Below is a list of some of the most common acronyms you may hear being used at ACTRA:

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
AI: Artificial Intelligence
AIDA: The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act
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
CAN: Canadian Artists Network
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
CMRRA: Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd.
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
DEIB: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
DGA: Directors Guild of America
DGC: Directors Guild of Canada
DMEO: Digital Media Exemption Order
EIC: Entertainment Industry Coalition
EST: Electronic Sell Through
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, Anti-racism and 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
IP: Intellectual Property
IPA: Independent Production Agreement
IPD: International Performers’ Database
IPN: International Performer Number
IPR: Intellectual Property Review
2SLGBTQIA+: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or
Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and additional sexual orientations and gender
identities.
LPC: Liberal Party Canada
LWG: Legal Rights Working Group
MPAA: Motion Picture Association of America
MPA-C: Motion Picture Association of Canada
MPC: Music Publishers Canada
MROC: Musicians Rights’ Organization Canada
NABET: National Association of Broadcasting Employees & Technicians
NCA: National Commercial Agreement
NDP: New Democratic Party
NIL: Name, image, likeness
NMPP: New Media Pilot Project
NSI: National Screen Institute of Canada
OMDC: Ontario Media Development Corporation (Now called Ontario Creates)
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
189
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

Other:

ACTRA STAFF Unions:
COPE – Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union;
USW –United Steelworkers;
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

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