Television Academy Performer's Peer Group members:
If your name’s above the title or buried in the credits, you deserve a say in how your work is protected, valued, and shared. That’s what this campaign delivers.
The industry shifts are accelerating. And performers are a peer group that can be fully replicated, simulated, or erased by AI. That makes us vulnerable.
But it also makes us powerful, if we organize.
I'm Roy Samuelson, and I'm running for Governor of the Television Academy's Performers Peer Group.
I’ve spent the last decade building where most of the industry doesn’t look: behind the mic, in the edit bay, inside studios asking what accessibility *really* looks like.
At the CTA Foundation, I shared perspectives that lit up the conversations and helped shape accessibility language. That’s the kind of policy leverage we need for performers.
In inclusion rooms, I’ve already been shaping the conversations that are now catching up to all of us.
But I’m not just showing up in those rooms to listen; I’m showing up to bring others in. Those rooms matter only if we use them to make change that performers can feel.
If you’ve ever felt like these decisions were being made without you, my campaign’s built to make sure they never are again.
Because if we don’t shape this, it’ll shape us. If performers aren’t at the table, we’ll be on the menu.
So what happens if we don't act?
- Your likeness might be used in projects you never auditioned for (and never got paid for)
- Your voice becomes a training model without your consent.
- Talent paths for success are reduced to algorithms, instead of relationships.
These are already happening. That’s the stakes. But we’ve got leverage if we use it.
I’m here to build policy. The kind that stops AI misuse before it happens, not just explains it after.
Here's what I'll do in my first 30 days as Governor:
- Launch the Performer AI Action Subcommittee to directly engage with the Television Academy’s Innovation Advisory Committee on AI protections, ownership, and profit sharing
- Build formal coalitions with SAG-AFTRA, NAVA, and WGA so we stop duplicating efforts and start reinforcing each other’s work, and making sure the advocacy is amplified, not lost
- Publish a performer-facing campaign: Your Voice, Your Rights with downloadable tools and short explainers to help every actor – union and non – protect their voice, image, and work before it’s misused
These are steps toward real leverage for your work. What you get by voting for me is a voice that won’t let performers be sidelined.
The old industry promised recognition. The new one demands direction. I’m not running to be seen. I’m running to build.
Let’s shape this future like our careers depend on it, because they do.
We're In Good Hands
A quick note: I’ve reviewed the bios and statements of intent from the other candidates, and I’m impressed. Their clarity, experience, and approach tells me that no matter what happens, we’re going to be in good hands with our Peer Group this year.
Action You Can Take Now:
If this message resonates, I’d be honored to earn your support, and grateful if you’d share it with 3 performers who deserve a say in what’s next.
-Roy Samuelson
Candidate, Performers Peer Group Governor 2026-2027
P.S. Bob Bergen shared a video breakdown of his vote and why here