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One Broke Actress
LA vs. NYC vs. ATL vs. Chicago - A Deep Dive into the Price of Life + Acting in Different Markets
00:42:09
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- [00:00]
A
Fast Forward Productions. The women are speaking. What's up, guys? Welcome back to the One Broke Actress podcast. An honest account of actor life, plus a few lessons I learned in the process. I am your host, Sam Valentine, and these are our working Actor Life episodes where myself and my actor best friend slash business owner Gabrielle Benloss in Atlanta record together talking about our actor lives and stuff. You guys want to know. Hi, Gab.
- [00:32]
B
Hi. Hi. I just remembered that I've been watching the show with Kristen Bell about podcasting, and they're sitting on their couch and they both have fancy mics. I know you're gonna sigh because I keep asking you to watch it and everybody's asking Sam to watch it, because as we all know, Kristen Bell, if you're listening to this, I'm on to you. You've been following Sam Valentine for quite some time, and you made a TV show about her, and I'm a little pissed about it. But they are podcasting from their couch with two fancy mics, and they talk over each other all the time. And I'm thinking, that's not how this works, because then the audio files are really tricky to edit.
- [01:05]
A
It's so much easier when you're in person, and I'm jealous. It's so much easier when you're in person because even if you talk over each other a little bit, it's different. And it's just. It's. It's easier. And I just want to say thank you. I started watching the show. Caleb almost took a backseat. The first episode was slow. Second episode brought it. And I now see what you're talking about, that I could be her. And I will tell you one time in. Was it Larchmont? No, Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. I did run into her and Dax Shepard with their kids. So perhaps the show is. Even though it was written by Aaron Foster, who I've never met, and she said it was.
- [01:47]
B
Aaron's also following you.
- [01:48]
A
Foster sisters. Listen, you can hook a girl up. And also, I know that you wrote this because I listened to an interview about the show before I even watched it. About your parents, of your husband, and a whole situation. And it's a great story. Lady Gang podcast, they did a great episode with her. She talks about, like, why. Because she originally wanted to be in it. If you guys don't listen to the Lady Gang, it's been going on way longer than I've been podcasting. They're phenomenal. And they interviewed Aaron Foster, and she was like, yeah, I wanted to be in it. And then I watched Kristen Bell work and I thought, oh, I could have never done this. Also, if anyone knows who did Kristen Bell's work, I want the phone number. She's had work done, but it's flawless. And I know it's good because my husband said, she's had great work done. He never knows what ends up.
- [02:32]
B
It is pretty flawless. I was going back the other day watching A Good Place, and I was like, the shape of your face looks a little different than what I just saw. And because I'm in Atlanta, you know, of course people still use filler and everything else, but it's not as prevalent as it is in la. So I feel like it's not my first thought of why that's different. But back to what we were talking about. So you're only on episode three now. You haven't gotten to episode seven?
- [02:54]
A
Yes, we're on three. We haven't started three yet. I need a little break from spooky season because I love my husband. He loves horror content. And so we're watching horror shows and horror movies. And I am mentally a little exasperated with the election coming up. I need something light. I love things that are filmed in la. Cause I play the game of where are we? The whole time, and it's just nice content.
- [03:17]
B
Speaking of la, the whole reason we are here is to talk about the difference in living in markets as actors. So we should probably go to that versus this. But here we go.
- [03:27]
A
Excuse me, did you just gently transition us from opening chat to topic of the show? Ma'am, are you secretly podcasting on the side? Because that. That was.
- [03:35]
B
No. But I have been watching you podcast for a long time now, and I have learned the art of a transition. And you know me, I am nothing if not to the point. We have something to get done here. Let's do it.
- [03:46]
A
You also have a salad in front of you that I know you want to eat and you're trying really hard not to. So let's get to today's episode. Fair trigger warning, my friends. We're about to talk about numbers. Some of you hate numbers. If you would prefer to watch this episode, because one, we're just both glowing, gorgeous, lovely ladies. Gab's hair is really on today. You should see those bangs. They're curly. And perfection. I would say watch this episode on YouTube because we're going to throw a lot of numbers at you because a couple of weeks ago, I did a podcast episode breaking down a very, very, very lean LA budget. No savings, no going out Spending? No, I don't know. Oh, shit. Money type of things. I did a very lean actor LA budget and it got a lot of attention on YouTube. So I pulled some numbers to compare other markets because it's only fair if we look at lean budgets in other. Because actors have trouble when they have the privilege to be able to move and pick where they want to go and pursue their acting career. They get a little stuck. We watch it a lot inside of our online membership tm. We talk to actors often who are like, I think I'm happy here, but I also, I want to go to New York or maybe I want to go to Atlanta, I don't know. And so this kind of information can be really powerful. I've also pulled the production listings of those places so you can see what is currently shooting as of a couple of weeks ago when I pulled those. So we can kind of compare and contrast the numbers on that as well. But I just want to start us out with a conversation of why you are in the market you are in. So you're an Atlanta woman. If I saw a poster of Atlanta, I see your face on it. So explain to me why you never left and why Atlanta is your place.
