Thomas Ochoa
Candidate: Local Board, Convention Delegate
Candidate Statement
Performers are powerful—and we deserve a union that acts like it. As a Latine performer and the only drag artist serving on both the LA Local & National Boards, I’ve championed inclusive, progressive leadership through committee service and member-driven reform. I authored the LA Local Town Halls proposal—now adopted to ensure members have a regular space to be heard. I’m passionate about ensuring access to middle-class stability, ending exploitation within the casting process, guaranteeing enforceability of contract terms, and rebranding SAG-AFTRA as a union that is unafraid, empowered, and truly member-focused.
Candidate Bio
Thomas Ochoa/Pocket Turlington (he/she) is a Latine + gender-fluid actor and drag queen, known for their ability to portray characters who blur, flip or play with gendered expectations – not just androgyny, but roles that bend, reclaim, or explode traditional ideas of gender, power and comedy. Notable credits include projects for NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, HBO, BET, Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, and Searchlight Pictures.
As a labor activist, Thomas is a founding volunteer of Auditions Are Work and has been featured in The New Yorker, Jacobin Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire, LAist, The Wrap; on NPR and More Perfect Union. Thomas has been a proud member of SAG-AFTRA since 2016 and currently holds seats on both the National Board and Los Angeles Local Board of Directors.
Committee Service includes:
Vice Chair, LA Local Communications Committee
Co-Vice Chair, LA Local Strike Preparedness Committee
Member, National Communications Committee
Member, National Strike Preparedness Committee
Member, LA Local NextGen Performers Committee
Member, LA Local Ethnic Employment Opportunities (EEO) Committee
Website
www.ThomasOchoa.com
Social Media