SAG-AFTRA Narrator Demo Reels: Clearance Checklist

Clearing a narration clip for a demo reel is two questions dressed as one: was this union work, and may the finished recording be republished? This checklist covers the SAG-AFTRA narrator demo reel question from the paperwork up — which agreement covers the job, what to write down for each clip, who can authorize the use, and what to do when no answer comes. Every agreement is named by its official title, and the guide stops where the contract stops.

The short version: coverage follows the employer, reuse follows the contract, and the answer is more specific than a general yes.

Start with the agreement name printed on the paperwork

SAG-AFTRA is the labor union that represents performers in the United States, including voice actors and audiobook narrators. A narration job is union work because the employer signed a SAG-AFTRA agreement — not because the pay was good, the studio felt professional, or the producer mentioned the union.

Where you recorded does not decide it either. If the producer signed a union agreement, narration you recorded alone at home and uploaded as a file is still covered work. If the producer did not sign, the job sits outside the agreement unless that employer signs later.

Which agreement applies depends on the kind of job:

Read the agreement name printed on your contract, deal memo, or session paperwork instead of inferring it from the client's industry. If the paperwork names an agreement you do not recognize, that name is the first thing to take to the union.

Membership adds an obligation of its own. Under Global Rule One, a member may not perform covered work for a producer that has not signed a SAG-AFTRA agreement. The Taft-Hartley Act, the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, sits behind the standard practice that lets a producer hire a non-member for a first covered job, after which the performer is expected to join. Global Rule One governs taking the job; it is not permission to republish the recording. Background on how a signatory session runs is in the union session guide.

Demo use is a separate question from the session

The agreement covers the performance. Placing the finished recording in a reel is a later use of that recording, so the terms come from the agreement your employer signed and from how that employer treated the recording. That is why clearance is handled one clip at a time.

Ask the signatory — the employer named in the union contract — not only the brand that appears in the finished piece. If someone at the client says yes, ask what their role is: a person with authority to license the recording, or someone who liked the read.

Some contracts address reuse directly; others say nothing about demo clips at all. Silence is neither permission nor refusal. It means the question goes to the employer named on the contract, and the answer belongs in writing.

Two rights sit beside the union question:

The clearance record for each clip

For every excerpt you plan to post, write the same facts in one place:

Keep the signed contract and the permission together, one folder per job, so the record survives a change of contact person or a dispute about what was agreed. A folder holding a name, a date, and a reply answers a challenge faster than a memory of a phone call.

Where to ask, and what to ask

SAG-AFTRA's official site is sagaftra.org, and members reach staff through a local or the national office. Say which kind of recorded work you did and the agreement name you found, so the question reaches the person who handles that agreement.

Ask:

Expect the last question to carry the weight. The union can explain a contract; permission to republish a recording usually has to come from whoever holds it, and that is often not the person who answers the union's phone.

Canadian narration is not covered by SAG-AFTRA. Canadian work falls under ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, a separate union with its own agreements. Narrators pitching US clients from Canada can see the cross-border casting guide for how to present that split.

When a clip cannot be cleared

If you cannot establish that an excerpt may be used, leave it out of the reel while you sort it out, or replace it. Clips you control include a job you produced and own, a new sample recorded specifically for the reel, and a reading of a text in the public domain.

Public availability, a short excerpt, and a credit line do not by themselves authorize republication. Neither does a client who never answered — silence is not permission.

Common questions

Does every narration job fall under SAG-AFTRA?

No. Coverage depends on whether the employer signed a SAG-AFTRA agreement.

I recorded in my home studio. Does that take the job outside the union?

No. Home recording does not change the employer's signatory status.

The client said yes on the phone. Is that enough?

A verbal answer is hard to rely on. Ask the party with authority to license the recording to confirm it in writing.

If the union explains my contract, is my clip cleared?

Not necessarily. Agreement guidance and authorization to use the recording can come from different parties.

Which agreement covers audiobook narration?

Audiobook narration is typically covered by the SAG-AFTRA Audiobook Agreement. Confirm the name on your own paperwork before you rely on it.

Which agreement covers commercials and corporate work?

Commercials for broadcast, radio, or digital fall under the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract, and corporate, educational, and non-broadcast projects fall under the SAG-AFTRA Corporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast Agreement. The name printed on the paperwork is the one that governs.