Is Kid’s Entertainment a Good 2nd Income for an Actor?
Most actors dream of the big break, the money spinner that will allow them to live a good life whilst taking on challenging and creative roles too. The reality can be somewhat different. Most jobbing actors these days have a number of strings to their bow and will do a variety of jobs to ensure the bills are paid. My personal jobs have included cleaner, waitress, barmaid, shop assistant, telesales caller & market researcher to name a few. So how do you find a job that is fun and creative but allows you time off for acting parts and auditions? Well my solution was to become a children’s entertainer. Most people groan when I tell them what I do but being a kid’s entertainer means I can work shorter and more flexible hours whilst doing a job that actually makes people smile. My hours for a usual 2 hour kid’s party are roughly the same as an 8 – 10 hour bar wage – suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Being an entertainer means I have a great hourly wage, I work the hours I choose, I can be creative, dress up and have fun and I can utilise my performance training.
I started out doing small odd jobs then quickly realised that kids have birthday 365 days of the year so the potential is endless.
If you do decide to work as an entertainer make sure you choose to work with a well established company who will give you lots of support and training as being out on your own with 30 kids can be quite intimidating if your not fully prepared!
A good company to look at is Whizz Bang Pop. They have been running for around 4 years and offer good rates of pay and lots of flexible working hours.
http://www.whizzbangpop.co.uk
Whizz Bang Pop also offer performers the opportunity to actually run their own exclusive area meaning you could earn a really good salary for part time hours. A franchise like this offers you the opportunity to start your own business by becoming a Whizz Bang Pop children’s entertainer and then offering parties within your local area. For a fee you will be given everything required to start your own mini empire with the all the support and training you need along the way. You can usually work as solo entertainer or you can manage your own team. This type of business can earn you around £20,000 – £25,000 a year meaning a nice back up should the acting dry up.
The daily management of a being a franchisee can easily be done from a home meaning very little start up costs and Whizz Bang Pop http://www.whizzbangpop.co.uk would provide you with bookings generated from the main website and national advertising campaigns ensuring a steady stream of potential income. Children’s parties and events are usually taken over the weekends so you have plenty of free time during the week.
For me managing my own team of entertainers was challenging at first but now I love it. Anyone looking for a stimulating and rewarding job should seriously consider being a franchisee, it beats a 9 – 5 any day. Without my salary from Whizz Bang Pop I would never have been able to work on my writing or many of my lesser well paid acting roles. Having this financial stability has given me the opportunity to develop my drama skills and is a great way to earn some ‘bread and butter’ money whilst in the acting world.