Acting Successfully with Michelle Dyer

The dreaded “B” word.Budget:For some reason I shrivel up at the word budget.I associate it with restriction, which I associate with losing weight – it’s just not a pleasant thing for me.But, we do need to know where we are, before we achieve where we’re going.So – here are my tips on discovering how much goes in and out each month (yes, even on an inconsistent actors’ salary).If you have more money going out than in each month there are only two solutionsSpend Less, orMake MoreWhich one works best for you?Compound Interest:Check.Out.This.Chart.*This* is why I do what I do.https://www.businessinsider.com/compound-interest-chart-march-2016-2016-3**Disclaimer: I (Michelle Dyer) am not a financial advisor, please contact one. The views expressed are strictly my own and do not reflect my employer.**

**Disclaimer: I (Michelle Dyer) am not a financial advisor, please contact one. The views in this video are strictly my own and do not reflect my employer.**This audio is taken from a series of videos I made on YouTube called Finances for Actors - the playlist can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7SaDpSM3GOH0lDaEuEvEvSv_VDps0bs7https://MichelleDyer.com https://SurvivalJobsForActors.com

**Disclaimer: I (Michelle Dyer) am not a financial advisor, please contact one. The views in this podcast are strictly my own and do not reflect my employer.**Since they don't teach the basics of a financial education in school, instead of being frustrated & just complaining, I made some YouTube videos. Well, I wanted to bring that info to the podcast. So click Here if you want to check out the Playlist on YouTube. Like I mentioned above, I am not a financial advisor, but I did learn a lot from these authors and books listed below. If you're interested in more info, definitely check them out. ·      Suze Orman – The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke·      David Bach – The Automatic Millionaire·      Tony Robbins – Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom PlaybookThanks for listening and be sure to rate and review the podcast to let me know what you think! Thanks so much!~Michelle @MichelleDyerLaT...MichelleDyer.com...SurvivalJobsForActors.com...Affiliate disclaimer - the Amazon.com links above are my Amazon Associates links. Don't have your own Amazon Associates account? Dude! You could be missing out! Check it out here ---> Amazon Associates

**Disclaimer: I (Michelle Dyer) am not a financial advisor, please contact one. The views in this video are strictly my own and do not reflect my employer.**In this interview with Clayton Howe, we talk about his path in managing his finances as an actor.For more information on Clayton Howe:Podcast: Entertainment xSocial: @InClayNationThe books we discussed:The Automatic Millionaire - by David BachUnshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook - by Tony Robbinshttps://MichelleDyer.comhttps://SurvivalJobsForActors.com

This episode is only for those of you who have been in acting for a little while - for those of you just starting out - thanks for listening, but I'll talk to you next time. :) Now that it's just us - I wanted to share with you my story on transitioning from an acting career to the office world. If you're thinking of doing the same thing, or just looking for something a little more stable, maybe you'd be interested in learning from my story: In 2007 I was fortunate enough to perform in White Christmas at The Denver Center. Dream housing, dream location, dream show, amazing city, but I was unhappy. Even the perfect dressing room partner! I asked myself, if that wasn't cutting it, what will? Next, I was in A Day In Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and Nancy Anderson was my dressing room partner. *(correction from my podcast - she got an Olivier Award nomination for Kiss Me Kate, not the award). She gave me some great insight into the business, as well. My background was: When I was 16, I auditioned at Paramount’s Kings Island. I didn’t get in the show, but I became an usher and worked a few hours as an admin. Then in college I was an intern at The White House. When I moved to NYC, I found out about temp jobs from a friend. I started temping and I liked it! I liked the office world. Then I discovered “temp to perm.” This means you work as a temp with the eventual possibility of staying on permanently. It’s great to do this with long-term temp gigs, like if someone has a maternity leave. There’s also nothing like on-the-job training that you get from temping with a company long-term. From then, I decided I wanted to temp to perm and go full time in my career. I interviewed for a position and got the job. This job let me work with "the street" and it was fascinating! Eventually, they eliminated my position. I was six months pregnant, so I stayed home for a year before I went back to work. Keep in mind: IT’S NOT A STRAIGHT LINE. It’s that way for acting, and it’s that way for business. You just don't have to be an admin, you can work in different departments: social media, graphic design or customer service. Human Resources is great for actors, too! (If you want financial stability, go into finance for the bonus system.) But, I recommend getting experience temping with recruiters. Recruiters get feedback from your employers, and you can use that feedback to improve. Here are some good temp companies: * Beacon Hill Staffing Group * Green Key Resources * Atrium Staffing (click here to get my Survival Job cheat sheet with contact details for the temp agents) Keep in mind, however: the business world is different. Attitude is very important. Actors are adept at this: resilience, improv, friendly, outgoing. Confidentiality, integrity. Office parties: You are there as an employee, and it’s different from theatre opening night parties. In theatre, we live and work with these people and our lives are all out there. In an office, it’s not like that. Put on your best manners. In a new career you are starting from the ground up, like getting your Equity card again. For me, I just wanted to use my brain in a different way, I couldn't handle the monotony of 8 shows a week. At the beginning of my office career, I had to stock sodas, grab lunches, and do filing all day. It’s not glamorous, but you have to start somewhere. Don’t complain - people might call you out! If you can’t be trusted to label a file folder, how can you be trusted with a legal case? Keep in mind the atmosphere is more buttoned up. You can’t talk as freely about your weekend, your political beliefs, things you’d talk about with friends. But the benefits are fantastic: stability, health insurance, 401k and a company match (usually). Think about retirement! Start now. You can’t make up for time. As hard as it was to start all over in the beginning, I felt like I fit in better in the office world, and it was totally worth it in the end. Plus, having this podcast is my way of staying connected to the theatre world and sharing my experiences with others, so it's a way for me to have a bit of both worlds. I hope you can take something away from my experience and I'm eager to hear what questions you have. Email me at SurvivalJobs (at) gmail.com Thanks so much for listening! Best regards, Michelle P.S. Check out the videos on my YouTube Channel -> Here!

I might be listening to a little too much Gary Vaynerchuk lately, because I started ranting (speaking passionately) about why I think we should all talk about money and finances. It’s fun to talk about your interests or the things in which you’re an expert, but it’s usually not fun to talk about finances. Money doesn’t buy you happiness, but it certainly buys you choices. You should be planning for your future. Don’t depend on Social Security - it may not be there when you’re old enough to use it, and when you are, it may buy you next to nothing. You also want to be stable in relationships! When you get older, if you end up in a partnership with kids and a house, you’ll want to have made better choices. In your 20’s, put $2,000 a year into a Roth IRA account. Because of compound interest, you’ll have much more money in your account when you reach retirement if you start when you’re 25 than if you start when you’re 35. Relationships: There are people who were already married or financed by their spouse, so they didn’t need a survival job. However, people do get divorced and relationships end… then what would you do? Also - you shouldn’t have to stay in an unhealthy relationship for this support. Get out! Support yourself. It may not be cool, but pack your lunch.​ Your future self with thank you. Thanks for listening to this episode. Let me know what you think, what topics you're interested in learning more about & have a great day!! All the best, Michelle