For the past five years I have been in Hollywood trying to make a living as a working actor.
At first, I had dreams and aspirations of being the next Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise or George Clooney. I set the bar high, yet I started at the lowest point possible – I was doing non-union background work for $54 for eight hours of work. I hardly cracked $15,000 my first year in L.A. and times were lean, I was living in a small 500 square foot apartment and I barely had enough money for meals. I slowly climbed the ladder and got into SAG and AFTRA – the two main actor’s unions. My earnings began to rise and I was fortunate to get some small one line roles in movies like Collateral with Tom Cruise and Mr. and Mrs. Smith with. (you can find my name in the credits of both of these films.) After that, I started booking principal roles in commercials and the last few years my earnings have climbed over $80,000 per year. (I am not boasting – just letting you know that it was a tough climb and the fact that I stuck with acting, rewarded me in the end.) I may never reach Brad Pitt status (or even Howie Mandell status!) but acting has been very good to me.The funny thing is, I just started my Residuals and Royalties blog a month ago and I realized that the blogging world is very similar to the acting world. My blog is just starting to get some traffic, but I feel like I did when I was starting out in acting and living in that 500 square foot apartment. You might say that Alan Liew, Carl Ocab and Grizzly are the Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and George Clooneys of the blogging world. (maybe slightly less handsome however) Of course, I would love to be on page one for “make money online” – but the task seems as tough as becoming a famous actor. So my intentions are to work diligently at my blog and post quality content each day in hopes that my blog can create a nice source of supplemental income for me and my family.
While you may never see me at the Oscars on the red carpet, maybe someday I will share page one with Alan, Carl and Griz!
Michael-John Wolfe
Residuals & Royalties Blog
Acting Website
