Does Anyone Here Work In The Entertainment Industry?

[Giselle]

I'm not talking about people who want to be rappers ect. I'm talking about people who work in pr, journalism, on television shows, movie sets, in recording studios, backup dancers/singers, A&R and all of the other jobs that are related to/behind the scense of performers and entertainers.

Please tell us (or me feel free to pm) about your job and what you do. What degree do you have? What internships did you do? Spill your industry's secrets if you want. Thanks!

 

[Giselle]

http://www.thecoli.com/threads/is-t...get-in-things-to-know-before-going-in.282769/
http://www.thecoli.com/threads/how-is-it-like-being-in-the-entertainment-industry.267356/

 

[Giselle]

The music industry is ridiculously pretentious. I'm around the hipster/underground scene and I can wholeheartedly say that most of the movers and shakers are just faking it until they make it for the most part. There isn't any real money involved and a lot of people work pro-Bono because the exposure is more important than anything. It's also really small...I'm not even an artist but I've become a familiar face simply because my cousin raps and I always go to his gigs to support and I go to a few events here and there.

I will say one thing though, the less money that's involved, the less shady the people involved are. Most of the people involved seem like genuinely good people even though I feel like they go out of their way to be eccentric.

I used to work for MTV back in the 90s, it was cool back then but I wouldn't do the same thing in modern times.

Why not?

I been holding parking here in NYC for production crews (TV/film,Commercials) for the past 6-7 years. We basically post up no parking permits and throw out traffic cones in locations the production is going to use. After a certain time depending on the permit, NYPD comes with tow trucks and they tow whoever is parked in that area (people get like 2-3 days notice) so that when the big trucks and trailers filled with equipment come In they got spots to land in

The job is alright, there's really no action until the crew actually gets here and we gotta move the cones for the trucks. So we usually chillen in our cars for all those hours just watching movies, smoking and sleeping or in my case browse the coli ...w.e we wanna do really. But nonetheless I've seen a lot of cool shyt on the days I'm working WHILE they filming like

-I saw the big explosion on the set of "the other guys" when mark whalberg and will ferell walk up to a store and get blown back. Saw a bunch of their shootouts also. Plus got to see the rock and Sam Jackson together which was cool
- I was doing security for "the dark knight rises" for a section of the queensboro bridge that they built at a pier next to the west side highway. Its the scenes with Joseph Gordon levvit with the school bus filled with kids..they took a month to shoot that
- use to see drew barrymore everyday, she would go around greeting the whole crew which was cool cause a lot of actors don't really do that.
- I worked on a commercial with James franco, I swear that dude came to set with like 4 dime pieces...model status
- On the wolf of wall street I got to see Leo and Scorsese do they thing, I got pics of the white Ferrari Leo drove I put them up here before when that movie dropped

I can be here all day even now I'm seeing some cool shyt but I can't really speak on it cause these crews Google everything and before we get paid we gotta sign all sorts of confidential forms so I can't really risk getting thrown off a job.

I'm currently trying to get out now that my daughter was just born and me and my fiancee got our own place. the hours is just too much now that's its not just about me but my family and my work schedule goes by the day a lot of times so its hard to plan shyt. The moneys good but its one of those jobs you don't do forever, its good to get in go hard with the hours and stack up then get out

This... Even on a mainstream level. I've worked at a few studios as an assistant to some award winning engineers. One thing is for sure, you SHOULD NOT get in the game strictly for money. It takes yearsss to actually become financially stable, if at ALL(even with credits/awards). Payments from labels are very inconsistent and it's difficult to manage a life outside of the studio. It's nothing but long hours, short showers and lots of coffee + weed/cig smoke. Sounds cool but those 16-18 hr days will get to you after a few months. You have to love your craft more than life.. your craft is your life, no time for regular shyt (wife,kid,bills) So it's best to get in as young as possible while none of that matters.

it's all smoke and mirrors. what you see on TV and read on the internet/magazines, is not real, for the most part. only a small amount of people are actually living the lavish life. everyone else is living the 6 cert 6 figure life, which is VERY good for regular people. but if you are in the music business, you are broke as fukk. it's enough to get a 2 year old benz and a 1 story house in the suburbs, but nothing to brag on. i was cool with the accountant at Rap a Lot when i worked there. i saw the checks that were cut. only 2 people getting GUAP over there was J Prince and Scarface. everyone else got a weekly check. i saw the 5th ward boys checks. it's 3 of them. the checks were $700 a piece... but all of them drove german cars and lived in nice houses in the burbs. found out later that the cars were old and the houses were rented. smoke and mirrors....

Unless you're at the top 5% it sucks just like every other industry.

I did radio for some years but I met plenty of actors, athletes, and musicians. Smoke and mirrors all around.

If you make 100-250k a year in certain parts of the country you can live a comparable lifestyle without the drama.

I've worked in the TV/Film industry for the past year and half, interned in entertainment PR for about 6 months before that. Blogged/covered music in college. My younger brother is in the music industry right now as an engineer. So I've got a glimpse into the inner workings of all of it in the past 5-7 years.

Long story short, if you ain't talent, you're doing the non-glamorous stuff and a lot grunt work that you get little to no thanks for. There's good money in all of it once you get past entry level, but if you aren't selfless and able to get along with a lot different people you won't make it.

