- As actors and writers continue to strike, some influencers are standing in solidarity.
- Creators who were paid to attend TV and movie premieres are trying to make money in other ways.
- One influencer is now posting sponsored content for music artists and festivals instead.
Fashion and lifestyle influencer Joseph Arujo didn’t realize he would get so much backlash when he posted a TikTok about attending a movie premiere in July.
A few days before, actors in the film industry had joined writers on the picket line, marking the first time in more than 60 years that both groups were on strike against the Hollywood studios. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, and the Writers Guild of America each have their own demands but share concerns over issues such as compensation and artificial intelligence.
The labor action has shut down production on most TV shows and films, and actors and writers in the unions are barred from promoting new films or series.
Influencers who hope to join SAG-AFTRA have been advised to hold the line as well.
Several social media personalities and influencers Insider spoke with have joined the digital and physical picket line, resolving not to attend movie or TV premieres, promote them, or sign contracts with studios like Disney or NBCUniversal that are in negotiations with the guilds.
Arujo, who has 861,000 followers on TikTok and has partnered with brands from Netflix to the Recording Academy, had started turning down sponsorship work in July to support the writers and actors on strike. However, he made an exception because he was contractually obligated to.
“I had already started canceling everything else, like the ‘Barbie’ premiere, but I decided to do one that I had agreed to prior to the strike because I was under contract,” he said.
That premiere was very different from what he was used to; the film’s actors never showed up, the crowd was smaller, and the atmosphere was tense.
The TikTok he uploaded of the event got negative attention from his followers, so he took down the post and said in an Instagram story that he was supporting the unions even though he wasn’t a member of either guild. He also said he wouldn’t attend any other premieres or post TV or movie-related content until the strike was resolved.
“It was at that point I decided it might just be better to completely shift away from that kind of content,” he said.
Now, Arujo is trying to supplement his income by focusing on creating content for the music industry and participating in user-generated content challenges on TikTok and Snapchat while he waits for the labor disputes to be resolved.
Snap stories, TikTok challenges, and music festivals have been his new go-to’s
The 19-year-old has shifted his content focus from TV and film to music amid the strikes.
Instead of posting TikToks about what it’s like to attend premieres, the actors he meets, and getting ready for the events, he’s being flown out to music festivals and posting about his experiences.
Arujo got these deals by DMing on Instagram the people who manage the experiences. He told them he was interested in attending and could post content that offered his followers an inside look into what the festivals were like.
At one recent festival, he filmed TikTok videos on stage with artists including Omar Apollo.
“I’ve shifted towards music because it’s not affiliated with the strike at all,” he said. “I’ve never done this kind of work before but I’m seeing it as a segue into attending bigger music events like Coachella.”
Besides TikTok, Snapchat is one of Arujo’s biggest platforms. Since the strikes, he’s decided to leverage the platform more to make up for the income he would have earned through promoting TV or movies.
Arujo is a Snap Star, a designation the platform offers creators who have a large influence. It offers perks like ad-revenue sharing and open lines of communication with Snapchat itself.
Last month, he attended a “Snap School” for creators, hosted by the company, where he and others were encouraged to participate in a kind of user-generated content called Spotlight Challenges; these were trends creators could hop on and submit to the platform in exchange for a lump sum cash prize.
The Los Angeles-based creator recently won $2,000 through one challenge, which Insider verified with the documentation he provided. He plans to participate in others in the hopes of earning more money.
He’s also creating user-generated content through TikTok’s Creative Challenge, a new in-app feature that allows creators on the platform to submit videos as part of brand challenges and earn money based on video performance.
“It’s been pretty fun to play around on the apps I’m already on and see how to make more money that way,” he said.
Arujo said he’s been able to make up for lost income through these ventures, helping him stand firm with those striking, but he has heard about confusion in influencer circles about the correct protocol for entertainment-focused content.
Three creators Insider spoke with, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the strike, said they were confused about what the Hollywood guilds expected of them as non-members. Some influencers who have chosen to continue working in TV and film have been “soft canceled,” as one creator put it, meaning they’ve seen dips in their video engagement and negative comments on their posts from followers.
It’s why some influencers in the entertainment industry, like Arujo, are looking into permanent or long-term shifts to their content strategies. Arujo expects the strike to go on until at least December, which is why he’s focused on finding new, financially stable avenues as a creator.
“It would definitely help to be able to go back and make that income, but I’m staying away for now,” he said.
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