This video explores different reasons why someone may or may not want to join SAG / AFTRA ( Screen Actors Guild / American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ).

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This mostly caters to actors who are living in America. Literally it’s the thing that everybody hears about when they are thinking of making a career in the film industry. The thing about unions such as SAG-AFTRA is that they are there to protect the rights of the people working in the industry. Of course, if you are acting, and you want to get into high-level jobs like a role in a TV series or even a big movie any on-screen job will have to be negotiated under a union contract. This ensures that you can get union benefits and a correct salary.

To join SAG, a performer must pay an initiation fee plus the first semi-annual basic dues. The national initiation fee rate is currently $3,000 (initiation fees may be lower in some areas). Annual base dues are $201.96. In addition, work dues are calculated at 1.575 percent of covered earnings up to $500,000.

Okay, so after hearing all of this you might be discouraged to pay so much money. Luckily SAG-AFTRA have a bunch of payment plan options which makes it super easy to pay the initiation fee, or you could even get a small loan from your bank. At least in Los Angeles they are so accustomed to making small loans for that reason that they will pretty much instantly give you one.

You may also be turned off on the annual dues but honestly around $200/year is super inexpensive, plus you’ll get a ton of screeners and get to vote for the SAG awards. They also offer a ton of free screening at the DGA, Q&As, panels and workshops. It’s really up to you how you want to use your SAG card, plus your annual dues are a tax deduction in the state of California if you submit your taxes as an actor.

The downside of being in the union is that now you are not allowed to take on jobs that aren’t part of the union. Nowadays a ton of commercials are non-union and set as a type of buyout so being part of SAG instantly makes you ineligible for this kind of work.

There’s also this whole Hollywood making thing. Obviously, if they are making multi-million dollar movies they will not just hire anybody. They need to be sure that the person can actually do the job, but also that the person is bankable. Meaning that just the actors name will bring in X amount of profit. If you are unknown then you will have to compete with the big leagues. You’re basically in the Olympics, now trying to get the same jobs as all the other working actors that you see on TV.

Well, now that we’ve broken down all of this and you aren’t totally turned off from joining the union here are a few pros and cons of being in the union.
The pros are better contracts which offer more money, member benefits such as health care. If you’re living in America you know what a joke healthcare is so actually being able to become eligible for a SAG-AFTRA health plan is amazing. Unfortunately you need to make a pretty substantial amount of money as an actor to qualify. I’ll put a link in the description of the video as the amount changes from one year to the other, but it’s at least over $13k/year from Union work.

Another pro to being part of SAG-AFTRA are deal discounts, access to the SAG-AFTRA foundation events and calls access and finally a Union that will actually fight to get you money for each gig that you get hired for.
Now for the cons: You can’t work Non-union gigs which means you will miss out on a ton of projects. You also will need to compete with other actors that may have more experience and credits than you. Abiding to all these rules is not always easy and initiation fees and membership dues need to be paid in order to remain in good standing.

Obviously whether you are Union or non-union there may be moments where finding a job will be difficult. You’re an independent contractor so finding work is up to you and the people representing you.

Alternatively there is also a way of becoming Fi-Core which stands for financial core. Under that you are actually not technically SAG-AFTRA but are allowed to work SAG-AFTRA and non-Union gigs. This type of status is usually frowned upon but can give people who want to work both Union and Non-union gigs a solution. If you are Fi-Core you still need to pay annual fees, but it give you the advantage of accepting whatever gig you want. You also still qualify for health benefits and pension plans. Plus you pay an average of 4% less annual fees.

In the end there are a ton of options for you. Just don’t rush into whatever you are doing. If you are just beginning maybe Non-Union is perfect for you. With more experience you will most likely want and need to join the Union.

#sag #sagaftra #actorslife

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