Heres the main issue: Everyone needs to eat. And pay bills, and classes, rent, gas…etc. But as an actor you have to be careful with what "Day Job" you get. Not only because you run the risk of it taking up valuable time from your objective, but also because in BREAKALEGG we think ANY job that doesnt give you some sort of knowledge or advantage over other actors is a complete waste of time. Here are 10 great options of jobs that allow you to be flexible with hours or more importantly, can give you great insight into the industry. At the end of the day, it is where you are planning to be anyways…right?

1. Try to get work in a casting director or an agent’s office. Sometimes in the industry trade papers agents and casting directors advertise for assistants and people to work a few hours a week opening mail and doing office chores. It’s a great way to learn what goes on in their offices. You get to see the kinds of mail other actors send in, overhear telephone conversations, and just basically see what it’s like first hand.
2. In addition, there are other acting schools around the city that look for assistants.
3. Theater companies looking for stage personel and production assistants often with no experience necessary. Prerequisite is to be responsible and a fast learner.
4. There are also a host of casting websites and organizations, such as Actors Access, Breakdown Services, NYCastings as well. If you do a Google search, you will find a slew of others. Why not see if they need help or could use your services?
5. There are also showcases and industry events that are organized to help actors promote their careers. It's a great way to meet casting directors and agents. The organization of those events is a big to do and they need hosts and hostesses to help the event go smoothly. You can find information about such events by simply keeping abreast of what’s going on in the industry. Read the trade papers regularly and check the top acting/casting websites.
6. Why not see if the local union offices of SAG, AFTRA and EQUITY could use some help? Find out where their offices are. See if you can find out what they might be looking for. Find out who the person is you need to contact and if your approach is to send a cover letter, then address the person by his name as opposed to “To whom it may concern.”
7. Do you have skills that one of the trade papers could be interested in, maybe to work in one of their offices? Could be an idea to contact Backstage, Ross Reports, probably the most read of the industry papers. Have a look on the internet or in the Drama Book Shop in New York to see some of the other possibilities that exist.
8. There are many production companies who are looking for good people with skills.
9. Do you have the skills to form a production company? I know someone, a fellow actor, who has done just that. It’s a great way to make industry contacts with people who could also help you further your career as an actor.
10. Do you have the skills to start and run your own small business, form your own company? What do you love to do? Could you turn your hobby into a business? If so, do you know other responsible and reliable people who share your same passion and who have good business skills? If so, maybe you could form your own company together with those people. Why not? As time goes on, you could gradually distance yourself from the daily business of running your small company and dedicate more and more time to acting and promote your acting career. The whole point of this article is to help you think. If you don't have a steady stream of residual income that will permit you to focus 100% of your time on your acting career and you have to work in the traditional sense to make ends meet, then at least do something that will keep you connected to the industry and at the same time help you grow in some way as an actor.

Article by Anthony Lee Smith.

Normally one shouldn’t have to wonder if the person beside them, carrying out the same job, is getting paid the same. But curiosity killed the cat as they say, and we have all been there before. You look at another actor with similar amount of text as you and question if he’s getting the same amount of money. Or another writer on the same show as you, or a director…whatever the case. The answer is most likely: NO. Lets take the first as an example: Salaries for actors have a set minimum if the project is unionized, and you will never be taken advantage of being paid less than established, but once the minimum is set, there is no bar or law that establishes equality among cast. So he or she may be earning more than you.   It mainly depends on two things: Experience and representation. Experience is more about your popularity among the industry or, in special cases, the lack of other capable of carrying out the job. If you have been in very popular shows, and your face or name is one the audience knows, then the more likely they will want you as opposed to an "Unknown". Representation all depends on how well your agent can negotiate your contract. Generally it is something we cant or don’t play a part in, but simply must trust our agent does his or her best on. After all, the more money they get us, the more money they get themselves. If they can sell you well, and know when to take a risk asking for more pay, then  the more likely you will get a higher paycheck.  The one mistake we can make is to ask others on the job how much they get paid. It is more likely to cause problems (for you, your agent, theirs, the producers or anyone else) than it is to satisfy our curiosity. If you want to know about the average paycheck, and you feel it is not (Pay attention this is crucial), I repeat NOT inappropriate because the relationship is not strictly proffesional, then you may ask how.. much they get paid for IN OTHER PROJECTS that have nothing to do with you or are in strict competiction with you. Sometimes an innocent question can lead to a lot of problems and even lawsuits that you might not want to get involved in.   For example you shouldnt ever ask another Action Movie director how much they get if you are also an Action Movie director! Find out on IMDb or ask your agent. But never ask someone about their salary directly, or even worse, ask and then go to the producers complaining because they earn more. A simple rule needs to be followed: Dont Ask, Dont Tell.

