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Learning Pathway: What to Pay People
People are always the most expensive budget line when you're producing—but how do you know what to pay them? This learning pathway tackles Paying People, just in time for the Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council August project deadlines.
One of the most common questions I get from producers is: how much do I pay people? While there are several unions and associations that cover the performing arts, it’s still not always a straightforward question to answer. If you’re working with an Equity (Canadian Actors’ Equity/CAEA) agreement, things are a little clearer—there are set policies and minimum rates you’re obligated to follow. Otherwise, it is up to you as a producer to set the fees and rates, as well as the working conditions of a project.
This ArtistProducerResource.com Learning Pathway helps you figure out what to pay people who are working on your project.
We’re publishing it in July, right before a round of project deadlines from the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils (learn more on our Public Funding and Grant Writing pages). We hope it will be a handy resource at the start of any budgeting process!
Where to begin
I always start a budget with my expenses (what would I like the project to cost?) — people are almost always the most expensive item in a budget.
Next I determine if I can find the revenue to make the budget feasible.
Once I’ve found the balance between what I want to have happen, and the resources I have available to make it a reality, I have the first draft of my working budget.
Considering what to pay people
One of the things unions and associations do is set a minimum rate schedule. These rate schedules are often grouped together by labour type (actors, directors, and stage managers share an association; designers have a different association, and so do technicians). It is important to understand that these rate schedules are MINIMUMS—so you can think about them as the minimum wage. You can always pay people more.
Dollars are not the only way to compensate people working on your project, though generally that is the preferred method. Depending on what you’re doing, the stage your project is at, and what you’re hoping to achieve with this part of the process, you might consider other ways of compensating those you are working with. Perhaps you can only offer an honorarium, but you will provide lunch for everyone each day.
Some other tips
Rights and Royalties
If you’re working with an existing script you may need to add this to your budget—don’t forget to research that cost early on
If you’re building something new, consider budgeting for rights and royalties from the start of your new process, and making that part of the negotiations. Often (though not always), playwrights, designers, and co-collaborators will want to talk about rights and royalties before embarking on a new creation.
Unions and associations in other performing arts disciplines
These can be helpful for determining fees—CARFAC (representing visual artists) is one of the few associations that has rate schedules for offering workshops or talks, as well as for screening short films.
Further Learning
Sometimes the hardest person to pay is yourself! Use the Rags to Reasonable Salary Worksheet to calculate how much you should pay yourself on your next (or current) project.
Use the Freelance Rate Calculator to set your base hourly rate
This Client Email Helper template by Jessica Hische generates email responses to help you say “no” to free and low-budget work and to help ask for more favourable contract terms before the start of a project.
Check out ArtistProducerResource.com’s Expenses and Revenues infographic series below
Expenses Infographic: download the PDF by clicking the image above, or find it on the Expenses page on ArtistProducerResource.com.
Revenues Infographic: download the PDF by clicking the image above, or find it on the Revenues page on ArtistProducerResource.com.
About ArtistProducerResource.com
ArtistProducerResource.com is a free, searchable online encyclopedia of information, resources, tools, and templates for producing independent performance work in Canada, currently with a focus on Toronto. Launched in November 2017, it has since been visited by over 10,000 users, transforming the way artists producers access information and share knowledge across Canada. ArtistProduceResource.com is free to access and always will be. You can become a supporter by subscribing to our Patreon—we’ll send you a monthly newsletter with highlights, features, and all the newest content on the site. Got a suggestion for ArtistProducerResource.com? Send it to us here.
Learning Pathway: Accessibility as a Practice
This learning pathway invites you to use a values-based approach to the budgeting, planning, development, and execution of a production, where conscious decisions are being made, at all stages of the process, about who the play is for and how the needs of the audience and artists are being met.
Producing is a practice. By that I mean, it’s something you do over and over again. Each time you learn something, because each time is a little different. You carry your experiences with you to each new project, and maybe you begin to develop a philosophy and protocols for yourself. You may return to certain spaces to work with the same people. Together, you develop a shared language, a shorthand, a style of working, a culture. Sometimes, a culture of exclusion can develop.
We live in a capitalist, white supremacist, colonial society. These structures have made their way into the live performance sector, into our working relationships, into our bodies, and into our thoughts. Decisions that counter those structures must therefore be made consciously.
