NED Doug Allen

SAG’s latest National Executive Director is Doug Allen. Allen is the third in a very rapid succession of NED’s. His two predecessors, Bob Pisano and Greg Hessinger, were ousted by action of the SAG National Board after relatively brief terms in office. Allen comes to SAG from the National Football Players Association, where he’d served as a deputy.

The Membership First faction, which has since 2004 controlled the SAG board room in Hollywood, was recently surprised to learn that Mr. Allen’s past included crossing the NFLPA’s own picket lines in 1974 and working as a strikebreaker for the Buffalo Bills football team. That revelation has sparked considerable controversy on chat boards which feature discussion of SAG union affairs.

On a more substantive note, Mr. Allen’s approach to SAG business has been characterized by sharp disagreements, both with SAG board members from the New York and Regional Branch Divisions and with the leadership of AFTRA. While he has yet to negotiate any industry contracts of his own, he has been free with his criticism of other unions’ contracts. Nonetheless, Allen has been able to generate some positive personal coverage in the trades and the L.A. Times.