- [05:24]
B
Yeah, I mean, mainly it comes down to the cost. LA and New York are significantly different in cost. And while you are making more money for minimum wage and for the things that you're doing, you just still can't compare. And so when I was looking at if I would move anywhere, it just wasn't really on the table. I also have always wanted a backyard. I have a bigger dog. It's just not as feasible to pack up and leave as it would have been had I just done it by myself. When I did decide to ground myself in Atlanta, it started, I think, a whole, like, manifestation process of what things would look like if I always lived here and visited to the other places. And I just never shifted from that experience because I liked the idea of having a home base that I could always afford regardless of how much money I was making. And that felt like it was Atlanta. And so from that, more and more things have come here and I've had more success. And so I never ended up having to change from that plan because Atlanta's only gotten bigger and better as far as the Hollywood side of it. So I never looked back at it again. And now it's just like, I'll eventually go to LA or New York for filming something, but I'll always come back here.
- [06:32]
A
Yeah, I also love Atlanta. I found LA first Because it was what I was told to go to when I graduated. It was go to LA or go to New York. And I really like trees and I'm just a California person. From the day I was born, I was like, I feel very West Coasty moving here. I think I made the right choice. I feel like I. I found a home and it was much easier for me to get up and go because I moved every couple of years growing up. So it wasn't. I didn't feel tied to any certain place. A note of privilege. I was like, I could get up and go somewhere and I can figure it out when I get there. Has it been easy? No. But do you figure it out as you go? Yes. My first few years la, I thought I was in the Mecca. Even though I couldn't find any supporting evidence that I was of good vibe or I was castable in any way. I had no idea what I was doing. And then I was told to go to New Orleans. And New Orleans was like the hot place for a while. People said, if you don't have much in a career, you should go to New Orleans. I was like, well, should I just get up and go to New Orleans? But I had started to establish friends. This was way before I met my husband. So I questioned some of those decisions. And then a couple of Years later, in 2019, I actually seriously looked at going to live in Atlanta and my husband and I were already engaged. I was looking at going to get an Airbnb for three to six months to go, just kind of scope it out. I would move there and I would have needed to get, you know, some sort of serving job or babysitting or something. And I was going to bring perhaps one of the dogs and separate them. And Caleb and I would see each other maybe once every few months as needed. And we were both down and willing to try that lifestyle. We priced the whole thing out. We budgeted the process of me paying a little bit rent back to here and also paying rent in Atlanta. And we really had a full plan. And then Covid happened. It felt silly to go anywhere. So ever since then, my whole process has changed in my world. In Los Angeles changed pretty significantly. But there is a lot of people who, in the time of places like things like Covid and just the shift in production and things like that have moved to other markets. So before we get into the numbers of it, as a Atlanta native, how do you feel about the narrative that Atlanta is the place to go if you want to book? Oh, that eye roll was heard across the country. If you're not watching this on YouTube, fast forward to this segment because it was.
- [08:54]
B
Oh, my God. I have a PSA for everybody that says, I'm going to go to Atlanta because it will be easier to book some co stars, get them under my belt, and then go back to L A in New York City. Okay, try it and let me know how it goes. Because here's the thing about Atlanta. Atlanta's market has been here for a long time. We are a homegrown market and we have been told to play small for a very long time. And what that did was it created people that got into the minutia of things and made sure that every single thing was down to a T so that when that one co star role would come over, they would be a possibility for them. And so we didn't come from a space of having a bunch of different opportunity. We came from a space of there's one piece of opportunity. Let's all just do our very best. And that has created some wicked talent here that hasn't left. And so the relationships that that talent has. From my very first audition in Atlanta, which was in 2012, I'm still auditioning for those people. That's Chase and Tara. Now, to this day, we're talking about a decade later. They've watched my evolution, they've watched me live life, they know the characters I can play really well and they can trust me. So walking into this market is not walking into this market anymore. It's more so of. You're really going to have to cut your teeth trying to find representatives and then being able to get on roster and compete with somebody else that might be in your category that has been here for a minute now. Can you do it? Yes. But the sexiness of I'm coming from LA or New York to go to Atlanta doesn't really hold any stability for you anymore. And while you were sleeping on Atlanta, we were getting better and better. So you also have to make sure that you're bringing some badass talent with you because we aren't just casting co stars anymore. It's co stars, guest stars and series reg. So it might not be the same as LA in terms of how much we can push out, but I would assume based off of the stuff I've done in la, that the competition is still here. So I get obviously on my high horse when I hear that because it's such an old school mindset that Atlanta doesn't have something to compete with when you're coming From LA to New York and that's just not the case. Sam tried to come here and get representation and I'm repped with the best reps in the southeast and I couldn't even get her on that roster with my name and my credit and my experience that I have with this agency. So try it and let us know how it works. She's a little salty about it, but that's it. That's what I would say.