Decolonizing one’s producing practice is a life-long journey. I am no expert, and ArtistProducerResource.com does not have all the answers. My hope is that this is one place among many for new ideas, new questions, and new perspectives to spring from.
This learning pathway invites you to use a values-based approach to the budgeting, planning, development, and execution of a production, where conscious decisions are being made, at all stages of the process, about who the play is for and how the needs of the audience and artists are being met.
Photo by Keshia Palm
If this approach seems overwhelming, restrictive, or perhaps even impossible given the current state of the world, I encourage you to step back and examine why. What are the assumptions or habits of mind causing you to feel that way? To guide you through the process of unpacking all that, check out Inclusion on ArtistProducerResource.com.
I’d much rather work from a place of hope and curiosity than a place of frustration and restraint. I love this prompt from the digital workshop “Crip the Script” created by the amazing Ophira Calof (everyone, hire them!): Embrace your team's access needs as part of your collective, creative, DNA.
This framework changes the producer’s approach from “if only...” to “what if...?”.
Consider the Social Model of Disability – which we use to frame Accessibility on ArtistProducerResource.com. The Social Model of Disability removes the onus from the individual and places it back on a society that has, throughout history, demonstrated “disablism” as a method of discrimination against those with impairments. A social model perspective does not deny the reality of impairment nor its impact on the individual. However, it does challenge the physical, attitudinal, communication and social environment to accommodate impairment as an expected incident of human diversity.
COVID is such a great example of this. Suddenly, when everyone was forced to stay home, we as a society made major accommodations to react to this drastic shift to keep each other safe. This proves that it is possible to – and that we are capable of – significantly changing the way we do things at any and all times. You can do it, I can do it – we all can do it.
Some actionable tools for making workspaces safer for artists can be found on Artist Accessibility on ArtistProducerResource.com; ranging from budgeting considerations, to design choices, to discussing access needs.
While you can (and should) build your project to meet the exact needs of your audience and your artists, there are some blueprints that you can look to for inspiration and guidance.
Approach Accessible Performances like you would a dressmaker’s pattern – you can follow the rough shape, but need to take measurements and tailor it to fit you!
Now that you have your pretty dress (the performance) that fits amazing and looks fabulous, it must be seen, darling! Check out Marketing Strategy and review Artist Accessibility to make sure you are respecting your artists while reaching your audience. Like any good party invitation, make sure you include all the important information so that people are excited to come, and know exactly what they are getting into. Read over and answer the many questions on Audience Accessibility before you share anything – chances are, your audience will be asking those same questions.
Remember that for a lot of folks (including me), theatre has not always been a place where they have felt comfortable or particularly welcome.
For some folks, it may not be a welcome place still. If you are inviting folks who have historically not been welcomed into the space, you have to work extra hard to assure them that this production is for them.
Imagine you get invited to eat at a really fancy schmancy restaurant. This is what I might think: Oh my god a fancy restaurant. I never go to fancy restaurants. What do I wear? What’s on the menu? Can I eat it? Can I read it? How much does it cost? Will there be people like me there? I’ve never been to this fancy schmancy restaurant before! What time do I show up? Is there a lobby? Is there coat check? Do I need to bring anything? Where is it? How do I get there? How long will it take to get there? How long is this dinner going to be anyway? What are the washrooms like? Who else is going? Do I know anyone? Should I bring someone? Can I afford it? Can they afford it? Will it be fun??
To some folks, your performance is like a fancy schmancy restaurant. A million other questions will also come up, because everyone is different and needs different things to feel safe, comfortable, and wanted. It’s your job to tell them that you made the whole menu with them in mind.
And if you’re one of those folks who never went to the theatre, who never got invited to the fancy schmancy restaurant, who’s starting up their own little pop up – I see you! Someone out there is going to see what you’re selling, and it’s going to stir up memories and feelings deep inside them because you’ve got that soul food. Still, you have to do all of the above to get your soul food to the people who are going to eat it up.
Of course, there are a multitude of ways to get people excited about and invested in your production that reach beyond “the performance”. On ArtistProducerResource.com, we call this part Community Engagement. Community Engagement builds trust and relationships with people, so that you can go from being a fancy schmancy restaurant or a brand new pop up to someone’s favourite local spot. This takes time, energy, repetition. Dare I say – practice?
