Terminology Tuesday: Favored Nations

Before we get into today’s #terminologytuesday, we can’t reiterate enough how important it is for actors to take an active role in understanding and shaping your deals. ⁠

𝙄𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙨.⁠

Today, we’ll break down an important and frequently used term: 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. ⁠

Most favored nations (or most commonly known as just ‘MFN’) means that you are getting equal contractual treatment to others on a project – billing, accommodations, and any other contractual deal point. ⁠

An MFN agreement can also be a mechanism to allow a highly paid actor to perform for a lower fee without damaging the actor’s perceived market value. Reps can reasonably argue that their client took a lower fee because they were passionate about the project and, because it was MFN, no other actor was paid more.⁠

When presented with your own MFN offer, there are some questions that you should consider if you’re negotiating your own deal:⁠

1. Is it MFN only for your up-front compensation, such as an episodic fee or a weekly rate? ⁠
2. Is it MFN regarding the placement of your credit? ⁠
3. Is it MFN for your dressing facilities, travel, per diem, car allowance?⁠

In short, you’ll want to know if your agreement is MFN for all contractual terms or only certain ones. ⁠

#themoreyouknow #thecastingdirectorscut #terminologytuesday

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