I’m 16 and a junior in high school never acted, but I’m very good at making people laugh and I was thinking of doing stand up/ Acting/ improv for starters and getting my name out. Me and my family are low on income I’m not looking at acting as a way out, its just that I have a desire for some reason to act. I have no previous experience in acting. I’m new to this game. But is it to late to start at 16? I’ve done my homework and I see that most “actors” are born with middle class parents who can afford acting lessons and taking them all over to make their kids known. My mom and sis are all I have. And we have trouble making it. But through our odds we’re making it. Also say I did get it, my family cant move to Hollywood or New York. If your in a low income family then what happens where do you go? Anyway I’m in band right and I play the drums I was going to change one of my electives to drama class. And begin my career their. Before I wanted to be an actor I wanted to be a doctor or a video game designer. I figure that if I had to choose between those I should choose the one ill most enjoy. So what if you were in my shoes. What would you do? (P.S.) this letter is to help me figure out what I should do and thank you for your time. -Michael.

Dear Michael,

First of all let me say I think its great that you have a knack for bringing smiles and laughter into other peoples lives. It is often said that it is much harder to make someone laugh than it is to make them cry. That being said…who told you most actors come from middle/upper class? Most actors move to LA or NY with little or no savings and just the dream of making it big in their pockets. Some move in with friends, or share apts, and have several “day-jobs” to pay for bills and classes or other acting expenses. Acting is very expensive and bear in mind that 80% of the SAG affiliated actors earn less than 10,000 dollars a year from acting. Thats not nearly enough yet they manage to continue doing it. I think the only way you are going to make it is if you really want it. Yes, it would be great if you had a supportive wealthy family, but if you dont, AND you still want to pursue it, just get creative. Join amateur comedy/theater groups or form one in your town. Join amateur theater classes, start a podcast, write sketches and perform them for friends and family… and save up to try and one day make a move to a bigger city. It doesnt have to be LA or NY, it can just be a big enough city where you can start to earn a living by working as a comedian in clubs, theaters, TV or even radio stations… If you do make money, invest it in further training or moving to an even bigger city…etc. Everyone in showbiz has to start somewhere. Dont think that because you arent in LA or NY you cant make it. There are plenty of places where comedy or entertainment are still very much in demand and you can make a living of what makes you happy.

P.S. As far as age. You are never too old to be an actor. Thankfully there are always roles for any age bracket. And you are 16. Thats younger than 90% of the people moving out to LA or NY every day. Dont worry.

She might even call home to tell Mom and Dad that she’s ‘on her way to the big time’…and then the next season…nothing.

So, it goes on this way for the next four or five years.  Perhaps she picks up a role here or there, maybe gets a commercial, but for the most part nothing.  This is where that cliche of waiting tables starts to get rolling…you gotta’ eat, right?  But, the three or four or five years of that struggle and the frustration starts to set in.  And, one day they’ve had enough, they pack up their things and move back home.

So, what happened?

Most people immediately blame the entertainment industry as a whole.  “Hollywood doesn’t know good talent” or “It’s all who you know” or “It’s all who you sleep with” or some variation on that theme.  And for the most part they’re all wrong.

The simple fact of the matter is MONEY.

Our young actress stumbled into a couple of monetary realities in the acting business.  First, Hollywood needs “fresh faces”.  As in, they can’t have the same 20 or 30 people play “waiter” or “girlfriend” or “police officer #2″ over and over again.  People will start to recognize them and that ruins the illusion.

Second (and WAY more importantly) they need people that know how to do the job really well.  At $700.00 per minute, they don’t have the time to “train” people how to do the job.  They NEED you to know how to do the job right, or they can’t financially justify using you in any meaningful capacity.

