Artistic Finance

Artistic Finance

Artistic Finance provides theatre makers with honest, no-pretension insights into managing money in the entertainment industry. Hosted by lighting designer Ethan Steimel, this podcast delves into the personal finance challenges and business realities of show business, offering candid advice and practical tools tailored to creatives working behind the scenes. https://www.artisticfinance.com/

Episodes

March 3, 2026 100 mins

An interview with projection designer Wendall K Harrington.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Building credit

⭐️ SEP IRAs for freelancers

⭐️ Asking producers to contribute to your SEP IRA

⭐️ Artistically building a 3rd show that’s a combo of the director’s vision and your vision

 

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/tOYo1Qd1WXQ

 

Wendall K Harrington

http://www.wendallharrington.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendall-harrington-6678a95/

https://www.ibdb....

Mark as Played

A conversation about the business side of being a projection designer with Zak Borovay, who on Broadway has designed Elf, Xanadu, and Rock of Ages. He has also done work for Disney and Universal theme parks, lots of cruise lines, and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Protections of a union

⭐️ Keeping your investments

⭐️ History of projection designers joining USA 829

⭐️ Freelancing versus being employed ...

Mark as Played

Choreographer Staś Kmieć explains how he’s handled the business side of his theatre and dance career.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Tax filing

⭐️ Healthcare

⭐️ Fiddler On The Roof

⭐️ Not spending money when on tour

 

Video Version: https://youtu.be/CUtkLbPZnQ4

 

Staś Kmieć

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sta%C5%9B-kmie%C4%87-462b8519/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sta%C5%9B_Kmie%C4%87

 

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica...

Mark as Played

Broadway lighting programmer Brad Gray discusses financial literacy and the importance of making that choice to prioritize your finances so that you aren’t forced to hustle until your dying day.

 

Topics:

⭐️  Rich Dad, Poor Dad

⭐️  Programmer day rates

⭐️  Rental real estate investing

⭐️  ROTH IRAs and Retirement Accounts

⭐️  Starting them early and NOT dipping into them when purchasing a new home unless you really have to

 

Video ...

Mark as Played

Tax expert Susan Lee discusses tax implications and best practices for freelancers.

 

Topics:

⭐️  Cashflow

⭐️  Having a will

⭐️  Being your own bookkeeper

⭐️  A financial health checklist and a financial disaster kit

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/uJQLmbiwCA0

 

Freelance Taxation

https://www.freelancetaxation.com/

 

Pieter Bruegel The Elder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder

 

The Beekeepers

https://en.wikiped...

Mark as Played

(Audio problems? I made a mistake uploading, so delete the episode and then try to play it again.) Costume designer Elsa Hiltner talks about the lack of pay equity in theatrical design and what she is doing about it.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Living wage

⭐️ The Pay Equity Standards

⭐️ The Theatrical Designer Pay Resource

⭐️ Annual income for Chicago-based non-union costume designers

 

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/8DZsxRe0w_g

 

 

https://www...

Mark as Played

Part two of the conversation with Broadway lighting designer Jane Cox.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Keeping overhead low

⭐️ Paying theatre designers hourly 

⭐️ Penny Remsen - Jane’s lighting mentor

⭐️ Paying for assistants / drafting out of the design fee

⭐️ Two recent design fees - one for an opera, one for an off Broadway musical

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/1qBXKh3-QfM

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

False Steps - Off...

Mark as Played

Lighting designer Jane Cox discusses life as a freelance theatre designer who has also taken on some full time academic work.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Parenting while working in the arts

⭐️ Paying student loans with a credit card

⭐️ Prioritizing the needs of the community above the market rate 

⭐️ The financial system working against theatre design as a career

⭐️ Jane’s tax rate as a freelancer nearing 50%, and having it lower once she started...

Mark as Played
June 4, 2025 69 mins

An update on the $6,000 of investments we made in May of 2021.

 

Four lighting designers and a bond investment CEO review how our investments compare to the S&P 500.

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/_hiXSC5HY6A

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

False Steps: A Ballroom Comedy

https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/

 

ETFs:

IVV - iShares Core S&P 500

 

Stocks:

VST - Vistra Corp

LAC - Lithium Americas

TAP -...

Mark as Played

Set designer Vincent Gunn talks about the benefits of tracking the hours that you work.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Valuing your time 

⭐️ Investing the money in your retirement account

⭐️ Writing things down and getting them out of your head

⭐️ Designers thinking about work even when they’re not at work

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/g1BZrnh3l7A

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

Vincent Gunn

https://www.vincentgunn.com/

htt...

Mark as Played

TheatrIcal lighting designer Jason Lynch talks about freelancing in Chicago. 

 

Topics:

⭐️ LLCs

⭐️ Estate Sales

⭐️ Keeping our humanity

⭐️ Investing in the S&P 500

⭐️ Some of Jason’s recent design fees

⭐️ Moving to a big theatre city, that’s not New York

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/y5PApxbBG_I

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

Jason Lynch

https://www.jasondlynch.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondl...

Mark as Played

Projection designer Sven Ortel talks about career finances.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Being persistent 

⭐️ Insisting you get credit for your work

⭐️ Organizing your taxes and writing it down

⭐️ Separating the production budget from the design budget

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/YDxUvU-in4U

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

Sven Ortel

https://www.svenortel.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/svenortel/

https://www.instagram...

Mark as Played

Discussing designer pay and transparency with Broadway, Off-Broadway, and West End lighting designer Isabella Byrd. 

 

Topics:

⭐️ Dealing with the IRS

⭐️ Union pension, healthcare, and the union ledger

⭐️ Commercial theatre fees (aka Broadway) versus off-Broadway fees (aka non-profit theatre)

⭐️ CDs, as in Certificates of Deposit

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/HJ1wBWuLwKQ

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

Isa...

Mark as Played

Today is the 5th anniversary of Artistic Finance. A quick thank you to mark the occasion and announcing a non-AEA casting notice for NYC!

Mark as Played

Broadway lighting designer Beverly Emmons discusses commercial theatre practices for designers.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Adding riders onto your contract

⭐️ Theatre Law which aims to protect investors’ money

⭐️ W2 and 1099 and how that impacts copyright for designers

⭐️ The history of the theatre design union - United Scenic Artists

⭐️ Those union contracts, what they protect, and how they’re helpful for expediting theatre negotiations because...

Mark as Played

Alvin Hough Jr, who’s currently the associate music director of The Lion King on Broadway, talks about career finances and a few things about musical theatre musicians.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Dollar pizza

⭐️ Being a saver, not a spender

⭐️ Living off per diem while touring

⭐️ Rehearsal call versus a performance call

⭐️ Rates of pay for different numbers of instruments

⭐️ The differences between the piano and the keyboard

⭐️ Working a double,...

Mark as Played

Technical director Tab Birt discusses his journey through live entertainment, financial lessons learned along the way, and his dream of trading the stage for a glass artist’s studio in Norway.

 

Topics

⭐️ Glass blowing

⭐️ Not selling yourself short

⭐️ Getting on a stagehands union call list

⭐️ Burning out, being cynical, and the joy of theatre

⭐️ The secret investment vehicle called a ROTH IRA

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/Kh9TP...

Mark as Played

Today’s show is an “ordinary and necessary” episode in which we learn about prepping and filing taxes for freelancer 1099 income.

 

Topics:

⭐️ Documentation matters!

⭐️ Personal expenses versus business expenses

⭐️ Tracking your expenses as you go

⭐️ Missing expenses are the number one way to pay more in taxes.

 

Video Version

https://youtu.be/EJBHsud0Iis

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

Aja M Jackson

https://...

Mark as Played

A guide of financial resources, and where to find them, for freelancers working in theatre or other facets of the entertainment industry.

 

⭐️ Unions

⭐️ Job boards

⭐️ Scholarships

⭐️ Financial Planning

⭐️ Taxes / Accountants

⭐️ Financial Communities

⭐️ Educational Worksheets & Supplements

⭐️ Community Resources - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

⭐️ Episodes of Artistic Finance - separated out by career focuses

 

Video Version:

...

Mark as Played

A panel of live event lighting and media professionals having a Q&A about career finances.

 

⭐️ Theatre Lighting Designer Christina Watanabe

⭐️ TV Lighting Designer Mike Grabowski

⭐️  Media Designer Zak Borovay

⭐️ TV Gaffer Seán Linehan

 

Topics:

⭐️ Taxes

⭐️ Agents

⭐️ Contracts

⭐️ USA 829 / LORT Contracts

 

Youtube Version

https://youtu.be/ojmSqEkGqi8

 

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

 

LDI

https://www.ldisho...

Mark as Played

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