💸 “Treat Yourself” Is Not a Budgeting Strategy

How Film & TV People Waste Money (and How to Stop)

Working in the film and TV industry is like being on a haunted Tilt-A-Whirl operated by a divorced magician who’s definitely drunk. One week you’re flush with per diem and confidence, the next you’re Venmo-requesting your roommate for half a La Croix.

There’s no salary consistency. No HR department. No adult supervision whatsoever. Just you, a 1099, and the lingering belief that someone, somewhere, will eventually pay you for that “quick turnaround” job from March. (They won’t. They're in Italy now.)

In this lawless financial wasteland, money disappears faster than an exec when you follow up on a meeting.

So here’s my little list of the most common, semi-depressing, and totally avoidable ways we waste money in this industry and how we can try to do better.