- [11:13]
A
Well, that's the way I feel about people who still want to have. That's an old school mindset of coming to LA for pilot season. We don't have pilot.
- [11:20]
B
Sorry, what? What's pilot season? Don't understand.
- [11:24]
A
It's not real anymore. Shows are being created year round and so the idea that you can pop into a place where the casting directors aren't familiar with your face, where the representation isn't backing you and has been backing you for a very long time, where your package isn't crafted for a certain thing. The idea that you can just come to a market and start going out for offices who are even casting shows is honestly ludicrous. It is something that maybe would happen back in the day, maybe in like the late 90s, like early 2000s even that people would come here, especially kids. Kids would come here and they would start auditioning for that pilot season. Especially like Disney, Nickelodeon, all of those things. Sure. But now you really need relationships, you need relationship building to get going which is why this career long term no matter where you are. So that's why the numbers that we're going to talk about today are so important. Because I think that planning for this to be your number indefinitely is not a good idea. So let's kind of talk about what this looks like. These are numbers that we pulled from various things. We will list all of the places that we pulled these numbers from in the show notes so you guys can take them and run with them to the comment section as you will. And and I would love to hear your guys comments if you're listening to this on Spotify. We now have a comment section on Spotify which is very new and wild. I give it six to nine months before Apple adopts the same thing. And YouTube. You know I love your thought processes. So let's see what you got. So to give you a recap, what we are covering in this is the basis of a day to day life of an actor with no special nuances or emergency things. So we are covering rent, car, groceries, acting costs including one coaching session a month A class, hosting your casting profiles, paying SAG dues. Because you know if you're going to be in these markets, you're going to want to be a professional actor. You're going to want to be in the union and headshots every other year. And then we have like et cetera categories, that's insurance, utilities, Internet, that kind of thing. And then approximate sales tax. So for our Los Angeles market, you're looking at a. About, if you want to live alone, a minimum of $2,500 to $2,600 a month in rent. If you are living with a roommate, you would expect around 15 to $1600 in rent. That could mean three bedroom, one bathroom situation, two bathroom, that kind of a thing. All shared spaces, car insurance, gas, cheap car lease or paid off car, $400 roughly dollars a month. Groceries on the low, low end, never eating out. I would say $500 a month. And that is a low end. Groceries are very expensive here. Acting costs about 650 to $700 based on how much you're spending on your classes and coaching, the et cetera things. We threw in about $500 for your car insurance and your utilities and things like that. And then sales tax is 10.25% at the time of this recording. So that comes up to about $3,650 and $375 in tax. So you're looking at about four grand to exist every month.
- [14:34]
B
That's disgusting. I can't wait to hear the Atlanta numbers. What I just, I also wanted at the beginning of this podcast you said that back in 2019 you had taken a look at possibly moving to Atlanta. I'm wondering, do you still have the sheet from there? Because I would love to know the difference between 2019 to now in 20, almost 2025 of the cost change as well. So that's a different podcast, but just.
- [14:58]
A
I should look for it because I think, I mean, we looked at Airbnbs that were long term and there were ones that were like $800 a month.
- [15:05]
B
Yeah, I mean it's still way more affordable than la, but there have been a lot more people that have moved here than there was that boom in 2020 of the housing. So I would love to do a side by side comparison as well, just for that. But back to LA. $4,000, I cannot. Okay, yeah. Yep. Wow.
- [15:21]
A
A little over $4,000 a month to exist. It just exists. So moving on, let's look at Atlanta next so we can look at those numbers. So these Numbers you also helped facilitate a little bit along with the research we did. So actually this. These rent numbers are not that far off from Los Angeles. Around $2300 a month for a solo place or 1100 dollars a month for room states.
- [15:45]
B
And noted the difference is size, guys. Your size and your view and your area will be different. So that's what you would be able to afford in Atlanta if you were trying to be in a good spot to be able to get there for casting. That's going to buy you something nice on terms of you feel good when you're living in it. From what I've learned from LA is that's kind of hard to find. A lot of buildings are older and that's just kind of how it is. If you want to go into that next category, you will be paying a pretty penny for that.
- [16:12]
A
That. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. Yes.
- [16:15]
B
So while comparatively the price point for rent guys, it is a difference in what you're getting. So that place, I just want to make sure that I make that distinction because I think that when people think about numbers in terms of rent, they're just thinking about the number. And it does come down to where do you want to live and how do you want to live? And that's different for everybody. People value different things. And so that could be something that could make it a break it for you to move to LA if you're like, I don't really care about a granite countertop. Like, I'm cool with laminate. Like, that might be a good option. So I digress.
