The Micro-Budget Project Agreement, introduced in 2021, can cover productions with a budget under $20,000 and has proven to be a trusty and important tool for SAG-AFTRA members looking to work on smaller productions and flip non-union jobs on their own initiative. On Feb. 26, New England Local President Andrea Lyman, producer and Local Board member Liz Eng, and member Russell Gannon discussed the advantages of this low budget contract during the local’s first conservatory event of 2024.
Eng offered helpful tips for members seeking to produce their own project under the Micro-Budget Project Agreement. She gave an overview of how to craft a budget, how to fundraise, and how to best use time and energy on-set to create an efficient set when working under the agreement.
Gannon encouraged members to be proactive and conduct their outreach to small non-union productions they see online. He suggested sending a quick hello email and the link for the Micro-Budget Project Agreement, adding that most producers are happy to sign the agreement. He also talked about what rates performers should expect and what producers may try to ask for in the negotiation process.
With New England Local staff routinely presenting to college classrooms about the agreement and SAG-AFTRA members producing their own projects and flipping low budget projects, the New England area is seeing more and more union work available at the lower ends of the contract spectrum. It has never been easier to work with SAG-AFTRA talent.
Top photo: New England Local President Andrea Lyman, producer and Local Board member Liz Eng and member Russell Gannon at the February conservatory event.
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