MIKE KRAYCIK
Hi everyone - thanks for visiting my site.
It has been my absolute honor to serve our Local for the last 14 years - and am humbly seeking your support for re-election to our Philadelphia Local Board.
The past 3 or 4 years have been extremely hard for everyone but with tireless dedication to YOU, I have advocated both in the National Board room and in the Local Board room on issues important to Philadelphia Broadcast and Actor/Performer members - including:
I have the experience and dedication needed - and if re-elected, I'll continue to listen to you and push our concerns nationally and locally - including: Most of you know me and I have spoken directly with many of you over the years. With me, you know what you are getting. I am 100% PHILLY FIRST - not LA or NY First then Philly - not anybody first then Philly. 100% Philadelphia and Philly MEMBERS above everything. (and yes, that DOES include eastern/central PA, southern NJ and Delaware).
You KNOW what I bring to the table and there should be no doubt. With me, you don't have to think "OH, he might be ok but he might not be - not sure." You KNOW I give everything I have and am 100% dedicated to the job - which is to represent YOU locally and nationally. You know you can reach out to me at any time and I listen to what you have to say and help in any way I can.
Know that WHEN I VOTE IN THE NATIONAL BOARD ROOM - it is based on what LOCAL MEMBERSHIP has told me. It's based on what our LOCAL BOARD has told me. My vote is based on what Philadelphia members want - NOT what Mike Kraycik wants or "how Mike Kraycik feels" or what famous people I might be able to impress or make friends with. KNOW that I have your back in that room - be it pertaining to contracts, safe return to work, health and pension - whatever the topic is, I REPRESENT YOU and our best interests in Philadelphia!
In Unity.
Mike
ABOUT ME:
Over 14 years volunteer service as Local Board Member, Local Vice President Actor/Performer, National Board Member and Convention Delegate.
Time spent on Local and National committees:
-> Philadelphia Conservatory Committee (Chair, 2010-Present)
Experience, Accomplishments and Priorities That Matter:
-> Close relationships with local, state and federal government officials, film offices, trade associations, labor councils, legislators, mayors, governors, etc.
BFA from Kutztown University. MA from Savannah College of Art and Design.
Campaign Statement:
Fellow members, I ask for your support for re-election as Local Board Member - Actor/Performer. I have proudly represented you on our Board for 14 years. I have chaired our Conservatory Committee since 2010, co-founded/chaired our NextGen Committee, co-chair our Background Committee and served as (self-funded) Convention Delegate. I have a Master's Degree in Business Innovation from SCAD (heavy emphasis on finance) and have the technical & business acumen to keep us ahead of items like AI. If elected, I’ll continue to pursue bringing more union work to town through incentives, partnerships and broadcast organizing. In unity.
Bio:
Michael (Mike) Kraycik attended Kutztown University where he majored in Kutztown's World-renowned BFA Communication Design program. Widely recognized as one of the Nation's top visual and performing arts colleges, the Kutztown Communication Design curriculum fuses graphic design and advertising methodologies with fundamentals in traditional and new media arts. Mike also studied photography and art history while attending Kutztown. Mike earned a Professional Webmaster Certification from Penn State University College of Engineering. The "Webmaster" Certification included marketing, legal and technical course-work. Mike also earned a Master's Degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Design Management (AKA "Innovation Management") - which combines business management, aesthetics and innovation - really the "creative thinking mindset," to solve complex business problems.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mike grew up in the picturesque Lehigh Valley - just west of Allentown - and relocated to Philadelphia after completing college. From an early age, he displayed a high aptitude artistically and worked in many various mediums - primarily concentrating on drawing and painting but also cartooning and film-making. As a youth, Mike attended the prestigious Baum School of Art in Allentown and won various awards in both scholastic and private competitions.
Prior to his time at Kutztown, Mike attended Parkland High school in Orefield, Pennsylvania, where he won the National Honor Society Nation Award in Art. While attending Parkland, he also contributed to the school theater and stage crew groups, as well as time serving as the school's yearbook photographer, writer and newspaper cartoonist.
+TITLES FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY**
Copyright 2019-2023 © Michael J. Kraycik. All Rights Reserved. **NOT PAID FOR WITH SAG-AFTRA FUNDS**
-> Helping secure mixed-income unemployment benefits for our members
-> Establishing safe return to work protocols
-> Pushing hard for the next 3-year Background rate increases
-> Fostering greater diversity & inclusion
-> Pushing up member concerns around changes with our Health and Pension Plans
-> Drafting a Philadelphia Local Board Code of Conduct and Ethics
-> Driving Strike support efforts to try and help secure new TV/Theatrical/Streaming contract
-> Establishing the Micro-Budget Project agreement contract
-> Perfect attendance
BUT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
-> Getting increased gains for Background performers
-> Addressing/fixing our Health and Pension Plans
-> Bringing and organizing more union work locally through Broadcast organizing efforts and legislative/tax incentive initiatives for film & TV
-> Addressing the shifting broadcast employment market, cut-back of hours, lost benefits, etc.
-> Staying ahead of new technology and industry trends like A.I., streaming, virtual reality, synthetic content etc. - with innovation and creative, out of the box thinking
-> Philadelphia Background Committee (Co-Chair)
-> Philadelphia NextGen Committee (Co-founder/founding Chair)
-> Philadelphia EEOC/Diversity Committee
-> National Committee of Locals (COL)
-> National Disciplinary Review Committee
-> National New Media Committee
-> National and Local SAG Awards Committees
-> Longtime volunteer working relationships with Local and National staff and members - and alongside our staff through contract negotiations, the pandemic and daily operations of SAG-AFTRA both locally and nationally
-> Knowledge to know who to call or talk with to get what members need
-> Knowledge of our local working conditions - which are critical for contract negotiations and claims
-> Longstanding friendships with National Board Members & Presidents from all over the country - meaning that in the National Boardroom, they understand and support our Local and that you have friends there too
-> Prioritization and protection for keeping SAG-AFTRA brick-and-mortar Local offices in our Local markets
-> Knowledge and deep understanding of SAG-AFTRA's internal structure - enabling helping Local members navigate it
-> Ability in the National boardroom to influence National policymaking in our Local's favor
-> Knowledge on how union business gets done through smart strategy, reasoned debate, consensus-building and independent voting
-> Thirty-years of consulting & business management experience
**NOT PAID FOR WITH SAG-AFTRA FUNDS**