When Should I Join SAG-AFTRA?

"When should I join SAG?"

Actors who want to make acting a career will eventually want to join SAG-AFTRA, the actor's union. You'll need to consider the timing and your current situation.

Pro's and Con's

There's a lot actors should consider before joining the union because there are pros and cons to membership. Depending on what state of the U.S. you live in, it can help or hurt. In our 50 states, there are 28 "right-to-work" or "non-union" states, where you won't be forced to join the union. But in film-heavy states like California and New York, you'll eventually need to join since these are "union" states.

How To Become SAG Eligible

Actor's become eligible to join SAG after they've:

- earned a speaking credit or principal role in a SAG project.

- or worked 3 days and received 3 vouchers as a background actor in a SAG project.

But just because you're eligible doesn't mean you must join SAG.

SAG Members Can Only Work On SAG Projects

At some point, when you've done SAG projects in union states, you'll be a "must join" before you're allowed to shoot another SAG project. The biggest thing to understand about joining SAG is that SAG members cannot work on non-union projects, only SAG approved projects.

And in a perfect world, all work would be SAG approved and all actors would get paid fair wages, have safety and work protections, have health and retirement benefits... basically, all actors would be treated fairly and lawfully.

But, since non-union projects are plentiful everywhere, actors will take the work, even when sometimes, it's not the best decision. I get it, we all want to work. But the more we bend and give away our art, the more we're taken advantage of...which is why SAG exists.

What To Ask Yourself...

Before you join SAG, you should also look at your resume and body of work. Is your resume impressive? Do you have many speaking credits and clear video clips of you in scenes? Does the video look high quality and professional?

When you begin competing against highly trained, professional, experienced SAG actors, you'll need to be ready. The only way to compete is to have a complete, professional marketing package with outstanding headshots, professional, impressive resume and quality video clips of your scenes.

You'll be the small fish in the big pond at first in SAG, but soon enough, if you've timed it right, you'll be growing and taking up more space and outgrowing the pond again. Don't join SAG just because you want to be part of the group. There will come a time when you must join, but until that moment, grab as much work as you possibly can.

What's It Cost To Join SAG?

Start saving for the $3000 initiation fee that will be required when you join. It's important to be ready.

When you're a "must join" that means you've booked a SAG role and you'll need to join SAG immediately or you'll be recast and the role will go to someone else.

The benefit of being a SAG actor in union states is that productions must hire SAG actors before they consider hiring a non-union actor. When you're already part of SAG, it makes it easier to be hired. There are ways around that for production. They can file a Taft-Hartley report and claim the non-union actor has specific talents needed by production. But there are times a production won't take that step.

It's A Personal Choice When You're "Eligible"

In the end, you'll need to consider your individual situation and decide for yourself. Talk to your talent agent or industry professionals in your immediate local area. Is there a lot of SAG work, or is it primarily non-union. Is there a reason you feel you must join now? Once you're in SAG, you'll want to keep up with it for the lifetime of your career.

So make sure it's the right thing for you, right now. Eventually, as a professional actor, you'll join SAG, and you'll reap the benefits. But until you gain experience and create a full resume, take a breath and consider your options.

I'm here if you have any questions. You can also call SAG-AFTRA directly at www.sagaftra.org.

Have a great day and break a leg! Nancy