Actors’ Equity Builds a Modern, Sitefinity-Powered Member Portal That Helps 52,000+ Actors Take Center Stage
Challenge
An aging portal frustrated members with poor performance, clunky search and confusing navigation. Actors’ Equity needed a secure, role-based solution that integrated contracts, CRM and Casting Call—while maintaining data integrity for its diverse nationwide community.
Solution
Actors’ Equity transformed its outdated member portal with the help of Sitefinity partner SilverTech and Sitefinity CMS. The new portal delivers a modern UX, personalized content and seamless integration with Azure hosting, CRM and Casting Call application.
Result
- 52,000+ members now have a better user experience and feel empowered to focus on their craft and careers
- Casting Call integration streamlines audition searches and applications inside the portal
- Support requests dropped, freeing staff to focus on strategic member services
Full Story
Challenge
For more than a century, Actors’ Equity Association has protected the rights and careers of professional actors and stage managers. But its legacy member portal struggled to keep pace with the needs of a modern, nationwide community.
Members had to deal with slow page loads, broken forms, unclear navigation and irrelevant search results. Stage managers couldn’t locate crucial production documents or easily reach their business reps. Mobile performance was subpar, leaving members frustrated and disengaged.
Behind the scenes, the portal required rebuilding complex, role-specific access for thousands of users—each with decades of membership history and unique needs.
The Actors’ Equity team also needed a solution that would integrate with existing contracts, member records and a new Casting Call system that would enable actors to search for roles and manage appointments.
Sitefinity gave us the flexibility to support all our members’ unique needs. With its help, we transformed an outdated system into a living tool that truly advances our mission.
Doug Beebe
Director of Information Technology at Actors’ Equity Association
Solution
Actors’ Equity and SilverTech, a Sitefinity Premium Partner, teamed up to redesign the portal with Progress® Sitefinity® CMS as its backbone. They began with deep research—member surveys, focus groups, persona development and content gap analysis—to fully understand diverse user journeys.
The rebuilt portal supports multiple user types through robust role-based permissions. Now, actors, stage managers and admin staff each enjoy tailored content and tools, with clear pathways to contracts, forms, reps and personalized Casting Call postings.
The CMS software’s flexibility made it possible to unify public resources—like audition overviews—with protected, member-only information. The solution integrates seamlessly with Azure hosting, the CRM and Casting Call. This app integration uses a custom API that verifies member standing so audition info is accurate and actionable.
Intuitive CMS capabilities put Actors’ Equity’s marketing team in control. They can now update content quickly, keep resources relevant and respond to members’ evolving needs without constant developer help.
Result
The new member portal has become a daily, trusted tool for Actors’ Equity’s 52,000+ members. Users report smoother navigation, faster load times and greater confidence finding the information they need. Stage managers now log in, locate their packets, track contracts and contact reps without frustration.
Casting Call integration is a standout benefit—actors now search and apply for auditions directly within their portal.
Support requests related to the portal have dropped, freeing staff to focus on bigger-picture member services. Internal teams, empowered by the platform’s ease of use, keep the portal fresh and aligned with Actors’ Equity’s mission to champion its members’ careers.