletters to that group is really good for us. There's also Europe as well. So people who are living in the EU so reaching the top of a cycle, leading that top region the summit. It reaches a point where it becomes regular and that's the thing these points in the annual shedule happen every year. And the digital summit last year, took place in July, taking place in July, which is when we would make our announcement to say we need to elect a new committee so people who are already on the committee can stay but essentially we are making that notice and last year it was in July, and we asked for nominations throughout August. And then at the end of August. We had a new committee this year that is taking place in November because we've had this processes of trying to analyse and understand how we how we contribute to the rules, process and the rules. activity that's going on, and it didn't give us a chance to organise any existing branch business. So that's why this is happening in November. So first speaker is going to be John Barclay.
Our second speaker is Kathryn Klavana. And Kathryn Klavana. Is the SAG AFTRA representative kind of the President of... right, how do I put this? So, SAG AFTRA is the screen and media union in the US and Kathryn is the president of the Washington Mid Atlantic association of the Union. I believe the reason we're having Kathryn to come and talk to us is to explain a little bit about how how union works in the US because we've got quite a few US residents and there's been conversations from our committee member George Kardulias, who is resident in America and in fact, Washington State, which is why Catherine is going to come and be our speaker.
So there's just been some really interesting things that he's told us about what happens in the US with their union. So they get sent DVDs of films that have been nominated for the Oscars, and they get asked to vote. There's a industry vote. And I just think that's really interesting way of really feeling part of the industry that that you are in, you know, members that are in a film you get to vote on who you think the best members are.
So she's president of that chapter of SAG AFTRA. And it's just going to be interesting to hear from her.
So again, only 20 minutes. We're then going to have a Q&A. And that Q&A will again be 20 minutes, and then the rest of the session so we've got 20 minutes after that is networking a breakout room so anybody that's there will open some breakout rooms people can go between them. You can stay where you are, you could it's kind of an open space type thing where you can move between rooms, and we will finish at nine and we will close the zoom at half past nine. So sometimes people just leave sometimes people just want to stay behind and stay behind. So this zoom call has got all that built in so the third of November from 730. UK time and we are back on GMT. 730 There'll be a five minute intro for me I'm gonna give a little bit of a story history. I think it's really important to tell the story of the history of the branch to date. Then we will have our member of staff so John Barclay, he will speak then we will have Kathryn speak we'll have a Q&A. Then we'll have a bit of a break out networking and then we'll have the after party if you like so that's the summit.
And this is the point at which we announced that we need a new committee. We need someone to come on board and take what we have so far and guide it forward. So if you think you might be one of those people, if you're already in the online branch and have been receiving the news updates, great. Get in touch. Let's get you submitted as a nominee. If you are in the Loomio group, there will be a thread where people can put their names forward. That's the place where everything really takes place. And if you're an equity member, you are not involved with a physical branch. Check out who your physical branches but if you would like to be involved with the online branch at least until you get your feet and then we can introduce you to the closest branch to your geographic location. If that's convenient, then do get in touch with me.
So on an equity front, you can contact me on moderator@equityonlinebranch.co.uk It will be in the show notes.
You can contact me via message via Twitter @pcmcreative and of course you can comment here on the podcasts. So usual listeners not Equity, not in that sphere of my world, do come back next week for episode 19. But episode 18 has been summit reaching the top going down to the side and what that cycle then becomes and I really look forward to seeing some of you at Summit show notes.
If you want to sign up and register you don't have to be an equity member. Anybody's welcome that's all I really have to say.