I’d like to leave you here with a few more paths to pursue in your journey:
Sins Invalid; the originators of the disability justice movement
Creative Users; whose newsletter frequently sparks joy and illuminates new opportunities for theatre/connection
Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO); offers numerous workshops and panels gathering movers and shakers from across the sector
Cripresentation; a podcast highlighting queer and trans disabled artists and their work, specifically centring Black, Indigenous and other people of colour
AccessDocsForArtists; a website all about creating access docs – a document that outlines your disability access needs, also known as an “access rider” – with resources to make your own!
Infographics & Templates
Infographic: How to Make Spoken Theatre Accessible for Deaf Audiences. View the PDF by clicking the image above, or find it on Accessible Performances on ArtistProducerResource.com.
Infographic: How to Make Spoken Theatre Accessible for Deaf Audiences. View the PDF by clicking the image above, or find it on Accessible Performances on ArtistProducerResource.com.
Template: Community Agreement. Download the PDF by clicking the image above, or find it on Inclusion on ArtistProducerResource.com. More templates: find the Theatre Venue Accessibility Audit Checklist on Audience Accessibility on ArtistProducerResource.com.
YouTube Playlists
About ArtistProducerResource.com
ArtistProducerResource.com is a free, searchable online encyclopedia of information, resources, tools, and templates for producing independent performance work in Canada, currently with a focus on Toronto. Launched in November 2017, it has since been visited by over 10,000 users, transforming the way artists producers access information and share knowledge across Canada. ArtistProduceResource.com is free to access and always will be. You can become a supporter by subscribing to our Patreon—we’ll send you a monthly newsletter with highlights, features, and all the newest content on the site. Got a suggestion for ArtistProducerResource.com? Send it to us here.
Learning Pathway: Digital Communications
Our third ArtistProducerResource.com Learning Pathway looks at social media, analytics, designing communications for accessibility, and newsletters.
Most of us engage with digital communications in our lives in some way—or in approximately one zillion ways, every day: we post on social media, open email newsletters, watch YouTube videos, and visit websites (like this one!). Maybe you’re someone who’s put a lot of thought into your personal *online presence*, maybe you run social media for three different theatre companies at any given time, or maybe the thought of a job description that includes “newsletter creation” makes you want to run for the hills. There are almost as many levels of digital communications literacy as there are humans logging onto the interwebs each day.
This Learning Pathway takes you through the best ArtistProducerResource.com has to offer when it comes to producing communications for a company or production—dig as deep as you like according to your skill level and interest. It was created by me, Annie Clarke, Generator’s Communications Producer, and it is the third in a series of ArtistProducerResource.com Learning Pathways that we launched in January (read Keshia Palm’s post on Personal Organization and Business Management here and Audrey Quinn’s post on Tax Season here).
This Learning Pathway looks at social media, analytics, designing communications for accessibility, and newsletters — all on ArtistProducerResource.com — with some YouTube videos and downloadable templates for you to make your own. The total read/watch time is approximately 2 hours.
Boundaries
The tools you use to do digital communications work for your job probably overlap with the platforms you use in your life—I can’t stress enough how important (and helpful!) it is to set boundaries around communications. The Information Management page on ArtistProducerResource.com opens with precisely this topic and offers tips to help you draw the lines you need to, from email labels to distinct browser profiles. Settings are your friend—get specific where you can. (For instance, you can choose to get phone notifications about direct messages on your personal Instagram without signing up to receive them for whatever business profile(s) you also manage.)
Social Media
Start with an easy breezy overview by watching the “Producing Social Media” YouTube video series Keshia and I made last year.
Watch time: 6 minutes
Once you’ve got those basics down, settle into the Social Media page on ArtistProducerResource.com for a deeper dive. It has helpful contextual information and a lot of details about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
I think the best communications results come from a combination of planning and responsiveness. To help with the planning part, my go-to tools include:
AirTable, a project management software for content planning (read about it on ArtistProducerResource.com’s Information Management page)
Hootsuite, for drafting and scheduling social media posts
Canva, an excellent and supremely user-friendly graphic design platform
LinkTree, for when you can’t pick just one link for your Instagram bio
The Social Media page has a run-down of those last three and many more!
