While working on one of my favorite shows (White Christmas), in one of my favorite cities (Denver), with an amazing housing and dressing room situation (my own apartment and sharing a dressing room with the wonderful Brandi Wooten) – I found myself still not happy. The monotony of 8 shows a week was really getting to me, but I still wanted that Broadway show, so I kept auditioning.
A few years later I can still remember sitting on the floor of the AEA Building. I had just arrived back from an out-of-town gig, and I did not want to leave again any time soon.
I was scooting around the crowded floor from friend to friend asking for temp agency recommendations. Somebody had a business card from one of her temp agents, and friends were passing it around scribbling phone numbers on it.
There has to be a better wayI thought
That night I went home to Google “Survival Jobs for Actors” and couldn’t find a resource… so I created one.
That was back in 2008. Survival Jobs has been through many incarnations since then. It started out as an informational website and then transitioned to a job board, but the goal has always been the same – I want to share everything I wish I would have known when I moved to the city.
In college I interned at The White House, and had minimal office experience at a theme park in my home town, but I knew I really enjoyed the office atmosphere, so temping seemed interesting to me. I thought I was going to be a Marketing Major all of my life and at the last minute switched to Musical Theatre thinking – Well, I could always go into business later… so I did.
After countless temp jobs (filing folders for 8 hours in a stuffy room in a suit and high heels, working coat check on New Year’s Eve – literally – walking on broken glass) I took a long term temp job. That opportunity led me to a temp to perm job and the rest is history.
Flash forward to 2017 I felt a yearning to talk more about the whole financial situation of an actor – not just Survival Jobs. There’s so much more we need to talk about – other than how to sing, dance and act.
I started a podcast Acting Successfully with Michelle Dyer, and in 2018 was a speaker at Actor Pro Expo.
While this website had all the Survival Job and Side Hustle info, I created a book that has it all in one place, available on Amazon (Kindle and Paperback).
Given my unique background I hope this website provides you with valuable resources and insight. I love hearing from you on what topics you’d like to learn about and what questions you have.
Thanks for stopping by!