“These Standards and Protocols reflect input from the full community of Intimacy Coordinators working in the industry today. We are grateful for their input and for the feedback received already by industry allies and partners who have also worked with us, and who have expressed an eagerness for clarity around this important role. There is more work to be done by all of us in the industry, including standardized training and expanding the number of experienced professionals to serve in this role. These Standards and Protocols lay a solid foundation for this growth and for the continued, seismic change needed to eliminate the scourge of sexual harassment in our industry.”

“It is our hope that this process can be widely adopted for an effective and reasonable path for productions to work with a trained intimacy coordinator. With these protocols already field-tested by an ever-growing number of productions and studios, we believe we can make important and welcome industry changes,” said Alicia Rodis, Associate Director and Co-Founder, Intimacy Directors International.

“I’m excited about the release of SAG-AFTRA’s guidelines for intimacy coordination because I think it signals to the industry just how important it is to do what we can to make sets safer and to protect performers. Additionally, I think that these guidelines strike the right balance between describing the roles and responsibilities of intimacy coordinators while still allowing for flexibility from show-to-show so that the process can be customized to work with each unique production,” said Amanda Blumenthal, founder of Intimacy Professionals Association.

For more than two years, SAG-AFTRA has led the conversation on eliminating sexual harassment in the entertainment industry through strategic partnerships with industry allies and by pushing for stronger legislation. In 2018, the union established the Four Pillars of Change initiative and issued its Code of Conduct and Guideline No. 1 (the prohibition of meetings in high-risk locations) to uphold professional standards and address the potentially toxic culture and power imbalances that contribute to workplace harassment. In 2019, the union collaborated with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and The Actors Fund to expand existing intervention tools and survivor support services.

Podcast

Exploring the vital role of intimacy coordinators as on-set liaisons between performers and film and TV productions. Intimacy Professionals Association founder Amanda Blumenthal and Alicia Rodis, a founding partner of Intimacy Directors International, join hosts SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White.