- [16:46]
A
I continue. Literally never tried to find an affordable apartment and even give a what the walls are made of. Like I have no. You know what I mean? No, you just gotta find a. And I think New York people are gonna agree with this too. You just gotta find a place you can hack it. And I think if we broke this down, you know what step we didn't do what we should have. And if somebody wants to do this in the comment section, you actors who love math, I would like to think of the square footage of these places combined. Because the price per square foot would probably be like LA and New York is obviously going to be exponentially higher. But I think that's really, really interesting to think about because these places in Atlanta also maybe have washers and dryers and dishwashers.
- [17:22]
B
They all have washers, dryers and dishwashers.
- [17:24]
A
Okay, that's crazy.
- [17:25]
B
It would be less money if it didn't have it.
- [17:27]
A
We do not. That is not standard in Los Angeles. I know people who have very, very, very expensive, nice condos that don't have washer and dryers.
- [17:34]
B
No, just not the life that we live over here. It's not happening.
- [17:37]
A
It's crazy, but they're the part. They just weren't built for it. Like, our house right now is like 100 years old, so it's. We're lucky we have the amenities. We do, but. Okay, interesting. So car insurance, gas, cheap. Lease around the same as LA. We put about $500 there. Yeah. Okay. How much is your gas?
- [17:52]
B
That makes sense, too. No, gas is definitely going to be cheaper. Our gas I just filled up unleaded was 276.
- [17:58]
A
Oh, my God.
- [18:00]
B
Gas is definitely cheaper. Car rates will be the same, but gas was definitely cheaper.
- [18:05]
A
All right, cool. I just paid 4. 75. And that was the cheapest gas station near me.
- [18:10]
B
So I warned you when you asked me to do this, I said, are you sure you want to do.
- [18:14]
A
Yeah, like, important for people to hear. I think it's also important for people to see that, like, I've been here for 13 years and I'm still affected and I get so used to shit being so expensive. We'll put a pit in this. Let's come back to. I want to talk about when we ordered food in Atlanta versus Los Angeles. Let's talk about that. Groceries on the low end. 400amonth. Is that like a decent amount of groceries?
- [18:35]
B
So our main grocery stores here at Kroger Republics. That's Kroger Republics. I know because I love the grocery stores in la, that your selection is a lot better of quality than we have in the South. And so I think that that really ranks your price points a lot higher. To be able to get that same quality, you're going to have to shop at a Whole Foods here. That's really the only option you have. And so that amount would go up to about 550 or 600 for the month.
- [18:57]
A
Okay, good to know. Acting class, coaching, casting profile, SAG dues, headshots every other year, about $600. And that we just made the LA one slightly higher. But will you tell us how much SAG dues are in Atlanta? Do you know that number off the top of your head?
- [19:11]
B
Yeah, they're the same. They're the. Oh, wait, I don't know. Just the. So here's the thing. I don't actually know just the Atlanta, because if you do join in Atlanta, you can. And you can work here, but the second you go to any other place, you will have to pay the difference of what those places have. So for me and my mindset, when I did join, I actually had booked a voiceover in la, so I had to pay the full regular price for la. And I never actually factored in just Atlanta because that was a limiting mindset for me. So I don't know that answer. And I would venture for everybody to go ahead and budget that full 3,000 because it's something you're going to need as your career continues to expand. And just thinking you're only going to be able to make it in Atlanta is such a small mindset. So I think that was smart to keep that budget.
- [19:52]
A
So it's. The joining fee is three grand in the bigger markets. And then in smaller markets, I think Atlanta's. I want to say it's 1500, but I don't know where I'm getting that number from. And then the yearly dues are the same. It's 1.575% of what you make, plus.
- [20:08]
B
The biannual rate a quick Google search has brought up. 1,320 was what it was in 2020 money. So I'm sure it might be up a little bit more, but that's at least a good one for us to look at.
- [20:19]
A
Okay, great. So if you are looking to join the union in those states, it is a little less initially and then you can choose to pay the more, which is. Which is good to know, et cetera. Items about 400 and then approximate sales tax 8.9%. A 2% sales tax difference is significant.
- [20:36]
B
Yeah, yeah, That's a big. A big difference there.
- [20:40]
A
Totally. So then your total cost costs roughly, for a roommate place, all of that good stuff in Atlanta, you're looking at closer to $3,267. How's that sound?
- [20:52]
B
I am realizing that a lot of the prices are more similar than I thought they would be in terms of what we afford as actors. I think where you save money in Atlanta is all those extracurriculars. Right. Of if you wanted to go out to eat, which we could talk about ordered food.
- [21:09]
A
So we did a fun exercise when I was visiting Atlanta. We put in an Uber Eats order for delivery. I think it was. Was it for tacos? It was something simple. Oh, Chinese food.
