On this page
Fighting for your right to fair compensation
Equity knows that our members' performances are central to the success of a production and we are committed to fighting for your right to fair compensation for your creative contribution. Our collective agreements for feature film, television and on demand platforms include provision for Equity performers to participate in a production's ongoing commercial success through secondary payments such as Royalties, Residuals and Net Profit Share.
Payments are not guaranteed, but the structure ensures that you are rewarded financially for the role you play in making a production successful. This success may derive from various uses of your performance including television broadcasts, streaming platforms and home video across the globe.
Negotiating these terms is only the beginning and Equity works hard to enforce your contractual rights. A key example of this is our audits of the US major studios. In previous audits we have recovered more than $15 million for Equity performers and we are currently undertaking another round of audits. In addition to monies recovered through the audit process, Equity monitors, enforces and collects millions of pounds in secondary payments every year across hundreds of productions. These are sent out via Equity's Distribution Services.
Equity is uniquely placed to enforce the provisions of Equity’s collective agreements relating to secondary payments. Secondary payments are calculated through complex formulas and we have dedicated expert resources to carefully scrutinise methodology and calculations. We are able to request and review commercially sensitive financials and cast-wide reporting that is not usually available to individual performers due to strict confidentiality. Our collective agreements contain vigorous reporting requirements, the right to charge interest on late payment and the right to audit.
If you are a member of Equity and believe that you are entitled to a secondary payment, we are happy to investigate for you. Fill out the form below and we will get back to you.