ACTRA Toronto Full Member IPA Refresh (Film/TV/Digital Media)

Designed for ACTRA Toronto Full Members, this course will cover the basics of working under the Independent Production Agreement (IPA), which covers a majority of Film, Television and Digital Media productions shot by ACTRA Toronto members.

There are 5 modules. The entire course takes approximately 1.25 hours to complete.

What will this course cover?
-IPA Basics
-IPA Forms
-IPA Performer Pay Stub

IPA Refresh

IPA Refresh

This course introduces (or re-introduces) you to the ins-and-outs of the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) which covers many types of film, television and digital media productions that ACTRA Toronto performers work on.

 

Module 1 ACTRA Toronto Full Member IPA Refresh: Introduction
Unit 1 Full Member IPA Refresh: Course Navigation  
Unit 2 Full Member IPA Refresh: Saving Your Progress and Modules  
Unit 3 Full Member IPA Refresh: Course Troubleshooting/ Contacting ACTRA Toronto  
Unit 4 Full Member IPA Refresh: Welcome  
Unit 5 Standing up for You: ACTRA Toronto Business Representatives  
Module 2 IPA Basics
Unit 1 IPA Basics: Introduction  
Unit 2 IPA Performance Categories  
Unit 3 IPA Performance Rates: Hourly, Daily and Meal Breaks  
Unit 4 IPA Performer Categories and Rates Part 1 Quiz  
Unit 5 IPA Performance Rates: Makeup and Travel  
Unit 6 IPA Performance Rates: Other  
Unit 7 IPA Performer Categories and Rates Part 2 Quiz  
Unit 8 IPA Use Fees  
Unit 9 IPA Use Fees Quiz  
Unit 10 IPA Basics: Conclusion  
Module 3 IPA Forms
Unit 1 IPA Forms: Introduction  
Unit 2 IPA Performer Contract  
Unit 3 IPA Work Report (Time Sheet)  
Unit 4 IPA Background Vouchers  
Unit 5 IPA Forms Quiz  
Unit 6 IPA Forms: Conclusion  
Module 4 IPA Performer Pay Stub
Unit 1 IPA Performer Pay Stub: Introduction  
Unit 2 What's Included on a Pay Stub  
Unit 3 Reading an IPA Pay Stub Part 1  
Unit 4 Reading an IPA Pay Stub Part 2  
Unit 5 Reading an IPA Pay Stub Quiz  
Unit 6 IPA Performer Pay Stub: Conclusion  
Module 5 ACTRA Toronto Full Member IPA Refresh: Conclusion
Unit 1 ACTRA Toronto Full Member IPA Refresh: Course Conclusion  
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Money Management Basics for Performers (Older)

Money Management Basics for Performers is ACTRA Toronto’s e-learning course to help performers develop financial literacy and financial planning skills. There are 16 modules. The entire course will take approximately XX hours to complete.

What will this course cover?
-Financial Literacy
-Financial Planning
-Performers as Independent Contractors (for tax purposes)
-Expenses for Performers
-IPA Basics
-IPA Forms
-IPA Performer Pay Stub
-NCA Basics
-NCA Commercial Engagement Contract
-NCA Performer Pay Stub
-Contributions and Deductions
-Filing Your Taxes
-Banks, Credit Unions and Their Services
-The Cost of Credit

ACTRA Toronto Apprentice Member Orientation

Designed for ACTRA Toronto Apprentice Members, this course will not only introduce you to what ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto are and what they can do for you, but to also teach you about your rights and responsibilities as an ACTRA Apprentice Member. There are 14 modules. The entire course will take approximately 5 hours to complete.

What will this course cover?
-ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto 101
-ACTRA and You
-ACTRA Apprentices and Full Members
-Working on Set
-IPA Basics
-IPA Forms
-IPA Paystubs
-NCA Basics
-NCA Commercial Engagement Contract
-NCA Paystubs
-Get Involved: Build a Career, Build Your Union
-Casting Tools, Education and More

Money Management Basics for Performers (Old)

Money Management Basics for Performers is ACTRA Toronto’s e-learning course to help performers develop financial literacy and financial planning skills. There are 16 modules. The entire course will take approximately XX hours to complete.

What will this course cover?
-Financial Literacy
-Financial Planning
-Performers as Independent Contractors (for tax purposes)
-Expenses for Performers
-IPA Basics
-IPA Forms
-IPA Performer Pay Stub
-NCA Basics
-NCA Commercial Engagement Contract
-NCA Performer Pay Stub
-Contributions and Deductions
-Filing Your Taxes
-Banks, Credit Unions and Their Services
-The Cost of Credit

ACTRA Toronto AABP Orientation

Designed for ACTRA Toronto ACTRA Additional Background Performer (AABP) Members, this course will not only introduce you to what ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto are and what they can do for you, but to also teach you about your rights and responsibilities as an AABP Member. There are 10 modules. The entire course will take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.

