Representation 101 Replay + This Week’s Industry Update for Actors
By Abigail Hardin, February 20, 2026
136
Share
Happy Friday, UTDA Community! 💫
Last week’s Representation 101 for Actors workshop honestly reminded me why I love this community so much.
Actors showed up prepared, curious, and ready to shift how they approach representation — not from desperation, but from strategy. We talked about leverage, timing the ask, how reps actually think, and the biggest mindset change: you’re not asking for a favor… you’re presenting a business partnership.
If you couldn’t attend live — or want to rewatch with clearer eyes — the replay is available on the Up-To-Date Actor for 72 hours only (through Sunday).
If you’re planning your next move, these recent blogs pair perfectly with the workshop:
- Quarterly Career Review: Why Actors Should Measure Progress Every 90 Days
- Seeking Representation in 2026: Timing the Ask + Building Leverage Year-Round
- The Entertainment Year: Understanding the Seasonal Cycles
- Formatting Your Acting Resume: How to Present Your Work Like a Pro
- Creator Casting: How Brands Are Booking On-Camera Talent Without Reps
- Representation in 2026: Lean Rosters, Project-Based Repping & Hybrid Models
And as you’ll see in the articles below, the industry is actively shifting — from ongoing Warner Bros. Discovery / Netflix / Paramount merger headlines to the beginning of Hollywood union negotiations — which makes this an especially important moment for actors to stay informed and strategic.
Take an hour this weekend to invest in clarity — your future self will thank you.
With belief in your work 🌷,
🎬 Film/TV Production
- Los Angeles Explores $5 Million Subsidy for Microdrama Production
- Knockout Shorts Microdrama LA Launches With Oscar Nommed Star & SAG Show
- Amazon Content Spending in 2025 Was $22.4 Billion, up 10%
- DGA Chief Russ Hollander on Hollywood Contract Talks, AI and More
- U.K. Production Spend Hit $9.24 Billion in 2025 as Film Shoots Surge
- Salma Hayek Joins Mexican President For Launch Of 30% Cinema Incentive
- German Industry Reacts To Production Requirement For Streamers & Nets
🤝 Union Negotiations
- Unable to Stop AI, SAG-AFTRA Mulls a Studio Tax on Digital Performers
- SAG-AFTRA Begins Studio Talks Amid Media Blackout
- SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin On 2026 Labor Negotiations
- SAG-AFTRA & Studios End First Week Of Contract Talks In Silence
- SAG-AFTRA Opens 2026 Negotiations With Hollywood Studios
- WGA Staff Authorizes Strike, Accuses Union of Bargaining in Bad Faith
- Inside Equity & Pact's Artificial Intelligence Negotiations
💼 Film & TV Business
- New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, Bob Iger, Dana Walden At Town Hall
- Lionsgate’s Latest Quarter Blows Past Forecasts As Film Slate Revs Up
- It's Heigh-Ho Time for New Disney Leaders; Senate Grills Ted Sarandos
- Budget Cuts Creating A Risk-Averse Industry Environment, Report Says
- Amazon Shares Plunge After Q4 Earnings & Aggressive AI Spending Forecast
- CBS Moves Up 2026-27 Schedule Reveal To April 15
- Canceled Or Renewed TV Shows: Bubble Watch List 2026
- Paul Feig Joins Anti-AI Theft Campaign, As Organizer Warns Of Risk To Creativity
- Darren Aronofsky Backlash Shows World Not Ready For Auteur AI
💸 Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
- DGA President Christopher Nolan On Warner Bros Sale
- David Ellison Takes Dig At "Monopolistic" Netflix In UK Open Letter
- Lawmakers Call For Netflix And Paramount To Commit To Film And TV Jobs
- Ted Sarandos on Trump, 'Trans Ideology' Remarks, 'Boots' Cancellation
- Paramount Skydance Will Pay WBD Shareholders an Extra $650 Million per Quarter if Its Takeover Isn't Completed by End of 2026
- WBD May Engage With Paramount After Ellisons’ Sweetened Offer
- Netflix Needs To Take "More Action" To Prove Its Movie Theater Love, Cinemark CEO Says
- Netflix's Ted Sarandos Accuses Paramount Of "Flooding The Zone With Confusion" In WBD Merger Saga
- Are We Reaching an End to the Warner Bros., Paramount, & Netflix Saga?
- David Ellison Warns Senate That Netflix Would "Extinguish" Competition
- Paramount Clears U.S. Antitrust Hurdle In Warner Bros. Discovery Battle
- James Cameron To Senator: Netflix-Warner Bros Deal Would Threaten Movie Theaters
- Inside Warner Bros. Discovery, Mood Shifts in Favor of Netflix Deal vs. Paramount Takeover
🎭 Theatre Talk
- 2026 Obie Awards Winners- The Full List
- Kennedy Center to Close for 2 Years Following Artistic Cancellations
- In the producer’s office: Brian and Dayna Lee on selling theater in a screen-driven world, expanding audiences and producing with a distinct mission
- A Downtown Vibe Comes to Broadway This Spring
- What to See in New York This Spring
- ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ ‘Hamnet’ and 14 More Shows to See This Spring
- Hamnet Is Now a Hit Film, But It Was Actually a Play First
🍿 Festivals & Movie Theatres
- Sundance Will Rebuild in Boulder. What Does That Look Like?
- Future of Filmmaking: 2026 Sundance Messy Middle Panel
- Netflix Warner Bros Merger is "Catastrophic" Theater Owners Tell Senate Lawmakers
- Breaching 45-Day Theatrical Window Will Hurt Movie Studios
✊ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Lead Roles For Women In Top Films Drop To 7-Year Low In 2025: Study
- Michelle Yeoh Teases Return To Hong Kong Industry
- UK TV Industry Diamond Diversity System Updated By Broadcasters
- BBC Must Avoid "Clunky" Color-Blind Casting In Shows like 'Doctor Who'
🫦 Quick Bites & Actor on Acting
- How to Achieve a Flawless Audition Look: M·A·C Makeup Artist Shares Pro Tips
- Casting Director Francine Maisler on 'Sinners'
- Kristen Stewart Is Treated Like She Has "A Brain" Since Directorial Debut
- Quinta Brunson on Not Directing 'Abbott Elementary' (Yet)
- Idris Elba Had To Hide His Accent To Land His Career Defining TV Role
- Watch: Liana Hunt Talks Touring, Growth, and More on a Milestone Episode of Survival Jobs