Dear Aspiring Actors: Here’s How To Make More Money While You Wait in Holding

Set life is just like attending a big networking event (but you get paid to be there!).

Some days you’ll be on set with 50 other people and other days you may be surrounded by 500 future television stars (and if you’re on set in Chicago, you’ll most likely meet Terrence Tcreal Ward and James Gordon – the undisputed Kings of set life who share frequent social media motivation about the life of an actor).

Now the thought of working with 500 other people may be overwhelming (especially if you’re an introvert like me), but don’t take it for granted.

Everyone doesn’t get this rare opportunity.

Think about it: How many times will you be in the same room with the city’s most talented photographers, writers, directors, actors, models, business consultants, CPAs, doctors, educators, and lawyers? During my first set appearance, I met a fellow CPA by the name of Donny Williams who left the world of numbers to pursue a dream of comedy and acting!

Do you get where I’m going? There’s opportunity (and money!) all around you. Set life provides an awesome opportunity to build relationships, grow your brand, and drumroll please…..start your business!

Yep! I started a freelance writing and consulting business while I was typing away on my laptop on the set of Chicago PD. A fellow writer was sitting across from me and inquired about my fierce focus.

“I’m working on releasing my 50th article in the last 4 months so I want it to be really good!”

The writer held his chest as if he was about to have a heart attack (thank god he was only expressing his sense of shock towards my statement).

“I write 3-4 articles a week as a hobby (free work) so I can build my business brand,” said the logical side of my brain as I tried to explain my frequent activity.

He let out another gasp.

He told me that he has been writing for years and he would get paid around $50K a year to produce the amount of content I was writing on a weekly basis. He immediately gave me a list of books to read so I could start a freelance writing business.

Now it was my turn to let out a short gasp. $50,000???! Could my work be worth that much? What the heck was I doing with my life?

So I started promoting my freelance writing business and within two months, the clients started rolling in. I became a featured blogger, health & wellness columnist, copywriter, and started the process of writing my book….again.

So now I depend on set to give me the creative inspiration I need to continue releasing articles that will give people the resources they need to create career success and a lifestyle they love.

So just like that, you can have more money in your pocket without getting a job that sucks the life out of you.

Here are 3 ways you can start making more money on set (your time spent in holding can get you a new house, car, or maybe even a trip to Costa Rica!).

1. Profit from Your Passion

What if I told you that you can make more money by focusing on what you love and what you’re good at?

It’s true; passion and performance make an unbeatable combination for success.

If you’re skilled at what you do and love what you are doing, you will be able to do things others won’t do in order to create a sustainable business or freelance opportunity.

I remember I was in dire need of a videographer for my appearance as a keynote speaker at a Women’s Leadership Conference. I was on the set of EMPIRE with Terry Haynes of 21 Elementz Film Group and informed him that I needed a videographer for my event. Without hesitation, he shared his skills with me and drove 2 hours away to record my speech and create my first speaker reel.

Unexpectedly, Terry was able to profit from his passion while in the holding area and I was able to create footage to promote my dreams of traveling around the world as a speaker. Click here to check out the video that Terry created.

Here is another opportunity to profit from your passion. If you love to dance, why not teach others? You could become a certified Zumba or WERQ fitness instructor and start teaching classes on the weekends (trust me, the talent on set will appreciate a fat burning workout after eating 2500 calories of the best breakfast, lunch, and sugary filled snacks served on set.) Have you heard of the freshmen 15 in college? Well, it seems like the world overlooked the sneaky sixteen pounds that pile up while you’re living your dreams on set.

If you have any questions about getting started, contact me at charlene@charlenerhinehart.com to find out details about the next webinar. I’m a Certified fitness professional and have the Zumba certification, WERQ fitness, SCW personal trainer, and Pound Pro.

2. Start investing in the Stock Market

Burn all the myths you’ve heard about investing and do your research. You don’t need thousands of dollars to invest in the market. You can start right now with the check you’ll receive from working on set.

Sign up for an account at a trusted brokerage firm and create an account within minutes! Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, TD Ameritrade are examples of some of the most popular brokerage firms. Then determine what stocks you want to invest in. What are your favorite companies? McDonalds (MCD), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), and Apple (AAPL) are all companies that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or NASDAQ. You can find the price of shares for publicly traded companies by going to Yahoo Finance and typing in the ticker symbol.

Look at market trends to predict what the up and coming stocks will be (these stocks will probably be more affordable). When you purchase shares of stock and the price of your stock goes up, you’ll earn money! Woohoo! Just be careful about selling a stock without holding it for a year because you’ll be subject to short term capital gains tax if you made a profit.

If you want to learn how to invest in the stock market, register here for the next webinar.

Topic: How to Start Investing in the Stock Market (with less than $100!)

Monday, November 13, 2017
8PM – 9PM CST
Register

3. Become an Author of a Best Selling Book

It takes an extraordinary person to put everything else on the line to work on set. You have to be a special kind of person to make that type of bold move, so I already know you have a compelling story to tell. Share your story in a book. There is someone who needs exactly what you have and your story may give someone else access to a happier, more harmonious lifestyle.

And if you suck at writing, hire one of those talented writers on set to help you articulate your message. Bring a notebook on set so you can document all the brilliant ideas that will be swirling in your head. And you can also start thinking about your book tour that can take place when the filming season is dry.

You can publish your own book by using sites like www.createspace.com.

Bio: After becoming the first Certified Public Accountant to win the title of Ms. Corporate America 2015 in a pageant held in Orlando, Fl, Charlene created the Career Goddess Academy. She shares her money, health, travel, and career advice all over the web as a contributor for the Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, The Path Mag, Women on Business, Ms. Career Girl, and other sites. In 2015, she was recognized as the Illinois CPA Young Professional Leader of the Year.

Charlene now works on the set of the most popular TV shows, including EMPIRE, Chicago PD, Chicago Med and Chicago Fire.

Do you need a guest speaker? Contact Charlene at charlene@charlenerhinehart.com.

Follow Charlene’s Travel blog at www.bllackcoupletravels.com