Update From the New Mexico Local Professional Representatives Committee

Greetings to all. Here’s hoping that you are all doing well and are as excited as I am about the emerging work opportunities. It's great to have the chance to audition again, even if we are doing so remotely. As we get back to work, your New Mexico Local Professional Representatives Committee (Mel MacKaron, Tom Schuch and Mike Miller) wanted to update you on a few agency-related things and remind you of a few others that you should always keep in mind. Here we go:

1. As a SAG-AFTRA member, you may only work with a union-franchised agency. New Mexico has six:
    a. Bankston Talent Agency
    b. DMe Talent Agency
    c. Mitchell & Associates
    d. The O'Agency
    e. Presley Talent
    f. South West Artist Group

To verify an agent is franchised and to find contact information, click here. This section of the SAG-AFTRA website provides a lot of useful information about working with agents and managers.

2. Remember that your agent works for you. In the New Mexico market, they can neither charge you annual fees nor require you to use specific photographers, teachers or other industry resources. They may, however, ask you to take extra training, get new headshots or other activities that will increase your marketability, provided these requests are not a condition of representation and the performer is given multiple options from which to choose — all of which cannot be directly or indirectly affiliated with the agency.

3. Note that an exception to the enjoinder against fees is that they may charge you a one-time-only $40 website fee. They may not charge an annual fee for the website.

4.    You are only required to pay your agent 10% commission and only in certain areas of work. Please consult the SAG-AFTRA 16(g) Commission Chart here to better understand each party’s commission obligations. If you have any questions, always feel free to reach out to the Professional Representatives Department at (323) 549-6745 or agency@sagaftra.org.

Finally, rest assured that even during the pandemic, our staff is still dedicated to making sure your checks come in and you have safe working conditions, and our contract negotiations are aggressively and successfully accomplished by our remarkable staff, negotiation teams, and the support of 160,000 brothers and sisters. 

Thank you once again for being engaged members in the strongest entertainment union on the planet. It has been a hard go, but we are emerging from it. My hope is that all of us will have great opportunities in the coming year. 

Yours in solidarity, 

New Mexico Local Professional Representatives Committee