Editor

The scale for most television editors is around $4,200 per week, and networks rarely pay more than $5,500 per week for this role. Top features editors, meanwhile, can earn as much as $20,000 to $25,000 per week.

Advertiser

A mid-level publicist at a firm that specializes in personal promotion may earn between $100,000 and $150,000, but seasoned publicists who own their own boutique firms can make over $1 million. It’s often more lucrative to work at a studio like Disney, which recently posted salaries of $327,000 to $450,000 for the position of senior vice president of communications.

Studio Manager

Working on the ground floor doesn’t pay very well—Paramount Pictures is currently advertising an executive assistant job starting at $50,000—but there’s growth potential. A development director at an ex-studio makes around $120,000, while exec vps make $500,000 to $600,000. (Everything is still bloated at Netflix, where content vps earn more than $1 million.) The lucky few who rise to the level of studio head can make eight figures. Just ask Netflix movie boss Scott Stuber, who reportedly made more than $16 million before leaving earlier this year.

Lawyer

Hollywood dealmakers, who work for a 5 percent commission rather than charging clients by the hour, start in the $175,000 to $250,000 range, with big winners making $5 million to $15 million a year.

Manager

Someone at Ridley Scott’s level might make $20 million per film, but most early-career directors make $1 million or less. The Directors Guild of America benchmark for a high-budget film is $23,767 per week with a guaranteed run time of 10 weeks.

Stuntman, Makeup Artist and Stylist

Stunt Performer
Pay rates start at $1,200 per day or $4,500 per week but can increase depending on the artist.

Makeup Artist
Glam teams typically charge between $1,000 and $1,250 for a star to shine before an event, with booking agents paid an additional 20 percent.

Stylist
A resident stylist can charge an average of $1,500 per event, plus additional fees for extras like alterations. It is known that studios, which generally cover promotional efforts, pay bonuses during awards season.

Content Creator

A picture (um, post) can be worth a thousand dollars, and often much more. Some micro-influencers charge a few hundred dollars per post, while top content creators can charge thousands of dollars. College gymnast and Instagram “It” girl Livvy Dunne made $500,000 from a single brand deal.

Gaffer

An IATSE-organized lead lighting technician earns a minimum wage of $60.59 per hour and is guaranteed $3,647 per week on studio projects.

Agent

Agents are feeling the pressure. Entry-level employees typically earn between $80,000 and $100,000 annually, while mid-career agents earn around $600,000, not including discretionary bonuses. Heavy hitters can make eight figures. The Pay Up Hollywood movement has helped agency assistants make small gains, although the rates are still surprisingly low. According to recent job postings, a CAA mailroom intern earns about $20 per hour—the same as the minimum wage for fast food workers in California—while assistants at all major institutions should expect to earn less than $25 per hour (not including overtime).

Intimacy Coordinator, Actor

Intimacy Coordinator
SAG-AFTRA has taken steps to organize this new Hollywood job, but until then most earn a similar daily wage as stunt performers, around $1,200, and can be hired for the duration of a project or to assist with selected scenes.

Actor
The most in-demand stars can still get top dollar. Robert Downey Jr. and Dr. Check out the more than $80 million he reportedly made as Doom. Meanwhile, someone of Ryan Reynolds’ stature is looking at $30 million per picture. There are still TV actors making $1 million per episode, and there are plenty of big names making between $400,000 and $600,000 per episode. The show’s background actors earn $216 for an eight-hour day.

Animator

A member of the Animation Guild can expect to earn $1,800 per week as a supporting staff comic book story artist, while a supervising animator earns around $3,000 per week.

producer

First look deals are still lucrative in the mid-seven figures and above if you’re lucky enough to score one. Otherwise, experienced producers can earn up to $2 million on the front end and more on the back end. On the TV side, non-writing producers who don’t have a studio deal don’t make a dime until the pilot fee, which can range from $15,000 to $50,000.

TV Writer/Entertainer

Workaday writers got raises after the WGA strike, and staff writers now earn $4,940 per week for a guaranteed 20 weeks. Writers who produce and executive produce their own shows can sell a pilot script for development for $225,000 to $500,000. If ordered to series, they will earn an average of $60,000 to $75,000 per episode, above the WGA scale, for any episode they write. Meanwhile, those $40 million megadeals are now in the $10 million to $15 million range; Those worth 15 million dollars are closer to 8 million dollars.

Scriptwriter

The average manuscript sells for $350,000 to $500,000, but established feature writers can earn more than $1 million at the higher end. The final loan comes with a bonus of $150,000 to $500,000.

Union Leader

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher takes no salary, but chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland does and was paid more than $1 million for helping lock in the guild’s contracts. Russell Hollander in the DGA earns $775,000, while Ellen Stutzman in the WGA West earns $683,000. At the low end, Animation Guild business representative Steven Kaplan takes home $215,000.

CEO

Hollywood’s austerity hasn’t reached the top of the corporate ladder. Netflix’s Ted Sarandos earns $49.8 million in 2023, including a $3 million base salary, bonus and stock awards. Disney’s Bob Iger earned $31.6 million in his first year back on the job. Beleaguered Warner Bros. Even Discovery boss David Zaslav saw his total compensation rise 26 percent to $49.7 million.

This story first appeared in the October 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To get the magazine Click here to subscribe.