As someone who has spent countless hours hunched over a keyboard, pouring my heart and soul into stories, I find myself awestruck by the numbers these industry professionals command.
Absolutely, it’s important to note that salaries can significantly differ among professionals in the same field, even those with similar titles. However, there seems to be a pattern when looking at high-level positions across various industries and locations. Here’s a sneak peek into what workers are earning during this turbulent year.
Editor
For many television editors, their salary usually falls within the range of approximately $4,200 per week. Networks seldom offer more than $5,500 per week for this position. On the other hand, top-tier feature editors can earn up to $20,000 – $25,000 each week.
Publicist
A mid-level public relations professional at a specialized personal PR agency can earn between $100,000 and $150,000. However, seasoned publicists who run their own boutique firms might even make over $1 million. In some cases, it’s more profitable to work for a studio like Disney, which has advertised a salary range of $327,000 to $450,000 for the position of senior vice president of communications.
Studio Executive
Starting out as an executive assistant at Paramount Pictures might not offer high initial pay (around $50,000), but it holds the promise of growth opportunities. For instance, a Development Director at an established studio typically earns approximately $120,000, while Executive Vice Presidents can make between $500,000 and $600,000. The salary levels are even higher at Netflix, where Content Vice Presidents surpass the million-dollar mark. A select few who climb their way to becoming studio chiefs could potentially earn multiple millions, as demonstrated by Netflix film head Scott Stuber, who reportedly earned over $16 million before leaving earlier this year.
Lawyer
High-level negotiators in Hollywood typically operate on a 5% commission basis rather than billing clients hourly. Their starting salaries can range from $175,000 to $250,000, while top earners bring in an annual income of between $5 million and $15 million.
Director
Someone at the Ridley Scott level can make $20 million per feature, but most early-career directors are earning $1 million or less. Directors Guild of America scale on a high-budget film is $23,767 per week, with a guaranteed employment period of 10 weeks.
Stunt Performer, Makeup Artist and Stylist
Individual specializing in daring feats for entertainment
A Makeup Artist usually charges between $1,000 and $1,250 for enhancing a celebrity’s radiance before an important occasion, with an extra 20% going towards their talent agency as fees.
A professional stylist often charges around $1,500 per occasion, with extra costs for services such as tailoring. During award seasons, studios, which usually handle promotional events, tend to offer higher compensation packages.
Content Creator
A picture (um, post) can be worth a thousand dollars, and often a lot more. Some micro influencers charge a couple hundred dollars per post, while top-tier creators can charge thousands. Collegiate gymnast and Instagram “It” girl Livvy Dunne made $500,000 off a single brand deal.
Gaffer
A chief lighting technician who is part of the IATSE union earns at least $60.59 an hour, and is guaranteed a minimum weekly wage of $3,647 on studio projects.
Agent
Agents are finding themselves under financial pressure. Entry-level staff usually earn between $80,000 and $100,000 per year, with mid-career agents peaking around $600,000, excluding additional bonuses. Top performers can make millions. The Pay Up Hollywood campaign managed to secure modest increases for agency assistants, but their wages remain strikingly low. According to recent job listings, a CAA mailroom trainee receives approximately $20 an hour, which is the same as California’s minimum wage for fast food workers. Assistants at all major agencies should anticipate earning less than $25 an hour (excluding overtime).
Intimacy Coordinator, Actor
Role Specialist in On-Screen Interaction
Although SAG-AFTRA is working on formalizing this relatively recent job title, at present, most individuals performing this role typically earn an equivalent daily wage to that of stunt performers, approximately $1,200. They can be contracted for the entire project duration or only for specific scenes as needed.
Top-tier performers continue to earn significant sums. For instance, Robert Downey Jr.’s reported earning of over $80 million as Dr. Doom is a testament to this. Ryan Reynolds, on the other hand, can expect around $30 million per film. Some television actors are paid $1 million per episode, and there are many prominent figures earning between $400,000 and $600,000 per episode. Background actors in series typically earn $216 for an eight-hour workday.
Animator
As an assistant staff comic strip story artist in the Animation Guild, you might anticipate earning around $1,800 per week. On the other hand, a supervising animation writer typically takes home close to $3,000 weekly.
Producer
Initial opportunity deals remain profitable, often reaching millions, if you manage to secure one. However, seasoned producers can make up to $2 million initially and more in residuals, provided they don’t have a studio agreement. In the television industry, producers without writing credits or studio deals won’t receive any payment until the pilot fee is paid, which can vary between $15,000 and $50,000.
TV Writer/Showrunner
Daily writers received pay increases following the WGA strike, with staff writers currently earning approximately $4,940 per week for a guaranteed 20 weeks. Writers who serve as executive producers or run their own shows can sell a pilot script into development for anywhere between $225,000 and $500,000. If the show is picked up for a series, they will earn an average of $60,000 to $75,000 per episode to produce, in addition to WGA scale pay for any episodes they write. In the meantime, the large overall deals worth $40 million have dropped to between $10 million and $15 million; even those valued at $15 million are now closer to $8 million.
Screenwriter
On average, a draft is sold for anywhere between $350,000 and $500,000. However, seasoned writers who boast established features can earn over $1 million at the top end. The final credit includes a bonus ranging from $150,000 to $500,000.
Union Leader
The president of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, doesn’t receive a salary, unlike Duncan Crabtree-Ireland who is the chief negotiator and receives more than $1 million for securing the guild’s contracts. Russell Hollander at the DGA earns $775,000, while Ellen Stutzman of WGA West makes $683,000. On the lower end, Animation Guild business representative Steven Kaplan takes home approximately $215,000.
CEO
2023 saw no signs of austerity measures affecting the highest echelons of Hollywood’s corporate world. For instance, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos pocketed an impressive $49.8 million last year, which included a $3 million base salary, additional bonuses, and stock rewards. Similarly, Disney’s Bob Iger garnered $31.6 million in his return to work, while the embattled David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery saw his total compensation increase by 26 percent to a staggering $49.7 million.
This tale was initially published in the October 30th edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine. If you’d like to get the magazine, simply click [here] to subscribe.
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2024-11-01 16:26