Union commercials can be a very lucrative job for an actor -- which explains why the competition's so fierce! The first time a spot runs, the actor gets a decent amount of money. But as the spot runs more and more (past the initial 13 week cycle), the money really adds up -- without any additional work from the actor. You can really hit paydirt if it's renewed several times or if the commercial is recut into several spots. Commercials usually have a pretty limited run. If a commercial's going to be renewed, it's usually done immediately following its original run.

Holiday commercials seem to be the most common exception. This year, I've been amazed about the number of holiday commercials that have been resurrected from years' past. Have you seen the Campbell Soup commercial featuring the snowman that melts into a kid as he eats the delectable soup? Or the Verizon spot that shows a shopping mall family of four without a means to communicate? Each has been resurrected annually for the past few years. Heck, that Campbell's kid is probably in college by now (which was financed by this spot) ! What a nice surprise for those actors! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving...

Interesting. I learned something new today.