Deanna Giulietti, a talented content creator with a massive following on TikTok, made a bold decision last week. Despite receiving a tempting offer of $28,000 to promote Hulu’s hit show “Only Murders in the Building,” she turned it down. The reason? The ongoing strike by SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union.
SAG-AFTRA recently implemented a rule stating that any influencer who promotes work for the studios involved in the strike will be ineligible for membership. As Disney is the majority owner of Hulu, Deanna Giulietti saw this as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the union. Although she aspires to one day join SAG-AFTRA and pursue acting professionally, she made the difficult decision to decline the offer.
This situation highlights the changing landscape of Hollywood labor and the union’s efforts to assert itself in the age of social media and influential content creators. Influencers have become indispensable in generating buzz and promoting projects, particularly during the pandemic. However, their involvement with struck companies now carries consequences, both for their careers and their potential backlash on the internet.
The union’s message has caused confusion and frustration among influencers who were previously unaware of SAG-AFTRA and its policies. Many creators are being asked to turn down lucrative deals and are grappling with the expectation to align themselves with the union’s initiative. However, there are also those who wholeheartedly support the union’s cause and celebrate creators who reject opportunities from struck companies.
The actors’ strike, joined by screenwriters earlier this year, revolves around concerns regarding compensation in the streaming era and the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. As a result, actors are barred from participating in publicity efforts, film festivals, and events like Comic-Con during the strike.
For content creators, dreams of making it big beyond the confines of their smartphones now come with the risk of being blacklisted by one of Hollywood’s most powerful unions. This puts them at a crossroads, torn between their aspirations and their support for the union’s fight for fair treatment and wages.
The impact of the strike on the influencer industry has led to speculation about its future. Studios may need to find alternative methods, such as traditional display ads, to promote their projects amid the absence of influencers. Meanwhile, influencers themselves are navigating the complexities of the situation, with invitations and deals flooding in even as they choose to side with the union.
In this messy family feud, as Simone Umba, a TikTok creator, describes it, influencers find themselves caught in the middle. Each influencer must decide where their loyalty lies and how their choices will shape their careers in the industry they so passionately love.
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