When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild When You Are an Actor?

When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild? sagindie via Flickr

So many actors and parents of child actors seem to be concerned about not being in Screen Actors Guild (SAG)  (See “What is SAG?” and “What Does SAG Stand for?” for more about what SAG is).  They wonder exactly how to join SAG and whether they will be seen for SAG projects if they are not in SAG.

When we first came to Los Angeles for my daughter to become a child actor, I was told that it was almost impossible to get into SAG. I thought being in SAG was essential and that my daughter would be passed over for just about everything if she were not in SAG.  Of course, I soon  learned that this was not really true, particularly for children.

I started researching how one goes about joining SAG (see “How Do You Qualify to Join Screen Actors Guild?” for more on what needs to happen before you are allowed to join SAG). I slowly began to understand more about it, and honestly, it was not until it became the time that we had to join and after that I understood the full implications of it.

I also learned that an important question to ponder is “When Should You Join Screen Actors Guild When You Are an Actor?”

So many actors and child actors (or their parents) are in a rush to join Screen Actors Guild.  While it is a worthy and admirable goal to become a member of Screen Actors Guild, it also comes with some negative consequences.

Consequences of Joining Screen Actors Guild

While joining Screen Actors Guild has numerous benefits, being a SAG member also comes with a number of consequences that may not always be what you think. So what are the cons of joining SAG?

1. You must pay a hefty initiation fee to join Screen Actors Guild  (See “How Much Does It Cost to Join SAG?” for details).
2. You must pay SAG dues twice a year based on your income, and you have to pay something even if you have no SAG income.
3. You are unable to work on any non-union projects.
4. When the entertainment industry unions go on strike, you won’t be allowed to work.

The Costs

The initial initiation costs are quite large. The ongoing dues may not seem like a big deal, but when times are tough, it can be a big deal. If you decide to take a break from acting, you have to continue paying unless you want to become inactive.

Non-union jobs (typically) don’t pay as well as union jobs. But would you rather be working and making a little bit of money or not working at all and paying dues?

Audition and Job Opportunities

Since, as a SAG member, you should not audition for non-union projects, there are many less opportunities for work once you join SAG.  Being non-union allows you to pursue union and non-union opportunities.  So embrace being non-union and go for as many non-union roles as possible to build your resume, become more experienced, and get footage for your reel.

Being in SAG  means you should not participate in any non-union projects across the board as you are expected to honor the sister unions (AFTRA, AEA, AGVA) as well.  Joining any of the unions states that you should not work non-union under the jurisdiction of any of the other unions.  There is not a union for print work, so that is an exception to the rule.

While some people do continue doing non-union work after joining SAG, it is in violation of what you agree to when you join SAG. If you join SAG and are caught doing non-union work, you can be fined or perhaps face other consequences.

Wait as Long as You Can to Join SAG

When should you join screen actors guild? It is advisable to wait as long as you possibly can to join SAG.  When that SAG job comes along that will require you to join SAG, take time to evaluate what taking that job will mean.  How much will you make from the job and how much will you have to pay to join SAG?

Also, keep in mind that the competition for union jobs is fierce. Many union actors have huge resumes and are well-known in the entertainment industry and have many contacts, and you will be competing against them for jobs. So if you join SAG before you have a lot of credits, it is much harder to add credits to your resume.  For union jobs, you will compete not just against those in the unions but also against those who are not yet in a union.

Joining SAG using the background-vouchers route does not make sense. “Extra” or “background” credits are not recognized in the entertainment industry as true credits, and you are not even supposed to list those credits on your resume.  So you would start out in SAG without many or any real credits and without much experience.

It really makes much more sense to concentrate on building your resume, quit worrying about being in SAG, and then join only when you get principal SAG roles and are required to join. In other words, don’t join SAG until you have to join. Until then, enjoy being non-union and SAG-Eligible, and be happy that you can keep going for all those non-union jobs as well as union jobs.

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To your success,

Debbie Sikkema