Updated Oct. 17, 2026.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, the people who negotiate the union rulebook for American commercials will sit down in a Brickell conference room and walk Miami’s ad industry through it. The Joint Policy Committee, the bargaining representative for advertisers and agencies in talks with SAG-AFTRA, is holding its JPC Miami Town Hall from 10 a.m. to noon ET at Venable LLP, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1500. The JPC lists the morning as in-person only, with limited space, and says the point is to “learn about the Contracts and network with industry colleagues.”
For a South Florida agency producer, an in-house brand marketer or a production company that books union performers for a spot, that is two hours with the JPC team that bargained the current deal. The 2025 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract runs through March 31, 2028, and it changed how long a commercial can run before talent renegotiation, how much goes to the union health and pension plans, and what a producer owes when a digital replica stands in for a performer. What follows covers the logistics, who the JPC speaks for, the contract terms most likely to come up, and how to ask for a seat.
The Morning at a Glance
| Item | What the JPC publishes |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, 10 a.m. to noon ET |
| Venue | Venable LLP, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1500, Miami, FL 33131 |
| Format | In-person only; “Space is limited” |
| Purpose | Learn about the Commercials Contracts and network with industry colleagues |
| Speakers named | Stacy Wolery Marcus, Michael Isselin and Emily Faro |
| Price | Not listed on the event page; the JPC describes its town halls as free trainings |
| Registration | RSVP HERE link on the JPC announcement; space is limited |
The speaker names come from the JPC’s own LinkedIn announcement of Sept. 21. The JPC website lists Stacy Marcus as its chief negotiator and Michael Isselin as legal counsel, and the JPC’s published 2025 contract overview identifies Emily Faro as a DLA Piper associate on the same team. Miami follows a JPC Chicago town hall held Aug. 12, 2026 at DLA Piper, which the committee announced with the same in-person, limited-space terms.
Who Sits on the Other Side of the Table
The JPC was established in 1962 by the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the 4A’s. Its About page says it “represents advertisers and advertising agencies who have authorized us to collectively bargain on their behalf” with SAG-AFTRA and the American Federation of Musicians on the agreements that govern performers and musicians in commercials. It negotiates those agreements every three years and, between rounds, “educates the industry on all issues relating to the CBAs through nationwide town halls.”
The same page puts the scale plainly: the SAG-AFTRA commercials agreements represent nearly $1 billion in annual spending by advertisers on performers. The JPC also lists the practical tools it has worked out with the union since 2006, including waivers for non-union testimonials and man-on-the-street spots, a social media waiver for union performers at reduced rates, and a Low Budget Digital Waiver for productions of $100,000 or less.
The detail that matters most for a smaller Miami shop sits in the JPC’s 2025 contract overview. The committee says it “serves as a free resource to anyone in the industry (regardless of signatory status)” for questions about the contracts and waivers, and that it “provides free trainings, both to individual companies and to the industry at large through our Town Halls.” You do not need to be a national holding company to put a question to the people who bargained the terms.
Who Should Be in the Room
The contract itself defines its employers as producers of commercials “such as an advertiser or advertising agency.” In practice, the JPC’s own survey notices describe the circle it wants to hear from: advertising agencies, advertisers, business affairs consultants, cost consultants, media companies, payroll companies, production companies and third-party signatories.
In South Florida that circle includes the agency producer estimating a regional retail campaign, the hotel or restaurant group that shoots its own social spots, the production company bidding on a Spanish-language national, and the payroll service that cuts the talent checks. Anyone who signs a talent contract or approves a talent budget under the SAG-AFTRA commercials agreements fits that list. The session is pitched at employers; performers and agents have their own office at SAG-AFTRA’s Miami Local, covered below.
The Contract Now in Force
The 2025 Commercials Contract is a three-year deal running from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028, and it continues after that until either side gives 60 days’ written notice. SAG-AFTRA members ratified it on May 21, 2025 by a vote of 96.90 percent to 3.10 percent, according to the union’s announcement, which says the contracts include $218.4 million in new earnings and benefit plan contributions.
Minimum wages and use fees rose 5 percent in year one, effective April 1, 2025, and 4 percent in year two, effective April 1, 2026. A further 3 percent increase takes effect April 1, 2027. The memorandum of agreement says those increases apply to new commercials produced in each year and to commercials renewed after their maximum period of use expires. The JPC overview notes that Class A rates and all cable rates were held at 2022 levels.
Five Terms That Change a South Florida Shoot
The 24-month window. The maximum period of use, the stretch a commercial can run before the producer must renegotiate with performers, grew from 21 to 24 months, with what the JPC overview calls “a consistent start date for easier calculation.” For a brand planning a two-year campaign, that is three more months of runway under the original deal.
Pension and health contributions. The total contribution rate rose to 23.5 percent. The memorandum says JPC authorizers, the advertisers and agencies that have authorized the JPC to bargain for them, receive a 3.55 percent waiver of the increase, for a total of 19.95 percent. That gap is a line item worth understanding before a budget goes out.
Low budget digital work. The Low Budget Digital Waiver, for production budgets of $100,000 or less, was written into the contract and extended through March 31, 2028. For a regional social or web campaign, that threshold is the first number to check, and the waiver’s conditions are worth asking about directly.
