The Writer Who Went from Six-Figure Debt to a $220,000 Gig on an Emmy Darling
In today's Salary Confession, the bust-boom cycle of the profession catches someone on the upswing. So why can't they can't relax?
Elaine Low covers the TV market from L.A. She recently wrote about creators’ reaction to Chick-fil-A becoming a producer, the worries of Hollywood’s top earners, and where the TV jobs are (and not).
What does it mean to Make It? What level of professional success allows you to finally breathe and take in the view from the top of your hamster wheel?
Hollywood has a way of distorting the spectrum of success. For example, if you’re an actor who regularly books work and doesn’t need a survival job, you know you’ve reached a level surpassing most other performers. But if you’re not a household name in your Midwestern hometown, the people you went to high school with might have opinions on whether you’ve made it. What have you worked on that I’ve seen?
Even within the industry, success can be a murky concept. Does it mean an IMDb page full of credits? Does it mean producing shows that have emerged from development hell and made it to a screen? Does it mean surviving multiple studio mergers?
As I have more and more of these conversations, I increasingly think about the disconnect between professional achievement and its ability to confer financial stability. Take today’s Salary Confession, featuring a staff writer who works on an Emmy-nominated series this season, has been in six writers rooms, and owns their own home — on paper, they’re an obvious success.
But after experiencing financial fluctuations that have taken them from having a comfortable savings account to going into six-figure debt to earning $220,000 this year, it might not feel that way. (Anyone who would like to share their story with me can do so via this Google Form. As always, your anonymity is guaranteed.)
“I have these periods where I’m getting paid and felt secure enough to buy a house, but also the job feels very ephemeral in a way,” this person tells me. “It doesn’t really feel real.”
This is a writer who will be getting dressed up for the Emmys and its attendant parties this weekend, yet who still feels like they need to be “checking all corners right now — you know, just in case of emergency, what am I gonna do?
“If you’re looking at somebody who has achieved a certain level of success professionally, don’t assume that they can’t be going through it,” they say. “Also, if you are that person: Don’t assume it can’t happen to you. Do all your due diligence. Don’t bet on anything going right.”
Today, this person breaks down in detail how just a year ago they were tending bar and asking friends for help with vet bills; why they left L.A. seeking stability yet how that remains elusive; and why, even though they have a good job, they’re frustrated by what feels like working in “R&D,” developing shows and indie film projects when nothing’s getting made:
