May 19, 2023
The Actor’s Space is a podcast hosted by Laura Kee, a freelance actor in Singapore. Through conversations with fellow actors, and industry colleagues, we will be talking about the working actor’s life in Singapore – how do we pursue our love for acting, while navigating the business side of the craft? Let’s create more conversations about the challenges of building a sustainable acting career in Singapore.
GUEST
Edward is a Master's graduate from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Theatre Studies Programme with 22 years of experience as an actor. He works as an Actor, Host, Model, Voice-Over Artist, and Corporate Trainer for MNCs and foreign governments. He also conducts financial literacy classes for freelancers and graduating students, and wrote and hosted a finance series called #Adulting on Yahoo TV.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Savings = Income – Expenses. To save more, raise your income or lower your expenses!
• Invest, or put your money in fixed deposits. Do not leave your money to rot in the bank.
• Hide money from yourself so you are not tempted to spend it!
• Negotiate your fees & loading. Your skills as an Actor are unique and valuable.
• Before you even start investing, make sure you have adequate insurance coverage.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
‘We are creatives, we are artists, we offer something that the average person on the street cannot so know your value. … Because otherwise, you're going to show up to work with this niggling feeling in the back of your head that you're being underpaid. And that's going to affect your work.’ – Edward
‘The opportunity costs of leaving your money in the bank is spectacular. … Either you invest for yourself, or you put it into CPF. Otherwise, you're leaving it in the bank to rot.’ – Edward
‘Companies will always lowball you. The first offer you get is always the lowest that they are willing to offer you. So always negotiate, no matter what.’ – Edward
Connect with Laura
Website: www.laurakee.sg
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@laurakeelt
Connect with Edward
Connect with us!
Website: www.creativesatwork.asia
Facebook: facebook.com/creativesatworkasia
Instagram: instagram.com/freelancecreativeexchange
Check out other series on our previous FCE episodes
🎨 Freelance Creative Exchange: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyEgcfzkuV7oC7Nl3njGLaVsG0aMXh96p