YouTube and social placement. The contract now splits Traditional Digital use into two categories. Traditional Digital with Paid YouTube is priced 12 percent above standard Traditional Digital for the first two years and 12.35 percent in the third. Standard Traditional Digital covers social media, brand websites, retailer websites and other YouTube use.
Digital replicas and synthetic performers. The contract requires notice, with commercially reasonable efforts to give it at least 48 hours ahead, before a digital replica is created or used, and performer consent that can be obtained through a Digital Replica Rider. When a replica generates a performance the performer would otherwise have given, the JPC overview says 1.5 scale session fees are due, and the performer is paid use and holding fees at scale. When a synthetic performer appears alongside at least one human on-camera principal, the producer pays 1.5 session fees and pension and health contributions within 30 days of first air date.
Questions Worth Bringing on Oct. 20
A town hall with the negotiators is most useful when you arrive with your own production in mind. Bring a recent or upcoming job and ask how its media plan maps onto the new Traditional Digital categories, especially if paid YouTube is part of the buy. If a campaign could run past two years, ask how the 24-month clock is counted and what happens at renewal.
Budget owners should ask how the 23.5 percent and 19.95 percent contribution rates apply to their company, and what becoming a JPC authorizer involves. Producers working near the $100,000 line should ask exactly how the Low Budget Digital Waiver is measured. And anyone experimenting with AI tools in post should ask where ordinary editing ends and a digital replica begins, since the overview says producers may continue to use historical digital technologies to modify performances “in line with historical practices.” The JPC also says an updated, comprehensive Contract Book “remains on track for release later this year,” so it is fair to ask when it will be available and how to receive it.
How to Get a Seat
Use the RSVP HERE link on the JPC Miami Town Hall announcement to request attendance. The event is in person on Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to noon ET, at Venable LLP, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1500; space is limited. The committee also posts updates on its LinkedIn page, where the Miami announcement appeared.
Plan for an in-person morning in Brickell. The listing says in-person only, and the session wraps at noon, which leaves the afternoon for a shoot or a client meeting.
For Performers and Talent Representatives
The town hall is built for employers, but the contract it explains sets performers’ pay. SAG-AFTRA’s Miami Local office is at 3470 N.W. 82nd Avenue, Suite 780, in Doral, and lists (305) 670-7677 and miami@sagaftra.org as its contacts. Actors weighing union status, including financial core, can start with our Fi-Core and SAG-AFTRA guide for South Florida actors.
Sources
These pages were opened on Oct. 9, 2026.
- Joint Policy Committee, JPC Miami Town Hall event listing
- Joint Policy Committee, JPC Miami Town Hall announcement, Sept. 21, 2026
- Joint Policy Committee on LinkedIn, Miami Town Hall speakers
- Joint Policy Committee, About Us
- Joint Policy Committee, Overview of the 2025 Commercials Contracts (PDF)
- Joint Policy Committee, 2025 Commercials Contract Memorandum of Agreement (PDF)
- Joint Policy Committee, 2025 Commercials Contracts MOAs
- Joint Policy Committee, 2026 Q3 Industry Survey notice
- Joint Policy Committee, 2026 Q1 survey notice and audience list
- Joint Policy Committee, JPC Chicago Town Hall
- Joint Policy Committee, Contact
- SAG-AFTRA, Members Approve 2025 Commercials Contracts Agreement
- SAG-AFTRA, Miami Local
Related Reading
For the talent side, see our Fi-Core and SAG-AFTRA guide for South Florida actors. For the money and logistics around a shoot, see how South Florida producers are shifting to brand partners and our Palm Beach County film permits guide.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
When and where is the JPC Miami Town Hall?
The Joint Policy Committee lists its Miami Town Hall for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon ET at Venable LLP, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1500, in Miami. The committee says the session is in-person only and that space is limited, and it describes the goal as learning about the Commercials Contracts and networking with colleagues.
Who is the JPC Miami Town Hall for?
The JPC speaks for the employer side of union commercials, and its survey notices name advertisers, advertising agencies, production companies, payroll companies, business affairs and cost consultants, and third-party signatories as its audience. The committee says it serves as a free resource to anyone in the industry regardless of signatory status. Performers and agents can reach SAG-AFTRA’s Miami Local office in Doral.
Does the JPC Miami Town Hall cost anything?
The event page does not list a price. The JPC’s published 2025 contract overview says the committee provides free trainings to the industry at large through its town halls. Use the RSVP HERE link on the JPC Miami Town Hall announcement to request attendance. The event is in person on Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to noon ET, at Venable LLP, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1500; space is limited.
How long does the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract run?
The contract runs from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028, and then continues until either side gives 60 days’ written notice. Minimum wages and use fees rose 5 percent in 2025 and 4 percent on April 1, 2026, with a 3 percent increase set for April 1, 2027. SAG-AFTRA members ratified it on May 21, 2025.
What changed for producers using digital replicas?
The contract calls for notice, with efforts to give it at least 48 hours ahead, before a digital replica is created or used, plus performer consent. When a replica generates a performance the performer would otherwise give, the JPC says 1.5 scale session fees are due, along with use and holding fees at scale, as if the performer had worked in person.
Brian D’Antoni writes The Sundaze Gazette from Palm Beach County. He reports on business, film and technology for South Florida owners.
