Who decided, for example, that former J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson’s time was 1,795 times more valuable than the hours put in by the typical department store associate when Johnson was hired in late 2011?
The pay rates in the entertainment industry vary as well, depending on which end of that spotlight beam you’re working. Even just among those working backstage, it varies. So the question remains, how do you decide what to charge for your talents?
Over the past few months, I have talked with a number of people throughout our industry to find out. The people I spoke with base their rates on their experience and knowledge. Many take the strategy of offering a low rate to get their foot in the door, then slowly increase their rates as they become more and more indispensable.
What’s Your Specialty?
In any field, you have generalists and specialists. Are you aiming to be a jack-of-all-trades, or do you want to be known as a lighting designer, programmer or rigging specialist?
In the medical profession, general practice physicians can have very rewarding careers, helping out a broad spectrum of patients with all kinds of ailments. But those who specialize as cardiologists or brain surgeons get rewarded more, in the financial sense.
As PLSN’s Debi Moen notes in this month’s Designer Watch (page 57), some LDs specialize, not just in corporate events, but one kind of corporate event: the big auto show reveal. (We didn’t ask, but you can bet they are adequately compensated for their efforts.)
Day Rate or Hourly
Next, how you charge for your time is something to consider as well — and this also will need to hinge on how the company that hires you normally pays their contractors. Day rates can be attractive to employers, because they know they get you for either an 8- or 10-hour day at that set price.
If there’s a lot of overtime required, of course, an hourly rate with time and a half for overtime is going to work out in the hired worker’s favor. But if the gig turns out to be less than a full eight hours and you’ve already spent time and money getting there, the day rate is going to start looking pretty good.
Investing in Education
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has been tracking employee earnings data for years, and the numbers support the general notion that an investment in education will eventually pay off. They say those with BA degrees or higher make, on average, 38 percent more than those with just a high school diploma.
Put it another way, and if you’ve heard there’s an opening in the executive ranks at J.C. Penney and you want to work your way up, you had better start with a four-year degree.
That said, it isn’t impossible for backstage people to succeed, and even excel, without a degree. Consider Chris Lisle, featured in this month’s “Production Profile,” the LD for Miranda Lambert’s Locked & Reloaded tour. As writer Kevin M. Mitchell notes, he got his cum laude degree from “Lighting a Friend’s Band for Free University.”
The advantage of learning on the job is the same as the disadvantage. You learn, for better or worse, about what works, and what doesn’t, very quickly. The big advantage with school is that if you screw up, you might be able to recover by studying harder the next term. Out on a job, it could be a career-ending mistake.
Continuing Education
Depending on your field of expertise, there are certifications, classes and other reasonably priced training opportunities that you can use to sharpen your skills. One thing that I’ll always remember is that I may have received my degree, but the learning doesn’t stop there. In order to increase your value to employers and command those higher rates, you have to keep learning and growing. Be the perpetual learner.
Professional classes at trade shows can help you sharpen your skills, and keep them sharp. Another opportunity that might be right for you is to become ETCP certified. For more on the ins and outs of that process, and to determine if it’s right for you, be sure to read this month’s “Focus on Fundamentals” feature by Todd Proffitt on page 50.
Any educational opportunity is going to require an investment on your part — time, money and, usually, both. By spending the time and making the effort, you will not only likely get the opportunity to be rewarded well financially, you will get the skills that make the work you do much more fun, and less of a chore.
If you’re really lucky, you might even experience the sensation that so many in our field share from time to time — you’re having so much fun doing your job, you can’t believe you’re getting paid to do it!
For Justin’s video introduction to the May 2013 issue of PLSN, go to www.plsn.me/201305ednote.
