The National Board of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has unanimously approved the establishment of a new National Influencer and Digital Creator Committee. The decision, made during the organization’s recent plenary meeting, signals its commitment to expanding representation in the digital performance space. 

The committee will be chaired by Patrick Janelle, a New York-based travel and lifestyle influencer, and will include members actively engaged in digital creator work across major platforms.

“The committee will focus on the unique needs, challenges, and opportunities faced by digital creators, and will inform the union’s efforts to assist creators in their pursuit of stable, safe, sustainable careers,” SAG-AFTRA stated in its announcement.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that while SAG-AFTRA introduced an influencer agreement and waiver under its commercial contracts in 2021, these arrangements only covered branded content work, not original creative content distributed on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

“It really became clear that if we’re going to continue to expand, and especially outside of the branded content space, we needed to have a formal structure in the union so that members who do this work could come together and give us guidance and leadership,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director, said in a statement.

A key objective is to eventually develop a framework for the union to directly cover non-branded content.

Industry Standards and Creator Support

In his statement, committee chair Janelle emphasized the need for structure in the creator economy: “I see a significant need to build standards for this multi-billion dollar creator economy and an opportunity to create meaningful infrastructure and support for the talent who form the foundation.”

The committee plans to develop tools, resources, and industry standards to support creators at various career stages. Though SAG-AFTRA hasn’t disclosed how many of its approximately 160,000 members work primarily as digital content creators, thousands have worked under the influencer waiver and agreement since their introduction.

Janelle believes the union’s experience can help regulate working conditions for digital creators, adding, “I am confident that with the weight of this organization we can make significant contributions toward ensuring that creators are able to build more stable, safe and sustainable careers.”