Professional Profile: Randy Himes, Executive Director,
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
and Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
Raised in Rockford, Illinois, Randy Himes's journey to working in the
film and television industry began with his love of music. In his youth,
he played in rock bands and devoted eight years to the French horn.
After high school, he enrolled in the recording industry management
program at Middle Tennessee
State University with the
intention of becoming a
recording engineer. Upon
graduating, he sent out
résumés and worked at a
gas station in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, while trying to get
a music industry job. A local
deejay, who was a regular cus-
tomer, found out about
Himes's interest and recom-
mended him for an interview
with the head of the Nashville
AFTRA and SAG office.
Following a marathon three-hour interview to be sure that he did not
want to pursue a performing career, Himes was hired as a local field
representative in 1978.
Later promoted to a national representative position, Himes remained
stationed in Nashville, but traveled extensively. He found a mentor in an
AFTRA attorney who taught him negotiation skills, which proved invalu-
able as he negotiated contracts at radio and television stations and
became involved in troubleshooting operations around the country.
When the chapter director left the organization in 1986, Himes was
appointed to fill the post of executive director, where he remains today.
Job Overview
General managers are responsible for the physical management and
operation of the television station. They set and implement policy and
may also be involved in programming and production decisions.
JOB TITLE: GENERAL MANAGER,
TELEVISION STATION
"You've got to be
able to do whatever it
takes to get the job
done."--Randy Himes
"You've got to be versatile and flexible.
With AFTRA and SAG, there are no black
and white lines in many areas. You have to
be flexible enough to deal with that and not
become frustrated."--Randy Himes
CAREER TIPS
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