So, when you’re no longer a “fresh face”, but you don’t  have enough job skills to work quickly and efficiently, you stop working.  Plain and Simple.

• Concealing Your Personal Address

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to hand out my home address to every potential contact, actor, CD, Agent… I

meet or find online. Considering how easy it is for an email containing a snail mail address to get passed around, I think it’s a pretty reasonable precaution to give out the address of my P.O. box, rather than my home. I haven’t had a problem yet, but I don’t particularly want to, either. And for those of you who are easily recognized by the public, having papers and cards with your home address on it might not be a bright idea either.

• Keeping Your Money Safe

I’ve lived in neighborhoods where it was crucial to get the mail out of the mailbox immediately. If I didn’t, I couldn’t be sure that I’d actually get all of my mail — and that includes the checks paying for my work. And as incidents of identity theft have gone up, it’s not just checks that I worry about. Between contracts and tax forms, so much personal information passes through my mail box that I feel safest when no one without the right key can touch it. Even if your agent or accountant handles most payments, or does direct deposit, it can be useful not to have bank statements come in.

• Protecting Your Packages

The same problems with receiving your mail are only intensified when it comes packages. With a P.O. box, the post office will just hold any packages that come your way (although they won’t accept packages for you from other carriers). With one simple step, you can eliminate the chance that the postman will just drop a box on your front step, out where anyone can grab it. You also don’t have to worry about having to sign for anything in your mail: if the post office needs confirmation on a certified letter or package, they’ll get you to sign while you’re picking up the rest of your mail.

• Eliminating changes of address

If you find that your home address is less than stable — maybe you move apartments every so often, maybe you take extended trips, and we all know about those 3 month shoots in Timbuktu..— a P.O. box can guarantee that you don’t have to try to update your contact information every time you move. And if you’re on the go regularly, you don’t have to worry about arranging for

someone to pick up your mail — just let the post office know that you’ll be gone and they’ll just keep stacking the envelopes in your box.

Getting Your P.O. Box

In most countries, getting a P.O. box is just a matter of contacting your local post office or checking online. The U.S. Post Office, for instance, lets you do all the paperwork for setting up a P.O. box online. You’ll probably be asked to pay for six months or a full year at a time: for a small box, about $20 per six months is normal. Don’t forget to keep your receipts, by the way. A P.O. box is a business expense and deductible on your taxes as an actor.

Don’t expect all the usual trimmings on the Hollywood party circuit this holiday season.

Showbiz party planners have begun to scale back soirees as part of industry wide belt-tightening. Several congloms have canceled their holiday bashes, while others are simply toning down the revelry. After-preem bashes are also being reassessed in this economy.

“It would be foolish if we weren’t taking a look at it,” one studio exec said.

However, scaling back preem parties is especially tricky for studios, which are bowing their biggest awards contenders in coming weeks. Number crunchers may not feel like celebrating right now, but studio execs maintain that it’s in their best interest to give these pics a nice sendoff.

“We still need to make a splash,” said one studio event planner. “We still need to make our filmmakers and talent happy.”

The big challenge is how to wield the budget ax in a way that won’t alienate the A-list or compromise the promotional value of the event. One catering exec who’s done scores of premieres says he’s being asked to do more for less, and the only choice is “to get creative” when the food budget is cut.

“The shrimp are in hors d’oeuvres instead of a buffet,” he said. “You cut back on things that take an inordinate amount of labor.”

Premieres also drive publicity, so in order to generate that publicity at lower costs, “what you’re going to see are more premieres at the Academy with a relatively inexpensive reception in the lobby and then a couple big, themed parties every quarter,” a planner said.

Another way to keep preems from getting too lean is to bring in more sponsorship. But that can be a slippery promo slope.

“You don’t want the product to suffer just to get some extra bucks,” said a planner.

Annual holiday bashes are considered more expendable. Disney and Viacom won’t be getting festive this year. Universal will let individual divisions decide how merry to get this holiday season. Sony, which usually has a tented party, will throw its bash on Main Street, increasing staffers’ holiday cheer by giving them the days off between Christmas and New Years.