A friend of mine who is fairly new to the business had worked on her first SAG commercial late last year. She was excited to be working as a professional and getting paid union scale. After the excitement wore off and some time went by, she realized she still hadn’t received a check. She just assumed it took weeks and weeks to get paid, so she never contacted her agent, not wanting to make any waves. She assumed it would be there eventually.
Any production can be quite complex on the paperwork side, but fortunately there are a few things you can do to track down your payment whether you were on set as a principal or an extra. I asked her if she’d contacted SAG or the production company. She was completely unaware that she had any recourse. If you ever find yourself in this position, you’re not alone. You can empower yourself and reach out to SAG for help if necessary. SAG is there to protect you and help you navigate situations like this. Its comprehensive website offers information on contracts, pension, and health care, supplemental work opportunities, and many other important tools and resources for performers.
Your first step should be to contact your agent. They should be able to give you an update
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