How the SAG-AFTRA strike is impacting influencers

We all know it's been a tough summer for Hollywood actors and writers, who are currently in the midst of their first double strike since 1960. But in a perhaps surprising twist, many social media influencers — namely those who have built their following on the promotion and discussion of film and television content — are also taking a significant hit, torn between their financial livelihoods and supporting a union they're, in most instances, not even a part of.

How do influencers contribute to the entertainment economy?

Today, the creator economy is worth $250 billion; by 2027, Goldman Sachs estimates that number will reach half a trillion. And Hollywood has certainly cashed in — influencers and online creators "have become crucial to the entertainment industry in recent years," in some cases racking up five-figure deals in exchange for promotional videos that build online buzz for upcoming film and television projects, The New York Times reported. Much of studios' reliance on online creators spawned as a result of the pandemic, when actors couldn't get together for junkets and audiences were stuck at home. But it's also in response to a changing industry, wherein young consumers are less likely to watch traditional TV and are more apt to tune into YouTube or TikTok, where creators can sell them (directly or otherwise) on a hot new show or studio tentpole.

"Traditional studios have really noticed how big influencing and content creation is and how valuable it could be to them in terms of marketing," one creator, Riddhi S., told Rolling Stone. "There [has] definitely been an increase in involving influencers, whether that be a promotion or going to something as big as a premiere and interviewing actors and actresses as official press."

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Why is the strike a problem for influencers?

Under guidelines outlined by the union SAG-AFTRA, online creators are being asked to stand with actors and writers in solidarity and refrain from working with any of the struck studios — think Disney, Amazon, Netflix, etc. — for the remainder of the strike, unless they are honoring contracts that were finalized before the walkout. That presents both a moral and financial problem for non-union Hollywood-focused creators, in particular, who rely on film and entertainment content to pay the bills and retain a following.

What content is off-limits?

Any sort of promotional content, paid or unpaid, as it relates to any of the struck studios. Should an influencer cross the digital picket line, "even if it's as a fan and not as a sponsored partner," NBC News noted, he or she could be deemed a "scab" and will be blackballed from joining SAG in the future. For some, that might not be a big deal; but for others, content creation is just a stop on the way to Hollywood, where they hope to eventually join the guild and make it big. "That's a lot of influencers' goal and aspiration and why they do it," TikTok comedian Mario Mirante, who has been open about declining studio offers to show support for the strike, told the Times. "We love to entertain and express ourselves, and that's the Super Bowl, that's the ultimate, being in a movie or a TV show."

So what can influencers post?

They can still make "self-produced sponsored content," The Verge explained, so long as it is for "non-struck companies." For example, entertainment TikToker Joe Aragon, who goes by the name @cinema.joe and posts primarily movie reviews and other film-focused content, is filling the void left by the strike with videos "ranking French fries, chips and dog breeds," said The Hollywood Reporter. "Ultimately my love and my career, in a sense, is built off of their art," Aragon told the outlet, referring to industry writers and actors. "Strikes are supposed to be inconvenient; I am inconvenienced but so are the people who are making these movies. It only feels fair that I'm with them and trying to get things done with them."

Still, there is the fear that, as a Hollywood-focused creator, Aragon's audience could abandon him while this all unfolds, he added. Meanwhile, Brandi Marie King, who describes herself on TikTok as "the girl who's at every movie premiere," worries that the impact on her career could also stretch long beyond the end of the walkout (which she nonetheless supports). "If I've turned down these premieres and screenings during this time, are [studios] still going to invite me when things go back to normal?" she told The Hollywood Reporter.

How is this affecting influencers' wallets?

Deanna Giulietti, a 29-year-old TikTok creator with 1.8 million followers, told the Times she is living at home with her parents and delaying plans to rent an apartment in New York City while waiting out the financial storm. In addition to an offer to promote the new season of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Giulietti also turned down a $5,000 offer to promote the new movie "Theater Camp" from Disney-owned distributor Fox Searchlight.

"I want to be in these Netflix shows, I want to be in the Hulu shows, but we're standing by the writers, we're standing by SAG," she said. "People write me off whenever I say I'm an influencer, and I'm like, 'No, I really feel I could be making the difference here.'"