Thank you for joining us for Episode 0313 of The Work.
Sign and Shelve: Watch out for an agency contract that’s too good to be true. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s a career-killer! Bonnie Gillespie breaks down the warning signs.
Run time: 3:10
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great podcast Bonnie. I was aware of the ‘sign and shelve’ practice, but aren’t there SAG rules in place to prevent this — or at least keep it from becoming a big problem for the talent who thinks they might have been shelved? I am referring to SAG rules such as the talent gets to see exactly what they have been submitted for every three months, and also the talent can leave the agency if they go 30 days without a paying job. Do these SAG rules help this situation?
Thanks for listening, Ruth! The contract deal is actually 90 days. So, if in 90 days there have been no bookings an actor can terminate the contract on day 91. Of course, since there’s no current SAG franchise agreement in place for talent agents (and there hasn’t been in more than a decade at this point) many talent contracts require a very serious read for their specifics (never a bad idea) as the specifics will vary.
There’s nothing to my understanding in any standard agency GSA that could require actors to receive submission reports. That’s micromanaging to the extreme and with agencies having so very many clients such a clause would be a MESS to manage, especially with so much of the pitching process being informal and organic.
Of course if actors are great at targeting “hell yes” rep from the beginning hopefully this never becomes an issue… but if this podcast helps folks identify it before it goes on too long, that’s a good thing too!
Rock on!
I think this is shameful. Seriously there are dreamers who risk everything to be an actor. Granted some are after the fame & $. But some love acting. To have soneone do this to them. People have told me acting is narcisistic, but it seems to me it isnt the actors who make it so. Some ABC crew person told me actors are my competition. No. Im the only one who is competing against me in an audition room. And considering im not hot or young . I actually feel that is what the men & women with the Union do to newbies. Ive been shelved so im Not competition to the women in my age range already working & making the Union $. MeanWhile i dont need tons of cash to be happy. But to feel ostracized & cut offsimple because im in a range where women work less. Makes me angry at the women already working demanding higher pay when they should be demanding more work for those shelved.