Inside SAG-AFTRA Contracts With Jessica Johnson and Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre

A well-crafted union agreement can make or break your indie production, and no one knows that better than Jessica Johnson and Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre of SAG-AFTRA. John Cooke sits down with Jessica and Olga to demystify the SAG-AFTRA contracts that apply to independent films with budgets of $2 million and up. From common pitfalls to budgeting for residuals, they share the advice every indie creator needs before hiring union talent. Key insights from this episode: When and how to engage with SAG-AFTRA (and why earlier is better) Which contracts apply to films over $2 million Why transparency with the union can save your production Chapters: (00:00) Meet Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre and Jessica Johnson (00:37) Why hiring union talent gives films a competitive edge (01:27) Common missteps filmmakers make with SAG-AFTRA (03:48) Which contracts apply when your indie budget hits $2 million (05:04) What to do when your film’s distribution plans change (06:55) Updating contracts mid-production (08:27) What SAG-AFTRA looks for in a producer (13:52) How to find top-tier talent in smaller markets  Read our blog about this topic at https://www.mediaservices.com/blog/sag-aftra-explained-budgeting-for-union-talent/  Follow us on our socials: Learn more on https://castandcrew.com/ Contact us at http://info.mediaservices.com/inside-indies   Facebook: https://facebook.com/CastCrew Instagram: https://instagram.com/castandcrewllc/ LinkedIn: https:/linkedin.com/company/castcrew/ X: https://x.com/CastAndCrewNews