Feb 11, 2021 - Technology

Actors union votes to represent influencers

Ina Fried

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, plans to start representing online influencers as well.

Why it matters: A growing number of online content creators make their living promoting various products on social media. The union says the move will allow people to more easily make a career out of being an influencer and gain access to health care and other benefits.

"As new ways of storytelling emerge, it's imperative that we embrace and lift up these artists,” SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said in a press release.
In order to become a SAG-AFTRA member, the influencer "must be incorporated as a business" and pay an initiation fee of $3,000 as well as annual dues and 1.575% of their earnings up to $500,000.

The big picture: While mega-influencers on platforms from Instagram to TikTok have become multimillionaires, there's a major income gap between the top earners and most content creators. The gap is particularly pronounced for Black creators.

Being able to join a union could mean more power for the talent that much of the social media economy relies upon.
The move also comes amid a broader labor organizing push touching various corners of the tech industry.

Disclosure: I'm a member of SAG-AFTRA dating back to my years as a kid actor.

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Actors union votes to represent influencers

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