4A’s American Association of Advertising Agencies

AABP ACTRA Additional Background Performer
A2C l’Association des agences de communication créative (Association of Creative Communication Agencies)
ACA Association of Canadian Advertisers
ACTRA Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists
ADISQ Association Québecoise de L’industrie du Disque, Du Spectacle, et de la Vidéo (Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries)
AEPO-ARTIS Association of European Performers’ Organizations
The AFC (formerly The Actors’ Fund of Canada)
AFM American Federation of Musicians
AFBS Actra Fraternal Benefit Society
AFL-CIO American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations
AIP ACTRA Indie Production Agreement
AISGE Artistas Intérpretes Sociedad de Gestión
ALAI Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale
AMIS Acting and Modelling Information Service
AMPTP Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
AMS ACTRA Membership System
AOPP ACTRAonline Opportunity Pilot Project
AQPM Association québécoise de la production médiatique
ASL American Sign Language
ANA Association of National Advertisers
ANA-4A’s Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations
AODA Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
AQTIS Association québécoise des techniciens et techniciennes de l’image et du son (Alliance of Image and Sound Technicians)
AVOD Advertising Video on Demand

BCAA British Columbia Animation Agreement
BCMPA British Columbia Master Production Agreement
BDU Broadcast Distribution Undertaking
BEM UBCP/ACTRA Background Extra Member (equivalent to AABP)

CAEA Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
CASC Canadian Association of Stand-up Comedians
CASCU Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union (now Creative Arts Financial)
CAVCO Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office
CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CCC Creators’ Copyright Coalition
CCA Canadian Conference for the Arts
CCM Coalition for Culture & Media
CDCE Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
CFC Canadian Film Centre
CFTIC Canadian Film and Television Industry Coalition
CFM Canadian Federation of Musicians
CHRC Canadian Human Resources Council
CIMA Canadian Independent Music Association
CIPIP Canadian Independent Production Incentive Program
CIRB Canadian Industrial Relations Board
CISAC International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers
CLC Canadian Labour Congress
CMF Canada Media Fund
CMG Canadian Media Guild
CMO Collective Management Organization
CMPA Canadian Media Producers Association
CMPA Canadian Music Publishers Association (same acronym as above)
CMRRA Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd.
Connect Music Licensing (formerly AVLA Audio Visual Licensing Agency Inc.)
CPC Conservative Party Canada
CPCC Canadian Private Copying Collective
CPE Canadian Programming Expenditure
CRA Creators’ Rights Alliance
CRC Canadian Retransmission Collective
CRTC Canadian Radio-Telecommunications and Television Commission
CNSST Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (Health & Safety)
CUES Canadian Unions for Equality on Screens
CUPE Canadian Union of Public Employees
CUSMA Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

DGA Directors Guild of America
DGC Directors Guild of Canada
DMEO Digital Media Exemption Order
DTO Download to Own
DTR Download to Rent

EIC Entertainment Industry Coalition
EST Electronic Sell Through

FAANG Facebook Apple Amazon Netflix Google
FIA International Federation of Actors (Federation Internationale des Acteurs)
FIM International Federation of Musicians (Federation Internationale des Musiciens)

GRP Gross Rating Point
GUF Global Union Federations

HAVEN Harassment & Violence Emergency Network
HBSVOD High-Budget Subscription Video on Demand

IAB Interactive Advertising Bureau
IATSE International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
ICA Institute of Communication Agencies
IFPI International Federation of Phonogram Producers
IPA Independent Production Agreement
IPD International Performers’ Database
IPN International Performer Number
IPR Intellectual Property Review

LGBTQ2 Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning and 2-spirited
LPC Liberal Party Canada
LWG Legal Rights Working Group

MPAA Motion Picture Association of America
MPA-C Motion Picture Association of Canada
MROC Musicians Rights’ Organization Canada
Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association)

NABET National Association of Broadcasting Employees & Technicians
NCA National Commercial Agreement
NDP New Democratic Party
NMPP New Media Pilot Project
NSI National Screen Institute of Canada

Ontario Creates (formerly Ontario Media Development Corporation)
OTT Over-the-top services (Netflix, Apple TV, etc.)

