With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Salary Confessions: Hollywood Workers Dish On How The Industry Has Changed
The Hollywood sign is seen as it is repainted in preparation for its 100th anniversary in 2023, in Hollywood on Sept. 28, 2022.
(
Robyn Beck
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Topline:
This week, The Ankler, LAist’s partner for Entertainment Thursdays, launched a Salary Confessions series featuring anonymous interviews with people across the entertainment industry sharing intimate details about their careers and the state of their finances.
Why it matters: Assessments of the state of Hollywood inevitably note the effects of the pandemic and last year’s strikes as budgets are cut and layoffs implemented. But these catch-all citations lose the human toll of all the change taking place in Los Angeles.
Meet a downsized development exec: This person works at an independent production company and their role was recently reduced to part-time because management had become “less enthused about the direction the industry is moving in.” Their salary was reduced from $88,000 to $44,000.
Sponsored message
A surprising side hustle: To supplement their income, this person has started to freelance for an AI company helping to train its models, even though they’re aware this is Hollywood’s existential fear. “I feel I have important skills that others in my position do not (how to prompt and AI chatbot to get the best response),” this person says.
For more . . . read the full story on The Ankler.
This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
