Guild of Italian American Actors

The Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA) was founded in 1937 as the Italian Actors Union (IAU) to protect the rights of Italian-American actors in Italian-language theater and was reinvented as GIAA, the Guild of Italian American Actors by then-president Paul Borghese in 1998. Borghese served as president from 1998 to 2002 and currently serves as president emeritus. He took a dying union of 67 members to a membership of 500 actors, directors, and writers. The guild has jurisdiction over Italian-language professional theater, and works to preserve and promote awareness of Italian culture and heritage. GIAA also provides a casting resource to directors and producers seeking Italian-American actors.