SAG-AFTRA’s Restrictive ‘Promotion’ Rules Are a Strategic Mistake
The guidance to SAG-AFTRA members barring them from talking about their roles in movies or series undercuts the pressure the public could put on the AMPTP.
Just days after the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called their strike, confusion broke out. The reasons for the strike are evident. Both actors and members of the Writers Guild of America are struggling to earn a living at a time when there is more television and movie production than ever before. However, journalists and critics in print and video stumbled over the union’s guidance about “promoting” struck work. Reviewers especially wondered if by continuing to do their jobs, they were crossing a virtual picket line. Similarly, SAG-AFTRA’s most prominent members appearing at fan events or on podcasts are unable to discuss their work as actors. While pausing direct, contracted promotional activities with the rest of struck work makes perfect sense, the effective “gag order” on SAG-AFTRA members prevents them from making the best public case about why actors’ work has both monetary and cultural value.
The confusion stems, in part, from a general ignorance of how promoting a work is a part of an actor’s job…