Reading time: 34 minutes
Tracking Analytics
Stay with the Social Media page to learn about tracking your analytics. Running social media takes time and effort, and it’s useful to have a way to evaluate what’s working, and what’s not—especially when social media is part of your job description. Whether you do it once a week or once a month (I have a weekly recurring reminder to do this for Generator), make this tracking part of your workflow. You’ll find a downloadable Excel template on the Social Media page to help. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll write grew company’s Instagram following by 250% in three months on your resume and it will get you the communications job you always dreamed of! Only time (and good tracking) will tell.
Keshia covered the Websites page on ArtistProducerResource.com in her Learning Pathway on Personal Organization and Business Management. Head back to Websites to read up on analytics—they’re a great thing to track for your website alongside your social media insights. Google Analytics is a free and relatively easy tool to set up for any website: here’s a YouTube video to get you started.
Designing Communications for Accessibility
These posters created by Karwai Pun on the “dos and don’ts” of designing for accessibility are one of the most popular resources Generator has ever shared on social media—and I know this because of (say it with me!) tracking our analytics. Visit the Accessible Websites, Graphics, Videos and Documents page on ArtistProducerResource.com for more tips and resources to ensure your communications creations are accessible.
A couple things to highlight:
Capitalizing the first letter of every word in a hashtag ensures it can be read by screen readers—#TakeThisHashtagForExample
When you’re creating graphics and images, make sure to create Alt Text for them too! You can add Alt Text directly into posts on Twitter (before you post) and Instagram (after you post)
Colour contrast is an important part of accessibility in graphic design—the tools on the ArtistProducerResource.com page are good ones to bookmark (Coolors.co/generate is especially fun)
Reading time: 16 minutes
Newsletters
I love newsletters. I enjoy creating them as much as I enjoy reading them. And you know what else I love? Respecting people’s communication preferences! Ever heard of the acronym CASL? It’s pronounced ‘castle,’ and it’s short for Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation—we get it into that, and much more, on the Newsletters/eBlasts page on ArtistProducerResource.com.
If you’re looking for a platform recommendation: Team Mailchimp. (PSA: Being on Team Mailchimp also means being on Team Export Your Audience List Regularly to Back It Up.)
Reading time: 22 minutes
Further Learning
Accessibility Services Canada has a lot of great webinars (some of them free), including Web Accessibility for Content Managers and Accessible Graphic Design
CampTech has a number of workshops geared towards small storefront Ontario businesses, but their newsletter reaches far and wide, with great round-ups of trends in social media and digital marketing (Hootsuite’s newsletter will keep you on top of trends too)
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture’s Digital Ladders Project has helpful blog posts looking at case studies in digital tools and strategies across a number of arts organizations
About ArtistProducerResource.com
ArtistProducerResource.com is a free, searchable online encyclopedia of information, resources, tools, and templates for producing independent performance work in Canada, currently with a focus on Toronto. Launched in November 2017, it has since been visited by over 10,000 users, transforming the way artists producers access information and share knowledge across Canada. ArtistProduceResource.com is free to access and always will be. You can become a supporter by subscribing to our Patreon—we’ll send you a monthly newsletter with highlights, features, and all the newest content on the site. Got a suggestion for ArtistProducerResource.com? Send it to us here.
Learning Pathway: Tax Season
For our second ArtistProducerResource.com Learning Pathway, Financial Literacy Consultant Audrey Quinn offers a step-by-step approach to tackling the most wonderful time of the year…tax season.
For our second ArtistProducerResource.com Learning Pathway, we’re ringing in the most *wonderful* time of the year! The time of year when you’re looking through pockets, drawers, and in between couch cushions for receipts. When you’re trying to figure out what that deposit in your bank account back in June was from. When you’re wondering if that dinner you went to with that touring company last January is deductible. Yes: it’s tax time. Maybe you started 2020 with the best of intentions, swore you’d stay on top of your finances all year long, but then life happened (and a certain pandemic happened, too). So now you’re sitting in front of a pile of papers faced with what feels like one very complicated tax return.
One Step At A Time
Step 1
Don’t fret. It may seem overwhelming at first, but if you take a systematic approach and break tax prep into smaller steps, it will feel more manageable.
Step 2
Familiarize yourself with the Canadian tax system and your obligations as a tax payer by reviewing the Income Tax page on ArtistProducerResource.com.