- [21:21]
B
It was Chinese. I was gonna say. I think it was Chinese.
- [21:23]
A
We ordered Chinese food and we ordered it in your Uber Eats app. And then I also opened Uber Eats and I opened the mediocre Chinese place by our house and I put in the same order. And the difference Was about double.
- [21:37]
B
Yeah. And yours was a mediocre Chinese place and mine was goose. So if you're in Atlanta, you know that that's like a fancy Chinese restaurant for us. So our fancy was double her mediocre. So this is where you save money if you move to Atlanta, which is interesting.
- [21:53]
A
Yeah. And I think what you're talking about when you say things like, you know, if you want granite countertops, I'm like, oh, this is a nice life. Like, that's a, that's a different vibe where I'm saying, like, here's how you can get by.
- [22:05]
B
Yes. Yeah, that's definitely what you're breaking down. Is for a nice living in Atlanta. Definitely not just getting by. We could totally save money if we wanted to do it. Just getting by in Atlanta.
- [22:17]
A
Okay, well now let's do you would. Do you want to go high high or should we go medium and go Chicago?
- [22:23]
B
Let's go Chicago.
- [22:24]
A
Okay, we're gonna go Chicago and New York. So shout out to Chicago people. Your rent roughly alone would be about the price of LA. So it looks like like 2, 800. And then with roommates it looks about, about 1400. So you're kind of not too far from Los Angeles to be honest. Monthly, this is where you can kind of get the goods of living in a city like this. For 75 bucks, you can just use the subway. You can just use the train system. It's like the New York vibe of it, which is I think killer. Or you could go with about 450 for like a cheap car gas lease situation. I like, I, I think using the train sounds awesome, personally. Yeah, I probably just wrote myself just.
- [23:04]
B
Like not having to have insurance, that's really nice. I know.
- [23:07]
A
Not having to get gas. And like we just also romanticize it because we do have. We both have to drive everywhere. So it always sounds fun. But then when you're on a train, sometimes it's like when it's cold out and then it's hot in the train.
- [23:17]
B
Everyone or having to deal with delays and things like that. If you have to be somewhere that it's very nice to have our control over. I get in my car. I mostly arrive on time when I need to.
- [23:27]
A
Yes.
- [23:27]
B
That's not the same. So. Okay, fair, good.
- [23:30]
A
Call out groceries on the low end, about 500, which I can believe because sometimes when you're in those Midwest states, groceries get overpriced and lesser quality because you're in an area that's not like you have bigger seasons. You don't have as much bang for your buck in terms of produce, acting costs about 600, etc. Items about 450. And sales tax tax 10.25%. So our total for Chicago with tax is looking about $3,560 a month on the low end. And this is not too far from Atlanta or la. I think the thing here is you also have to factor in what weather you want and the cost of living because Chicago can get extreme. Like, I know Atlanta gets full seasons, but I feel like Chicago gets. Gets that gross winter.
- [24:20]
B
Yeah. I think that also is what comes into comparison when you're talking about washer dryers is in Atlanta, we have to have clothes for all seasons. And so we have a lot of clothes. And so washer and dryer looks a little different. And what you have to be able to supply Chicago is on a whole other level because you really have to have so many layers for the Windy City. And that is not cheap, especially if you're moving. Could you imagine when we were talking about you moving from LA to Chicago? You'd have to get a whole. You don't have clothes for that.
- [24:47]
A
That I don't have clothes. Gab and I ran the numbers. If you guys didn't listen to our episode where we talked about being local hires in different places. I got an offer to work with an agent in Chicago and we ran the numbers and it was a lot because flying to the Midwest is so expensive. Every time we run the numbers on this, I'm like, I could go to Europe for the price it cost me to go to the Midwest and stay in a hotel for a couple of days. It's crazy. And the numbers just didn't work out. And I would probably have to rent the Runway or nuuly some cool coats and have them meet me at my place that I was going every time because traveling with coats blows. And also I have none. I have like a ski outfit and I have some sweaters. Like, I don't have real winter wear. I have cute knit caps that we put on when it goes, you know, below 70 here. But there's not. I don't have real winter clothes. Like real boots.
- [25:37]
B
No. Yeah. Well, the. I wonder, is there a hub in Chicago for planes? Because in LA it's Southwest. Right. That's your guys's hub. Hub.
- [25:45]
A
We have a few. I'm not sure. They must have something. I mean, they have two major airports, so.
- [25:52]
B
Yeah. I just didn't know if that also factors into why it's so easier to get to Atlanta and California because, like, Delta's from here, so there's a lot more flights. And I don't know why I thought Southwest was. Maybe it's not. It's called Southwest. Oh, what am I thinking? But don't know. That might factor into it as well, as far as plane flights, too.
