does acting really pay?
Submitted by Jenna_super-star on Sat, 11/01/2008 - 21:08.
I was talking with my dad today about college and what I want to do later on...we came to the subject of acting and he said "make sure you can make a living out of it." Are you sure you'll make enough money with that little career?
Well that's just my question, is this a good enough career? Or is it just a fun thing to do? I'd really like to find out how to make it a well-paying job!
Hello
Good question over here.
Best Graduate Acting Summer School in LA
Does acting really pay?
Obviously, you know the names of many celebrity actors who make a healthy living acting, and they are, unfortunately, a very small minority of all actors. A few years ago, one of the actors' unions posted a statistic that stated, at that time, that only 5% of its members earned more than $10,000 a year acting. The working actors whose names you might never learn are those in repertory companies throughout the country; such companies offer some of the few opportunities of steady acting work. Other kinds of longer range work would be in a long-running Broadway or Off-Broadway play or TV series or soap opera. With any of those jobs, once the job ends, you are back to being unemployed, as acting is, by its nature, a freelance business. There are many books published on how to be a working actor - to answer that question really does require a book-length response.
You can tell your father that nothing in life is certain, and while only a small percentage of actors make a living acting, who says you won't be one of them? (It helps to be very talented! And beauty never hurt!) I would ask you to examine why you want to be an actor. Is it for fame and fortune? Do you have a passion for the process? If you didn't have a career as an actor, would you be acting anyway any chance you could regardless of pay? If the answer to the last two questions is "no," I would suggest that you think of another career. The actors that last for the long haul are the ones who cannot consider a life without acting worth living.
Bill Cooper Acting/Talent
Bill Cooper
Acting/Talent Management
www.billcooper.info
www.bassettcreekproductions.com
The previous blog entry was dead on! If you don't have passion, you wouldn't be successful at any career choice.
Most people don't realize that the talent business is a sales job. You're constantly selling yourself.
I've made a modest living as an actor in a major metro area for over 20 years. I feel my success (and the success of my fellow actors) comes from developing a craft, being diligent, exceding expectations on every job and project, learning to budget and most importantly, not giving in to fear.
Many actors stay in the business by doing on-camera projects, print, stage, live events, fit modeling, etc.... Also, most actors I know have another part-time flexible job that complements an acting lifestyle which includes irregular income, odd hours, last minute gigs, etc....
Sometimes getting involved in another area of the business such as make-up, production, advertising, coaching, etc... can keep you connected with acting and lead to more exposure and work.
I'm in my early 50's and can honestly say that I couldn't imagine my life without acting, the experiences I've had and the incredible people I've met. Go for it!