Most of us saw it coming and on Thursday the 13th it became official. SAG-AFTRA is officially on strike.
Negotiations with AMPTP were unproductive and the deadline to reach a deal expired.
No one wanted this to happen. The best scenario would have been for both sides to reach an equitable compromise that was satisfactory for everyone so that the industry could continue to operate as usual.
Before we dive into the details, I want to be clear. It does not matter which side of the line you stand with. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with the strike or not.
It’s where we find ourselves now and it will affect every actor in many ways, even those who do not yet belong to the union.
The strike is over a number of issues, including pay, residuals, and developing technology in film and television.
That’s the simplified version we have all heard, but things are far more complicated than that.
The strike is already having a significant impact on the industry, with many productions being delayed, some of them for an indefinite amount of time.
It is unclear how long the strike will last, but it will have a major impact on the industry, regardless of the outcome. That’s why you should follow the developments closely, even if you are not a member of the union yet.
In fact, for many actors, the strike could position them to make huge career progress, but not in the way you might think. Here’s what I mean...
The strike is resulting in the industry basically coming to a halt. However, if you have been around the industry for any length of time, you know that things never really stop.
“Officially” productions have stopped and they will remain paused. However, sooner or later there will come a day when productions resume.
Until then, things go on in the background. That doesn’t mean that you should position yourself to “cross the picket line.”
What I mean is that those productions will not just be written off. The industry has to finish what it starts, because that is how it operates. If they don’t have a finished product to sell, they cannot fund their upcoming projects.
Also, studios and networks have already made commitments to upcoming projects that have already been greenlit. Those commitments will also have to be honored.
The result will be a fast moving wave of industry activity, when a compromise has been reached.
Because of that, CDs, directors, producers, and other industry decision makers will continue to operate, albeit unofficially.
That doesn’t mean that you will be getting called into audition unofficially but they may find themselves continuing to sort through headshots and reels, and continuing to work on projects, perhaps even more efficiently.
So, even with the ongoing strike you want to be sure that you are maintaining your professional development and continuing to ensure that you are visible to the industry.
More on that in a bit...
Actors that stay productive and continue to show that they are true professionals can position themselves for success when the strike ends.
So, if you are finding yourself with a little bit more free time, here are some things you can do to continue on your career path.
Many productions will be closed, but not all. If you are still in the building stages of your career and you are looking for your first few credits, this can be a great time to go after some opportunities on projects that may not have been available to you under other circumstances.
You may even want to consider working on projects you may not have otherwise worked on.
If you need to update your reel, working on a student or an indie project during this down time might be a great way to get new content.
Of course, think about where you are in your career and what you are hoping to accomplish. The main thing is to stay busy.
If you haven’t taken a class in a while, it’s a great time to do so and there are many, many opportunities to do so.
You could also work with a coach on specific skills, like auditioning or vocal training.
Whether it’s the time of a strike or not, you should always be doing a few things to build your acting career.
You should always be working on your craft or you should be actively networking and connecting with people that can help move your career forward.
Everyone is still around. Everyone is still open to connecting and networking, many of them are even more accessible right now.
So take some time to reach out to some people you have been hoping to connect with. Don’t do it from a position of trying to get an opportunity to audition for them or work with them.
Just compliment them for their work and open the door to having a conversation sometime. That’s it.
That activity alone can make the difference between emerging from the strike productively or perhaps even taking a few steps back.
See most actors will not do what we just went over.
Instead, they will catch up on some work at their day job, take a much needed vacation, or sit idly waiting for it to end.
Like anything else, the longer you stay inactive, the harder it is to pick up where you left off. That’s why many actors will emerge from the strike having taken a few steps back.
However, the actors that stay active and engaged, and continue to work on building their careers can help to put themselves in the best position for when the strike ultimately ends.
What we went over today is actually fundamental to building your acting career and you should really be working on it consistently, even during the best of times in the industry.
Regardless of what is happening in the industry, if Casting Directors and industry decision makers don’t know you, they can’t hire you so increasing your visibility where they look for talent can help. Here’s a great way to start...
Remember the industry never truly stops. While productions are paused, things continue to go on unofficially, ready to be made official after the strike ends.
When it does, there will still be deadlines to meet and production schedules to get back on track.
That’s why things don’t truly stop altogether. During this time, Casting Directors and industry decision makers are still likely to continue most of their activities.
They may continue going through headshots and reels, and hoping to find the talent needed for the projects they had been working on, and for the ones they have coming up.
Actors that are under consideration are not only the ones that are actively moving through the casting process.
It also includes the actors that will be asked to read. CDs only have so many spaces available for each role so there is always a limit to the number of actors they can see for any role they cast.
Everyone is hoping for the strike to resolve as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, for now that responsibility is in the hands of only a few people and there’s not much any of us can control in that regard.
However, what you can control is what you choose to do while it’s ongoing. Are you going to continue building your career somehow or are you going to wait for it to pass?
Are you unsure and need to bounce ideas about what to do next? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.
I’m happy to help however I can because I truly want the strike to resolve quickly so I can...
See you at the top,
Scott