Last week marked a special moment in history for Influencers and digital content creators.
SAG- AFTRA, the largest union for actors, has approved a new “Influencer Agreement” that would allow anyone that makes money as an influencer on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to join the union. SAG-AFTRA previously only allowed YouTube influencers to join the union, but has not shifted strategies in response to the new way brands are generating content.
This is important because it now allows a larger class of influencers to join these unions and avail themselves to the benefits. Benefits such as health coverage can be huge.
Some of the requirements that the Influencer must have in order to join include:
- Influencer must be incorporated (LLC or other corporation) and cannot a sole proprietor or partnership
- Influencer must have a valid contractual agreement with an advertiser
- Influencer’s advertising must contain a video or audio component. The definition of video and audio includes Instagram video posts, a Twitch stream or TikTok videos.
- There is currently no minimum follower count required
- Influencer must own their intellectual property (this is very important and why you need an attorney)
So if you are an Influencer who is interested in joining SAG AFTRA with the likes of Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Jason Bateman, Larry David or Susan Sarandon now is the time. Give our firm a call if you have any questions or need to act in order to meet the requirements noted above.