Entertainment industry salaries vary more widely than salaries in just about any other field. From actors and directors making millions at the top ranges to news reporters barely able to scrape by at the bottom ranges, salaries for entertainment employees can be wide-ranging and confusing.

It is therefore important to study entertainment and media salary guidelines in order to know where on the pay scale your salary should be. These guidelines are not usually set in stone, but you can get a good idea of appropriate salary ranges with a little research.

Keep in mind the following when finding out about entertainment salary guidelines:

1. Entertainment and media salaries vary widely, so make sure you’re looking at salaries for the type of job you want.

2. Professional organizations regulate entertainment industry salaries for their members only, and other salaries might be lower.

3. By comparing many entertainment jobs, you should be able to get a good idea of the appropriate salary.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Visit the websites of entertainment professional societies

One of the main functions of professional societies is to guarantee fair wages for their members and to regulate media and entertainment salary guidelines. Salaries for media employees can be found at the appropriate society's website.

I recommend: The Writers Guild of America gives salary guidelines and minimum wages for their members. The Screen Actors Guild also legislates the minimum salaries allowable for its members.

Look through media job listings for salary information

Job listings can be a great way to compare entertainment industry salaries across jobs. By looking at what's being offered, you can learn what to expect in entertainment business salaries.

I recommend: Career sites like CareerBuilder.com lists media and entertainment jobs across the country, with salaries posted for many of them. The New York Times Jobs section gives information on entertainment salary guidelines for most entertainment fields.

Get information from people working in the entertainment field

While it might be difficult to find a specific entertainment business salary, you can still hear what people are saying about entertainment business salaries in general and find entertainment salary information from a variety of sources.

I recommend: Vault’s Media and Entertainment message board posts information from media and entertainment employees as well as those looking to join the profession. PayScale hosts a blog that features job pay profiles for different industries.

Find general information on entertainment business salaries from career sites

Many career sites have sections devoted to information about media industries and can provide useful information about media salary guidelines.

I recommend: Vault offers employee surveys, which include salary information, although you need to pay for membership to access all information. MyCareer gives a graph and a table showing media and entertainment salaries.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep in mind that many fields within the entertainment and media industries offer extremely low initial salaries but that media industry salaries tend to rise quickly with time spent in the field. Consider your time in the industry when referring to media salary guides.