The SAG-AFTRA National Board voted to create an influencer and digital creator committee, taking another step to bring influencers into the world of TV and movie stars.
The move is an acknowledgement that social media is where more and more people are getting their entertainment, but will it be a good fit?
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WATCH HEREWith her 88 million followers, influencer Addison Rae became one of the first social media stars to cross over, starring in the Netflix movie “He’s All That” in 2021.
That same year, SAG-AFTRA introduced a waiver agreement with influencers to allow them to act in commercials as a pathway to join the union.
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SIGN UP Lifestyle influencer Patrick Janelle is now helping the union bring in even more stars on social media.
Janelle is leading a new SAG-AFTRA influencer and digital creator committee, blending two cultures that the union says are already joined in many ways.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher is a lifestyle influencer herself.
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“There’s a vastly changing landscape within entertainment and social media," Janelle says. “We’re talking about a union that really has the power and the muscle to be focusing on issues that relate to influencers and digital creators like contract negotiations and fair compensation.”
SAG-AFTRA Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland says influencers stood by actors during their strike and studio offers to cross picket lines to fill the void.
“It’s a skill set that’s really all connected and all aligned together and we’re strongest when we’re unified and when we have solidarity,” says Crabtree-Ireland.
Janelle says that by unionizing, influencers like himself can protect themselves from being taken advantage of by the brands and companies with whom they work.
But entertainment industry analyst Wade Major says that although the pairing makes financial sense, the result may not be better entertainment.
“From a creative standpoint, that gets a lot of us worried,” Major says. “You’re being asked to cast someone in a movie or television series not based on their talent or their box office appeal but based on how many followers they bring.”
Janelle says the union can also provide health and pension benefits that many influencers right now do not have. As for a possible influencer category at the Sag Awards or Oscars, he says, “Sure, let’s do it.”
