There have been so many changes in the entertainment business in the past few years, including new networks, cable stations, and so many new shows and independent films.
And yet it’s never been harder to make a living as an actor. How is this possible?
When networks and studios start to fear a lessening in profits due to competition from outlets (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon) who are now producing their own content, they’re going to look for ways to save money. One of their favorites is, and always has been, finding ways to pay actors less for example, hiring fewer actors as series regulars and making more roles non contract “recurring” roles. Further, they’re turning what were formerly full guest star roles (where the actor was hired for the entire episode and paid top of the show) to one day guest star roles where they’re paid a fraction of that rate. And then smaller guest star roles turn into co-star roles and drop in pay accordingly, and so on down the line.
Add to this that, instead of the old model of 22–24 episode seasons, we now have networks opting for “Event TV”: one-off 10–13 episode series that are more competitive with some of the newer outlets models of
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