PAC Public Affairs & Communications Department (ACTRA National)
PNI Programs of National interest (CRTC term for TV drama, comedy, awards shows)
PAL Performing Arts Lodges of Canada
PRS Performers’ Rights Society

QEPC Quebec English-language Production Council

RACS Recording Artists’ Collecting Society
RAWG Rights Administrative Working Groups
Re:Sound Re:Sound Music Licensing Agency
RRM Revenue Receiving Module

SAG-AFTRA Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artist
SAMI Swedish Artists’ & Musicians’ Interests Organization
SCAPR Societies’ Council for the Collective Management of Performers’ Rights
SOCAN Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada
SODEC Société de développment des enterprises culturelles
SODRAC Société du droit de reproduction des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs au Canada
SOPROQ Société de gestion collective des droits des producteurs de phonogrammes et de vidéogrammes du Québec
SVOD Subscription Video on Demand

TAMAC Talent Agents and Managers’ Association of Canada
TIPPS Total Integrated Payroll Planning System (CBC – payroll slips)
TJC Technical Joint Committee
Tri-Guild Audit Group: SAG/WGA/DGA
TVOD Transactional Video on Demand (includes EST, DTO, DTR)

UAP Union Advocacy Production Initiative
UBCP Union of British Columbia Performers
UdA/ARTISTi Union des Artistes
UFS Use Fee System
USW United Steelworkers

VOD Video on Demand
VRDB Virtual Recording Database

WGA Writers Guild of America (East and West)
WGC Writers Guild of Canada
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
WIPOCOS World Intellectual Property Organization Collective Management Operating System

Miscellaneous
ACTRA STAFF Unions: COPE – Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union; USW – United Steel Workers; Unifor – not an acronym; name of the merged CAW / CEP
ACCT Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
AGM Annual General Meeting
BECS British Equity Collecting Society Limited
CCI Canadian Copyright Institute
CD-i Compact Disc-interactive
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
GM General Membership
IPF Independent Production Fund
MOW Movie of the Week
OSLO On-Set Liaison Officer
VB6 Visual Basic 6

Commonly Used Terms under the National Commercial Agreement:
Television section
AWT Additional Work Time – covers 9th & 10th hours of work
C Cartoonist
DEMO Demonstrator
E Extra
GD Group Dancer
Grp E Group Extra
GS Group Singer
NCA National Commercial Agreement
NS Network Spot-Cycle of use
O/T Overtime – covers 11th hour of work and on
P Program-Cycle of use
PP Principal Performer
PT Puppeteers
SA Speciality Act
SB Standby
SD Solo Dancer
SI Stand-in
SOC Silent-On-Camera
ST-C Stunt Coordinator
ST-P Stunt Performer
US Understudy
VO/SS Voice Over or Solo Singer
WS Wild Spot-Cycle of use

Radio section
SV/SS Single Voice or Solo Singer
MV/GS Multiple Voice or Group Singer

Commonly used terms in the IPA:
A, M, S, D Actor, Model, Singers or Dancers in groups greater than four (4)
BGP Background Performer
CP Chorus Performer
N or C Narrators and Commentators – Off Camera.
PA Principal Actor, Includes: Announcer, Cartoonist Dancers (1 or 2), Host, Narrator, Commentator, Puppeteer, Singer (1 or 2), Specialty Act, Sportscaster, Stunt Performer, Panelist.
PD Photo-Double
S or D Singers or Dancers in groups of up to (4)
SI Stand In
SS Special Skill
ST-A Stunt Actor
ST-C Stunt Coordinator
VRA Voluntary Recognition Agreement
VP Variety Principal

Other terms
A Accountant
AD Assistant Directors
PC Production Coordinator
PM Production Manager