Quiona Jamison: Actor and voice actor in San Francisco, California.

I've run into this dilemma many times when it concerns acting and actors and maybe you all can give me your two cents! To me most true artists can't help but do their art, regardless of whether they make money or not. I have always kept busy and been paid for very little of the work. Being in a place where you can make a living doing this is a luxury few people have - but at the same time there are others out there who are willing to exploit this "need" to express your art. I've done my share of unpaid work and certainly also looked for people to work for me where it had to be the desire to do something artistic that drove them (because I couldn't pay). But I've seen more and more negative comments towards unpaid "work". I say "work" because it's still your art and you're asked to do it for free - and if you say yes then you accept the terms. But I've experienced people hinting at how "unprofessional" it is to not be paid AFTER they have accepted to work without pay and I've heard the sentence "if you can afford to make a movie, you can afford to pay" many times. Though I on one hand agree, I also completely disagree with that statement as art - to me at least - is different from any regular job and for us the work really is often enough - and to be part of an artistic venture is extremely satisfying. I often seek out "jobs" that don't pay just because I love what I do and if they're a challenge and interesting - that's what matters to me. But what are your thoughts on this people?

Hello Quiona -

Welcome to the community! I'm Amanda Toney, the Managing Director at Stage 32. Since 2013 I've been proud to oversee Stage 32's Next Level Education, which provides you the most up-to-date tools necessary to become a better creative.

Over the years Stage 32 has worked with over 500 industry executives and professionals to teach online webinars, classes and intensive labs exclusively for you - our Stage 32 community. We bring you instructors who have worked directly on some of your favorite films, TV shows or theater productions to teach you in-the-trenches information that you won't find anywhere else on producing, directing, financing, writing, packaging, acting and more.

Our Next Level Education has a 97% satisfaction rate and averages 4.5 out of 5 stars. Plus, we've had the honor to be called "LinkedIn meets Lynda.com for film, television and theater creatives" by Forbes Magazine.

I encourage you to take the next step to continue learning and expanding your career by clicking here, or clicking "education" on your top menu bar.

I'm grateful you've joined the Stage 32 community. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Amanda

Hi Quiona. I'm RB, Founder and CEO of Stage 32. As a screenwriter, producer, actor and filmmaker, I know first-hand the challenges all creatives face finding work, landing representation, launching projects, securing funding and simply making the connections that will make a difference in their careers. That's why I created Stage 32. Since our launch in September of 2011, the community has grown to 1,000,000+ members representing every country on the planet making Stage 32 the social network uniquely populated with the most creative people on Earth.

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Thanks for joining the movement and for being a part of this most talented and inspiring community. I very much look forward to your contributions.

Thanks, and have a creative day!

RB

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