Acting : SAG-AFTRA & Studios To Meet Monday by Richard "RB" Botto

Now that the parameters have been set it shouldn't take long. At least that's how I see it.

Thank you for the update! I completed the questions for https://forumpay.com/blog last week. I mentioned Stage 32 in it. Space constraints limited word count.

If you would like to see it before it goes live, let me know.

https://forumpay.com/blog/partnerships/forumpay-spotlight-an-interview-w...

Let me know if that works for Stage 32. The only difference will be my link to my projects page.

WGA got its historic deal, Richard "RB" Botto. Now it's time for SAG-AFTRA. I'm surprised the meetings (WGA and SAG-AFTRA) are so close together, but I'm glad they are so SAG-AFTRA can get back to work too.

Richard "RB" Botto What’s your feel for this RB? will Fran Drescher be under pressure to come to a quick agreement, to fall in line with the WGA and agree terms?

Will the WGA agreement have any bearing on the SAG-AFTRA negotiations? Will the AMPTP have to match the value of certain elements of the SAG demands, with the likes of pensions and healthcare insurance?

Hey Geoff Hall. I think this will fall in line rather quickly. There's a desire and urgency on both sides to get it done.

And yes, there is a Favored Nations element to these contracts that crosses the guilds. Pensions and healthcare is a bit different as each guild has their own requirements and thresholds.

There are deal points on the table that are specific to SAG, so those may take some time to work through. And AI is a different animal for actors. But the word on the street a couple of days ago was that the AMPTP was going to wait for the WGA deal to be ratified (a foregone conclusion at this point) before engaging again with SAG. The fact that they accelerated that timeline is encouraging.

If they commit to locking themselves in a room like they did over the last 4-5 days of the WGA negotiations and refrain from the performative bullshit, I believe they'll put it to bed in a reasonable amount of time.

I agreed with Richard "RB" Botto. While the nitty gritty details are different for SAG-AFTRA, some of the big barriers the AMPTP stood behind have crumbled, and we shared the same issues with the WGA. Namely, providing a metric for success with streaming shows so that residuals could be calculated more accurately and fairly. That was a huge one for us as actors, too. The Interim Agreement required profit sharing of REVENUE (not profit) from any streaming platform, which the streamers scoffed at initially. They seem ready to provide metrics (possibly under the protection of NDAs), and they also came to a meaningful agreement with the WGA on AI, so this could move very quickly once negotiations start next week.

As someone who owns a taping service, and has had 90-100% of auditions be self-taped since 2012 (here in Atlanta), I'm especially curious to see where the studios land in regards to minimum audition timelines and other elements tied to the audition process that are in the Interim Agreement.

Richard "RB" Botto thank you so much, RB for your reply and yes, here’s to an end of that ‘performative bullshit’ and a good resolution to the SAG dispute.

Matthew Cornwell hi Matthew, thanks for your comment. Reading the agreement, it seems that as much as we pine for checking the viewing figures, the major thrust of transparency will be for the eyes only of producers, writers and actors?

Geoff Hall yeah that's how I read it. They won't be able to share the numbers publicly. If that's what it takes to get residuals that are success-based (as they have been for network and cable), then I'm willing to compromise as an actor.

Matthew Cornwell it seems like a good place to start, doesn’t it, Matthew?

Geoff Hall Yeah. I just hope the NegCom for SAG-AFTRA holds firm on the big issues, because we won't likely have this much solidarity, support, and leverage the next time around.