Yep I'm basically doing grunt work, after security we the lowest on the totem pole. I always wanted to drive the trucks cause them dudes is seeing 3-4 stacks weekly but the Italians have had that shyt locked down since the mafia days. They all family and only put family on, ive met very few black/Hispanic drivers and they all tell me how them cacs are always on they ass more than the other drivers.

Besides the actors,directors, and producers them truck drivers get paid the most. Its crazy cause most of them are dumb pieces of shyt with some of the worst hygiene I ever seen, they also got a high fukking divorce rate. Almost all that I've spoken too got divorced or a couple under they belt, these type of jobs demand too much time from your family.

Yeah it's different in NY just based on the city layout with parking and all that. Down here in Atlanta, locations dept handles all the parking, holding areas, etc. If you were in Atlanta you'd be some kind of Locations Asst. Down here in Atlanta transpo drivers are EATING, most cats are clearing 6 figures easily. They were the cats I always got along with the most. Just regular dudes who liked to talk sports, women, and random stuff happening on the production One captain I know is probably making $500k yr on various shows, trickin like a mufuka too Good dude tho


Totem Pole ($ wise)

Talent (Main Actors)
DGA (Producers/Directors)
Transpo
Accounting
Various Dept Heads (depending on status/background etc)

Speaking of marketing plans. One of my duties while working at the PR firm was organizing old files and stuff. So I saw emails, marketing plans, old magazine clips, etc. etc. shyt was boring, but it also got me into podcasts, cuz I listened to them to pass time.

Anyways, I came across an old marketing plan and was reading it. This artist was an R&B singer, the plan pitched to build his Twitter following was follow a bunch of people, of course they would follow back, THEN unfollow after a couple weeks, to get his numbers up. The shallowness and stupidity of that plan had me shaking my head.

by the way rappers are some of the most sensitive bytch made people ever. if you want to be famous or be a rapper you have to some what be a sociopath. most people in the industry aren't making any money but they all act like they do. the music industry is extremely small and its a fraternal organization. Record label heads just rotate around to different labels like coaches do in major leagues.

Answer my questions in the op please

 

[fukkyalifestyle]

If you post a face picture, fukk I look like engaging with a frog

 

[DrX]

I believe the music industry, I had underground Hip-Hop clients, they're broke as shyt. I refrained from doing Hip-Hop now

 

[K.Dot]

video games count for you?

 

[Orbital-Fetus]

life is a stage and i perform.

 

[yeyeye]

No but I can make you a movie star baby girl

 

[Giselle]

If you post a face picture, fukk I look like engaging with a frog

life is a stage and i perform.

No but I can make you a movie star baby girl

You guys suck!

 

[King Poetic]

My neighbor son works in the industry on a small scale tho as a artist who design sets

I have no idea about his daily routine, but he has a degree and did internship work... his break came from meeting the right people who has connections

 

[EA]

@Giselle I'm not in the industry. I'm a "regular" 9-5 guy but most of my family are in the industry in one way of another. I'm around them enough at gigs and the odd times in the studio so I've seen how things work but I can't give any real true insight.

I will say this though, the entertainment industry is a labour of love and/or you really have to want to be famous because me as a regular dude walks into a lot of these events/places and I'm making more money than everybody there except the person that owns the building

I can answer a few questions though

 

[Giselle]

@Giselle I'm not in the industry. I'm a "regular" 9-5 guy but most of my family are in the industry in one way of another. I'm around them enough at gigs and the odd times in the studio so I've seen how things work but I can't give any real true insight.

I will say this though, the entertainment industry is a labour of love and/or you really have to want to be famous because me as a regular dude walks into a lot of these events/places and I'm making more money than everybody there except the person that owns the building

I can answer a few questions though

Why do you say that? & how are you making more money than them?

 

[An ashy lil fap hand]

I can tell ya about comedy as a performer and producer. ask away.

 

[EA]

Why do you say that? & how are you making more money than them?

When you're breaking into the industry, a lot, if not all of your work, will be for free. If you're an aspiring recording artist, you've got two options, do everything like how most internet artists do and not have proper paperwork to back up any of the music you release (if you make it big, there's a lot of money you could lose out on due to not having registered publishing and/or backdated sample clearances) or you set up and register to all the necessary unions to protect your music (the registration fees can cost grands). When you factor in that most of your initial gigs will be pro-Bono, you'll find yourself out of pocket unless you've got someone funding you.

In the indie circuit especially, your name does more for you than your money. A lot of these rappers/singers are only in the club because of who they are. I've seen it first hand where a singer came into the club and she had no money on her at all but she got free drinks all night.

Also, a friend of mine got put on one of the Coachella showcases but she wasn't gonna get paid for it. She had to ask everyone for money just to get there and she didn't even perform because she didn't even have enough money for accommodation when she got there. She had to sleep in her "manager's" car.

And me? I work in the financial sector.

 

[Vandelay]

I used to work in Urban Radio Promotions and Broadcasting. Haven't done it since 2011.

Pay was shyt, hours were shyt...some of the coolest coworkers and some of the most annoying and/or narcissistic. Being quasi celebrities and being around celebrities just exaggerates I guess.

I burned out and it was probably for the best. I'm not overly talkative and some people took that as I wasn't the right fit.