Happy Labor Day? Human Rights and the Gig Economy

On this Labor Day can we shift the conversation around what it means to look for stable employment for entertainment industry pros? What are the future career paths in our industry?

When I ask my colleagues for the questions they have about looking for work amidst the global upheaval of their industry, responses look like this:

“I’m not ready to retire.”

“I don’t want to give up working in the industry.”

“How do I let a potential employer know that I’m still primarily a performer?”

“But what about auditions/productions/shoots/Broadway?”

I hear a lot of fear about being forced into jobs or career choices that prevent them from pursuing or returning to their primary discipline whether it’s onstage, backstage, above the stage, in the box office, in production or any other number of the thousands of roles folks fill in the business of show.

Let’s unpack this a little bit.

First, I want to acknowledge context: the entertainment industry is still recovering from economic disruption due to COVID-19, the likes of which it’s never experienced.

There is hope because we are an industry that re-emerges from technological disruption again and again and again

There is hope because we are an industry that re-emerges from technological disruption again and again and again: from live theatre and vaudeville to film to sync sound, radio, recorded sound, television, video, digital, gaming and most recently streaming, we re-invent ourselves. We will recover. The expanding multiverse is one indicator of the future of the media and entertainment industries. However, there is no certainty of when or how this will continue to unfold.

Rather than look at trends and forecasts for the industry at large (which keeps things abstract and impersonal) I want to draw attention to the individual lives affected by the past 18 months. Unemployment in our industry skyrocketed to over 40% and while that number is decreasing, figures are deceiving as cultural critic, activist and drag legend Lady Bunny deftly observed via Instagram.

Historically it’s a challenging task to quantify employment in our industry due to the episodic nature of most work. Gigs, days, weeks, contracts — even if you book a popular show, at some point it will close. That’s the nature of our work. Furthermore, several of the adjacent and support industries that share our workforce were also decimated: live events; office admin support; food & beverage and myriad part-time work. We’ve been hit where it hurts multiple times over. Many folks feel that right now. I’m on the phone with clients who don’t know how they’re going to make rent or pay their bills. Unemployment benefits for the majority ends this month (Happy Labor Day indeed). Other folks might not feel it this month, but what about next month, or next year or 5 years down the line? These past 18 months have set up a massive set of dominoes and we don’t know how or when they’re going to fall. What about those who’ve ‘made it out okay’ so far by depleting savings or withdrawing from your investments? That’s going to have lasting repercussions.

What I’m trying to illustrate for the lay audience is that even under the best circumstances, work in our industry is often piecemeal and precarious. We’re career freelancers. We are the original gig economy and our gigs have taken a huge hit.

I’m painting this picture because I want the world to know: just because a worker is a freelancer doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the right to stable income with benefits.

On the contrary, according to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 25 1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

This conversation is about Human Rights: the right to a standard of living and security.

This is why I want to shift the conversation I’m hearing from my peers from what they’re afraid of to what they deserve as inalienable human rights. My colleagues, like all people, working or otherwise, deserve the right to standards of living and security adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family.

The entertainment industry is due for a reckoning. The excitement surrounding the rumblings of recovery displaced the amplified anger from #MeToo, and calls to address systemic racism, inequality and worker exploitation. Recent press highlights the untenable demands placed on production to keep pace of streaming consumption (follow media cartographer Evan Shapiro on LinkedIn) or the impenetrable culture of servitude in writers rooms.

So how do I answer my colleagues who are fearful to pursue work outside their industry?

First, honor your fears and concerns. Listen to them and to what they might indicate but don’t let them dissuade you from the pursuit of stable income. Your security is a human right, even if it’s not a right recognized by this industry or the United States at large.

In my experience, entertainment industry pros are at a disadvantage when it comes to pursuing work outside our industry because we’ve grown our entire professional networks, skills and experiences within very specialized spheres.

… entertainment industry pros are at a disadvantage when it comes to pursuing work outside our industry because we’ve grown our entire professional networks, skills and experiences within very specialized spheres.

The hard truth is looking for work outside one’s discipline and/or industry takes time and under today’s economic uncertainty it’s not an option…it’s necessary. This is why it behooves every job seeker to pursue their discipline alongside experiences that will generate income and legibility in other arenas.

This isn’t an either or question. It’s both and. Yes look for work in your field, but also make time and space to set yourself up for success outside of it. The future career path for an entertainment industry professional involves diversifying your portfolio of skills and pursuits and that future is here.

If you’re an entertainment industry pro, reach out to me at mwilson@actorsfund.org to find out how the free resources at The Career Center at The Actors Fund can support your search…we’re here for EVERYONE in Entertainment.