- [26:09]
A
Yeah, that's a I, man. Also, you just don't fly in O'Hare and have a smooth transition. It's just not something that happens. It just doesn't happen. Okay, so let's look at New York really quick because we're gonna blow everything out of the water right now and talk about the most expensive place to live as an actor. Now, New York is different, right? Because, you know, you're going to a tiny island that has literally been built up since the dawn of American existence. So everything that's there has been there for a while. And if it's a new build, it's. It's not cost effective. Right. So you live in a higher place, but you live in extremely walkable cities. And I think that what we miss out of some of these numbers is the fact that you get a lot of culture in a small sphere, and people who live in New York love New York. And I love that you guys love New York. I love New York, too. But I. Let's look at your numbers. So living alone at the minimum, and this is, I think, very generous because the number we pulled was three grand a month. And I don't think that that's accurate, I guess, where.
- [27:11]
B
Three grand a month to live alone? I guess. Yeah, there are. Yeah, yeah. Going back to our same thought process again. What value are you getting? Don't just think just the number. Like, oh, okay, well, I can afford that anywhere. It's. It's exactly. For those of you that are listening, it just gave Sam that weird thumbs up, which we have now decided that that means affirmation that we're talking about the right thing. So you're welcome. Your 3,000 in New York is going to get you something that looks different than 3,000 in LA. That looks different than 3,000 in Atlanta. And so again, don't just take the number and say, oh, I got 3,000 to spend anyways on rent. Might as well go to New York, because let's get to the rest of those numbers.
- [27:48]
A
A smaller space is a little less than two grand. So this would be like shared space with roommates. I still think that number could be bigger. I think that if you want to live anywhere by a metro stop or anywhere with decent views or that is not decrepit. I think that you are paying more money because New York has just a finite amount of real estate.
- [28:10]
B
And there's a brokerage free or something too, because you can't just like walk to an apartment and see it. Like you have to hire someone to show you the available apartments in New York. And they often request a lot more money just to be able to put your name down. Like sometimes it's just first and last rent in most places, but sometimes it's a lot more there. It's like six months rent and stuff. So other things to factor in too.
- [28:29]
A
That's crazy. I actually used. When I got my last car, I used a car broker, but all they did, it was free and they just pulled me all of the numbers. This is either the shadiest thing I've ever done or a low key hot tip. I then took those to the actual dealership and I said, this is the possibilities I could go with. Do you want to match them or beat them? And then they beat them.
- [28:49]
B
No, that's not shady. That's meeting them with the same game that they would have met you. But you're also speaking to the woman that got her car lease for $300 cheaper than what they wanted her to pay. Because I told them that I had offered to get it somewhere else for cheaper. And they were like, do you have the paperwork? And I was like, are you asking me to prove to you that I'm not lying? Do you think I'm a liar? And they were like, no, ma'am, so sorry. We would never think you were a liar. We were just asking and just to see. Just to see. And I was like, okay, good, because. Because, oof. That's a whole other conversation. I had no paperwork. So play those car people at the game. Play them.
- [29:22]
A
That car is not worth the price that they're asking for. And also a thing I said to them was, and I will not be putting anything down. And they said, oh, excuse me. And I said, this is my credit score. I will not be putting anything down. And I said, that's fine, I can go. And it was like a whole. It was just. I kind of enjoy that process. It's too bad we have a paid off car.
- [29:39]
B
I love the process. It's probably why I leave every year. I'm like, here we go, let's get in it.
- [29:44]
A
Let's negotiate. Okay. We could have had a different job. Okay. Monthly subway, not taking Ubers, 150 bucks a month. So it's Interesting. It's double the price of the metro in Chicago, but it's a town that you can just train around it. The train system is so, so, so, so, so, so good. And then it says a car, $600. But I think that's not including putting it places because I know people who pay 500amonth to park their car.
- [30:06]
B
Yeah, it's definitely not putting them places at all. Also not a city that you want to have a car unless you're not living in the city, because that's horrendous.
- [30:14]
A
Wait, can we just laugh that I internally and with help from people on my team, pulled these numbers and I'm still like. And it's wrong. It's not like I got them from some magazine. I'm like, there's no way. This is impossible. I wrote this number down and there's no way. Well, when you say that.
- [30:29]
B
Well, if you're in New York and you're watching this, will you confirm these numbers for us? Are we being ridiculous? Ridiculous thinking that there's more or are you like, no, this is great. This is great. Let us know in the comments.