What will this course cover?
-ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto 101
-ACTRA and You
-ACTRA Apprentices and Full Members
-Working on Set
-IPA Basics
-IPA Forms
-IPA Paystubs
-NCA Basics
-NCA Commercial Engagement Contract
-NCA Paystubs
-Get Involved: Build a Career, Build Your Union
-Casting Tools, Education and More

Agreements & Finances

Agreements & Finances

These courses introduce you to ACTRA Toronto's various agreements, including the IPA and NCA, signed with producers in Film, TV, Digital Media and Commercials. We also offer e-learning courses that help performers develop financial literacy and financial planning skills.

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Click on any title to begin

   :

IPA Refresh

  • This course introduces (or re-introduces) you to the ins-and-outs of the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) which covers many types of film, television and digital media productions that ACTRA Toronto performers work on.  
   :

NCA Refresh

  • The purpose of this supplementary course is to introduce (or re-introduce) you to the ins-and-outs of the National Commercial Agreement (NCA) which covers many types of commercials that ACTRA performers work on
   :

Money Management

  • Financial Literacy and Money Management are important skills to have as a performer. Money Management Basics for Performers 101 and 201 are ACTRA Toronto’s e-learning courses that help performers develop financial literacy and financial planning skills.
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Member Handbook – 8 – Nuts & Bolts


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ACTRA Toronto Fact Sheets

ACTRA Toronto Factsheets are a great source of information about ACTRA Toronto policies, procedures and the many benefits of membership.

Your Business Representatives and OSLOs

ACTRA’s contracts are administered and enforced by staff Business Representatives. Commercial Business Representatives deal with NCA issues and IPA Business Representatives with film, television, animation, web, gaming, audio and everything else. Go to the Staff Directory page on our website for the names and contact information for our Business Representatives.

If you have a problem on a specific production, go to the What’s Shooting page to find out the Business Representative’s name and contact information for that particular production and email them with the details.

On-Set Liaison Officers (called OSLOs) are full ACTRA members who visit sets by Business Representative’s request, typically if there are minors, stunts or large numbers of background performers. OSLOs are not qualified to interpret the agreements. They function as the eyes and ears of the Business Representative and report back to them.


Performers’ Rights Society (PRS)

ACTRA Performers Rights’ Society (PRS) administers the payment of residual monies owed to members for the re-use of their work. You can arrange for direct deposit of these payments to your bank account or, alternatively, choose to receive one paper cheque per year with all your residual earnings combined.


Communication

ACTRA Toronto communicates with its members in several ways:

E-Blasts

Periodically, ACTRA Toronto sends e-mail newsletters to inform you about your membership status, upcoming union events and other industry and union issues. Voting credentials for union elections and ratification referenda are also communicated by email. Under ACTRA's National By-Laws, consenting to receive union email and other communications is a condition of ACTRA membership, so it’s very important to keep ACTRA informed of your current email address and update it as it changes.

Website

The ACTRA Toronto website has much of what you need to know and is fully searchable. Popular sections include the What’s Shooting page and the Agents Directory.

ACTRA Toronto publishes an online magazine called Performers Online .

Social Media

ACTRA Toronto has a YouTube account for union advocacy videos, a Facebook page a Twitter account and an Instagram account. Stay connected with your community of fellow performers through FacebookTwitterInstagram and YouTube


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Member Handbook – 7 – Governance


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Constitution and By-Laws

ACTRA is governed by the ACTRA National Constitution and ACTRA National By-Laws. The Toronto branch also has its own ACTRA Toronto By-Laws. These rules and procedures determine how members, Council and Councillors should comport themselves. Democracy and member rule are the guiding principles.

https://www.actratoronto.com/constitution-and-bylaws/

https://www.actratoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ACTRA-Toronto-Performers-FS-A21-Final_060921.pdf

https://www.actratoronto.com/operating-plan/


Council

ACTRA Toronto is a democratic union run by working actors who make up our Council. They make the decisions and policies which staff implements.

Council is comprised of 24 elected full ACTRA members. They serve for a two-year term. Councillors volunteer their time for modest honoraria. Council meets monthly and Council meeting minutes are posted on our website.

The executive officers of ACTRA Toronto Council consist of: the President; the immediate Past President; the Treasurer; up to five other officers and the Executive Director, who is an officer of ACTRA Toronto Council with voice but no vote. The officers of ACTRA Toronto Council are commonly referred to collectively as the ACTRA Toronto Executive Committee.


