SAG-AFTRA Commercial Industry Investigation Leads to Heightened Alert

On August 14, SAG-AFTRA announced the initial findings of an extensive, ongoing investigation into ad industry companies that SAG-AFTRA believed had falsely represented themselves as real employers of performers. This investigation confirmed widespread evidence of companies providing “signatory services” for a fee and falsely representing that they are the employer of performers on commercials. As a result, the union decided to revoke the signatory status of Executive Media Services (EMS), the fourth largest non-advertiser/non-ad agency company signed to the union’s Commercials Contracts.
 
Today, SAG-AFTRA confirms that four more companies under investigation – Waving Cat, Talent Solutions, Talent Direct and CMC/Forecast – have also violated their obligation to serve as an employer of performers and that their signatory status could be revoked at any time. The union will keep all of these companies – and in particular CMC/Forecast – under heightened scrutiny due to their past violations of the collective bargaining agreement. 
 
Early in 2019, SAG-AFTRA will renegotiate our Commercials Contracts with the advertising industry. As we adhere companies to the new agreements, the union is determined to have a direct relationship with the actual employers of our members. Performers employed under a SAG-AFTRA contract should never have to worry about their safety on set, the risk of not getting paid for their work, or the responsible use of their performance.
 
If you are offered employment by or have unpaid wages from any of these above companies, please contact Lori Hunt, SAG-AFTRA National Director of Commercials Contracts, at lori.hunt@sagaftra.org or (323) 549-6722.

Please note: The company named here, Talent Direct Inc., is unrelated to the Florida-based talent agency named Talent Direct LLC.