- [30:37]
A
Yeah, okay. Acting class costs all of the good things about 700, which I would believe because I do think New York acting classes get more expensive. Etc things. 600 with insurance, utilities, etc, and then sales tax is 10.9%. So your sales tax is almost 11%. So that comes out to 4,006, $60 a month. So this is actually very, very, very close to our LA prices. But I don't think you can live in New York and not eat out. I don't think you can live in New York and not have little inconveniences that you have to pay for. I think in la I can live out of my car. I did for several years. I had snacks and outfits and I had a secondary makeup kit for all of my makeup so I could be around town because we would run auditions all the time. I essentially lived out of my car and I would go. I mean, I never went out to eat. I never did. Did extraneous activities. I don't know if you can live in New York and not go to happy hour. I just don't. I don't know anyone who does it. I think ever go get a coffee or something. I think it's inevitable. So I think that some of those numbers could actually be a lot higher because you don't hang out at home.
- [31:48]
B
Yeah, it's different and life is different. Like you're speaking about the culture in these places. And everything else is different. It's just the way that you do. Life in New York is very different because they. The ease of everything being accessible is always there. I know for us down here, when we're thinking about going out to eat, it is very big. On what part of town are you in, what time is traffic? And do you have the time to be able to get there, get back home in time? That will cancel out a bunch of people eating out and it'll turn into like, hey, you know what, why don't we do this later? Which never ends up happening. But in New York it's like, where are you? Oh, great, I'll pop on the train and meet you there in a second. Like, your life just looks different. So I agree. It would be a little bit more time too.
- [32:25]
A
Yeah, same with la. I mean, once you get your car parked somewhere, you really very hesitant to leave, especially if you have a place where you don't have parking, which is not even something we included in that number. So I think it would be remiss for us to talk about an acting career going into these places without talking about the productions that are going on there. So I went to SAG and I pulled the production listings for all of these cities and we're going to talk about them. The only thing that was not listed on these production listings, and I think because the turnover is so quick, is commercials. And that is going to be a big question mark. And these are all SAG things. So the categories that we pulled are film, TV commercials. Obviously not listed for any of these, just so you guys know. And then there's a category called agnostic. These are productions that are maybe animated voiceovers or short films or really indie projects that are ultra, ultra, ultra low budget type things that don't make it into the film and TV numbers. So. So let's reverse engineer this and let's talk about New York first. So New York had on file at the time of this polling of this information, 23 films, 80 TV shows, the percentage of which is Dick Wolf would be shocking to me. And 34 agnostic listed productions. I'm actually kind of impressed with the number of TV listings that are on the New York numbers.
- [33:40]
B
Yeah, let's continue to go through these numbers.
- [33:42]
A
Yeah, yeah. Okay. So. So this is a really fun one to think about. Chicago at the time, they had one SAG film listed, seven agnostic projects and seven TV shows. And I think five of them are the Chicago shows.
- [33:56]
B
Chicago shows. Chicago pd, Chicago Fire.
- [33:59]
A
Yep. Chicago Met. Ha ha ha. Exactly. Exactly. So really interesting, you know what I mean? Like, it's just interesting to think about that. So, Atlanta, this number has to be wrong. This is where I'm like these, I'm questioning these numbers because it said at the time of this, at the time of this, this polling, there was four film projects in process, 14 television projects, and one agnostic project.
- [34:20]
B
Yeah, I don't know what to tell you. Besides, people sleep on Atlanta. They don't really keep up with what's going on. So I am a thousand percent sure that that's incorrect because Tyler Perry alone has 14 TV shows that are filming right now.
- [34:31]
A
So.
- [34:32]
B
But those I don't. This is why I think that the Atlanta market does not go off of these numbers because they're not updated and they don't accurately reflect what is happening in Atlanta. And I think a lot of it. Look, I love sag, I've got my SAG card, but we are an afterthought in this market. So if somebody is trying to pull those numbers and they don't know where to look or what to be doing for it, the extra step I don't feel like actually happens. And so when I've looked at that list, it's never been correct. I've even looked at the ones they say that are filming and I'm like, those got canceled three years ago. I don't know why those are on here, but I know alone that. When did you pull this list? You said a couple weeks ago, like.
- [35:06]
A
In end of September.
- [35:07]
B
Yeah, I would love to look into that list and see a little bit deeper.
- [35:10]
A
I can give it to you if you want. And then LA, this is also very interesting because LA had 72 films, 133 TV shows, and 36 agnostic projects. That number has also not been reflected in auditions. And these are all things that they said were filming between, like the time I pulled them. Either they were somewhat in process, so.
- [35:32]
B
I don't know, to get clarity. Yeah, I don't know.
- [35:35]
A
And listen, you guys, you can go to the production listings on SAG and you can look at this. Is it the best kept website in the world? Absolutely not. But it is just interesting to have this discussion because the Atlanta numbers just based alone on your auditions are not accurate. And I think it's important to designate commercial work here because you audition for commercials multiple times a week. I think Atlanta used to not be known as much as a commercial town, but you guys have a shit ton of commercials. You're auditioning for shit ton.