Get Involved

There are many ways you can participate, the most important of which is voting in Council elections, agreement ratifications and referenda.

Any full member in good standing may run in a Council election.


Committees

ACTRA Toronto has several committees you might be interested to join: ACTRA Additional Background Caucus, Act Your Age (senior performers), Apprentice Caucus, Awards Committee, Child Performers, Conference Committee, Diversity Committee, Finance Committee, Full Member Background Committee, Parade Committee, Stunt Committee, The Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee, Voice Committee and the Young Emerging Actors’ Assembly (for those who play 17-30).

Serving on a Committee is rewarding and helps you connect with other members.

actratoronto.com/committees/


Parades

ACTRA Toronto takes part in two important city parades: The Labour Day Parade and the Pride Parade. The Labour Day Parade takes place annually on the first Monday of  September. We participate in the walk with other unions and have been recognized in the past as the parade’s “most spirited” participants.

ACTRA Toronto revels in the annual June Pride Parade in solidarity with our many LGBTQ+ members who are represented by ACTRA Toronto's outACTRAto Committee.


Maintaining Your Membership

April is an important month to watch for the notice that your annual dues are payable. Falling behind on your dues could result in suspension from the membership and require you to start the joining process all over again. Don’t let forgetfulness put your hard-earned membership at risk.
Apprentices are sent renewal notices on the anniversary date of their joining.

When you move, change agents, phone number or email address, email membership@actratoronto.com with the details. And remember to notify AFBS of changes to your contact information too.


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Member Handbook – 5 – When you need help…


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Creative Arts Financial

Creative Arts Financial (CAF) is a cooperatively run banking institution serving the entertainment industry.

The credit union is a community of your peers in the creative arts, managed and staffed by financial service professionals. As a cooperative organization, a credit union thinks about you differently than a bank does.

Creative Arts Financial (CAF) understands the entertainment industry and the people in it and offers its members a full-service lineup, competitive rates and true family feeling. At Creative Arts Financial, identifying yourself as a professional working in the entertainment industry is the beginning of a financial conversation, not the end.


The AFC

The AFC provides emergency financial aid to assist cultural workers in recovering from an illness, injury or other circumstances causing severe economic and personal hardship.

The AFC is the lifeline for Canada’s entertainment industry. Over 10,000 professional members of the industry from all over Canada and in the fields of film & TV, theatre, music and dance have been helped by the AFC.

afchelps.ca


Talent Agent Code of Conduct

ACTRA Toronto has an Agents Directory available on our website. Only agencies which have joined the Entertainment Industry Coalition (EIC) and have signed the Code of Ethical Conduct are listed on the Directory.

ACTRA does not endorse or recommend talent agencies. When looking for a reputable agency, start with the Agents Directory but ask your peers for a recommendation.


Safety

All ACTRA Toronto productions must have workplace accident insurance in place to cover you, in the event that you are injured on set. The Accident on Set plan, administered by AFBS, is currently the most widely used such plan.

accidentonset.com/

Actors are not expected to perform their own stunts. ACTRA’s Stunt Coordinators are second to none and safely coordinate all stunts on ACTRA sets. All stunts are performed by qualified Stunt Performers.

https://www.actratoronto.com/committees/stunt-committee/

ACTRA has negotiated provisions to protect performers from unsafe working conditions in all our contracts. Additionally, we participate together with producers and other audio-visual unions in a Ministry of Labour Section 21 Committee to address general industry safety concerns.


Counselling Services

AFBS offers a counselling service to members and their families. The service is provided by Sheppell.fgi.

afbs.ca/members-insurance-program/member-and-family-assistance-program


Minors

Child Performers are served by our Children’s Advocate. Information sessions are held periodically to educate parents of child performers, whether union or non-union, on the risks behind the glamour.

  • ACTRA child performers have 25 per cent of their earnings deposited to a trust account and invested for their benefit until they turn 18.
  • Tutoring provisions in ACTRA’s contracts protect minors from falling behind in their schooling when they work.
  • Other protections include age-appropriate working hours and guaranteed parental access.
  • Here's a list of handy Tips for Parents of child performers.

Read ACTRA Toronto's Parents’ Guide for Child Performers

actratoronto.com/child-performers/


Senior Artists

Making a living in this business is tough. Senior artists can really struggle. ACTRA and AFBS research shows that performer incomes decline in middle age, women before men. That’s why ACTRA is a proud supporter of the Performing Artists Lodge which provides geared-to-income housing for senior performers. Many more such housing options are needed. ACTRA also assists the Canadian Senior Artists’ Resource Network with research, communications and programs.

palcanada.org/

csarn-craac.ca/en/index.html


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