Ben Trachtenberg
18 Feb 2026
203 views
I keep getting told to stay non-union as long as possible and also that I am limiting myself. Both from working actors.
Getting Started
Non-union and staying that way for now. Is that a mistake?
4 replies
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Josh Iremonger
19 Feb 2026
Both are true at different stages. Non-union is right while you are building credits and taking anything. Union is right when the non-union work available to you is worse than the union work you are being denied.
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Miles Petrakis
21 Feb 2026
The trigger for me was noticing that every audition I actually wanted was union. At that point staying out was costing me more than it saved.
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Paul Etherington
23 Feb 2026
Do not join before you can afford the initiation fee comfortably and have enough momentum to keep working. Joining and then going quiet for two years is a real thing that happens.
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Reeva Bhandari
23 Feb 2026
Worth adding: in some markets the non-union work is genuinely decent and the calculation is different from LA. Ask people in your city specifically.
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