- [36:06]
B
We audition for a Lot of SAG national commercials out of here. Another thing that people, I mean, I have a friend that I met on a commercial that she was told that they don't cast commercials in Atlanta. And I was like, that's so funny because we're on a Ford SAG national commercial right now that they're not casting in Atlanta. I'm filming a commercial tomorrow here in Atlanta. But I wonder if, if like for instance, Scarpetta is filming right now here in Atlanta, but the original casting came out of LA for the series regs. I wonder if, since that is how that goes, if LA gets the credit for that, even though it's filming here in Atlanta, I wonder how that ends up falling down on their list too. Maybe that factors in because if that's the case, that would explain why the LA number is so high. But the reflection of your auditions is different because most of the stuff is originally casting out of LA and then going to, as we've seen, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, all over to film it. So maybe that's how it's ending up differently. I don't know.
- [36:59]
A
Yeah. So I think you can come to the conclusion that these numbers are wrong.
- [37:02]
B
But yeah, again, we ran all these numbers and we disagree with everything. The numbers are saying we are right. They are wrong.
- [37:09]
A
Yeah. So as math professionals, I think that it gives you a sense of the idea, especially in the dollar amount of a general lifestyle and a general number. And this is where we really get into, I mean it doesn't matter. The, the class is going to be closed right now, so you guys can't get in right now. But this, we created a side hustle class for actors. It all comes full circle because it matters that you have to be able to pay these bills because a one day day player role on set plays what like, like $1200 and you're losing X amount of money to taxes and then you lose another X amount of money to your 10% to your agent. If you have a manager, 10%. And then you're left with like 60% of that number maybe. And that's not at all enough to pay. And if you guys want to look at the video I did that I mentioned earlier, I go into a good year of booking and getting a co star and a guest star and an indie movie and a SAG national and how those numbers stack up because it's not enough. And yes, we should get paid more for our work. The union has a lot of work to do and we will be both on the front lines of some commercial meetings next year because we cannot wait to have this discussion as she chapstick time.
- [38:19]
B
I cannot wait to go to these meetings about commercials.
- [38:23]
A
There's a, a lot of things. So you know, we're pro union people but we also are aware that like there's issues and nothing's perfect. And I think the only thing that's not perfect at all is if you have issues and you don't go to things and you don't try to make yourself aware and make things better. But these numbers are really important for actors to think about because if you're thinking long term career and you're thinking building a life alongside it, you shouldn't come to LA for two years to try and use this number.
- [38:51]
B
You know, you've always said, and I will never disagree with you when you're choosing as an actor where to move, pick where you want to live your life, go from there self. Tapes are a real thing and it allows you to audition in different places. And yes, there are times when you're going to audition for something that is filming somewhere else and they're going to go with somebody else because it's cheaper. If we play the game of well, what about this? What about this? Or what about this? You really could land yourself in any of these markets. Extremely unhappy because maybe it's not what you want. It's 48 degrees right now in Atlanta when it's 74 in LA. That is a very big difference as far as how your life feels. Don't even get me started with how gray it gets during the winter months over here where you're always having sun in la. And I know you have your gray period too. I'm not going to take that away from you guys. But something like that can really make or break your life. If you struggle with anything that's like seasonal depression or anxiety and that is not going to be fixed by a booking, it's not going to make you feel better. So hearing all these numbers, I'm so glad you did because it gives people information that they can choose what to do with. And I think the point that we've proven is yes, it's a difference based off of where you go, but it's not a dramatic difference. So go down to where you want to live your life. Start there.
- [40:05]
A
Yes, there's acting everywhere you can find it. You just have to build your community in the process. All right, you guys have heard us talk about numbers that may or may not be accurate for long enough now. So thank you so much. Thanks for going along on the ride anyway, you know what? It's just interesting. And also, if somebody has better places for this information, people always want to know it. So drop it in the comments. Comments on either our latest Instagram posts or on this podcast on YouTube somewhere where we can find it. That would be phenomenal information. And I think that these numbers have to be wrong because you. Thumbs up. Here we go. Because you, my friend, also just booked a movie and a commercial back to back in the same week. So if that's correct, out of the 19 available projects in Atlanta, you booked.
- [40:52]
B
Too, the numbers are lying. That is the biggest lie I've ever heard in my life. And we've just proven it wrong. There we go.
- [41:04]
A
What a great podcast. This is why actors shouldn't do your number podcast. But thanks for listening anyway, guys.
- [41:10]
B
Thanks for listening, guys.
- [41:12]
A
Thank you guys so much. This podcast is sponsored by the Patreon and the bonus podcast. So if you guys want more and the story I'm about to tell Gab, please go check it out. It's available for you. You can buy a yearly or a monthly subscription.
- [41:25]
B
It is $4 and I get the tea for free.
- [41:28]
A
Yay. She does. All right, guys, I will talk to you next week. I will, I will put my heart on the.
- [41:48]
B
I will, I will put my heart on the line. Nothing stop me this time.