Step 3
Identify all the income you earned during the tax year (in this case, January 1, 2020-December 31, 2020). This may mean gathering together invoices you sent out, service contracts you signed, and records of deposits. You will also have to report any income that was reported to CRA in the form of T4s, T4As, T3s or T5s. By February 28, you should be able to see all applicable forms issued to you via CRA MyAccount.
Step 4
Organize all expenses related to your self-employment by type of expense—think office supplies, union dues, agent fees, home office materials, business meals, etc.
Step 5
Don’t forget about tax deductions that are available to all Canadians, regardless of self-employment status. (These include Medical, Donations, RRSP Contributions, Ontario rent credits.)
Step 6
If you’re feeling confident, you can prepare your tax returns using any CRA-approved tax filing software, or you can book an appointment with a tax professional. Make sure you’re up front when booking a tax appointment that you are a self-employed artist and that the tax preparer is familiar with your line of work. Not all tax preparers are created equal and it’s up to you to advocate for your needs.
Step 7
If you’ve decided to have your taxes done by a tax professional, be sure to review Artbooks’ “Prepare to Meet your Tax Preparer” guide before your appointment to make sure you have everything you need to make that session run smoothly.
Things to Consider
Grant Income
One aspect of personal income tax that is unique to artists is the receipt of grants. Grants are a welcome source of revenue for artists but can create quite a tax headache. Our Guide to Government Grants and Their Tax Treatments will help you with preparing your taxes after receiving a grant.
Employment Status
Unsure whether you should be (or might want to be) considered an employee rather than a contractor, or vice versa? Visit Employee vs. Contractor on ArtistProducerResource.com to learn the differences between the two (there are pros, cons, and tax implications for each).
Planning Ahead
Once you’ve climbed the tax prep mountain and emerged on the other side, it might be a good time to double down on a commitment to get/stay on top of your finances going forward. This will help you feel less overwhelmed next tax season, and will help avoid any nasty surprises—tax bills can be scary if you’re not prepared for them.
We recommend you take a hard look at your finances and plan a budget for yourself by checking out the tools and templates for Personal Finances and Planning on ArtistProducerResource.com. You might also be inspired to revamp your invoice template (which can be found on the Income Tax page) to make next tax season that much more bearable.
Keep Learning
Congratulations on wading into the murky waters of taxes as an independent artist. Your financial learning may have taken the backseat to your artistic learning in years past, but there’s no time like the present—we’re glad to see you here now! And remember, you’re not alone, and there’s lots of help around. There are plenty of further learning and development opportunities to help you with budgeting and personal finance. Some of our favourites are: Rags to Reasonable, Ambitious Adulting, and The New School of Finance.
About ArtistProducerResource.com
ArtistProducerResource.com is a free, searchable online encyclopedia of information, resources, tools, and templates for producing independent performance work in Canada, currently with a focus on Toronto. Launched in November 2017, it has since been visited by over 10,000 users, transforming the way artists producers access information and share knowledge across Canada. ArtistProduceResource.com is free to access and always will be. You can become a supporter by subscribing to our Patreon—we’ll send you a monthly newsletter with highlights, features, and all the newest content on the site. Got a suggestion for ArtistProducerResource.com? Send it to us here.
Learning Pathway: Personal Organization + Business Management
Announcing Learning Pathways: a new way to experience ArtistProducerResource.com! We’re starting with pages, templates, and further resources to support self-guided learning around Personal Organization and Business Management.
Announcing Learning Pathways
We’ve been thinking a lot about self-guided learning this year. So many projects, ways of working, and ways of interacting have been disrupted, and we’ve been reflecting about how all our programs can adapt to fit this moment—from Artist Producer Training to ArtistProducerResource.com. Maybe your learning is less centred around current producing projects right now, and more driven by specific topics you’re seeking to know more about. Maybe you’re at home, underemployed and overwhelmed, and wondering about skills you have in the arts that might be transferable to another field, or another role within the sector. We want to help you fill in those gaps, pursue lines of inquiry, and spark your curiosity!
This is the first of a series of self-guided Learning Pathways we’ve put together, just for you.
These pathways are comprised of ArtistProducerResource.com pages, YouTube videos, templates, infographics, and other fun things to deepen your knowledge and understanding of a particular theme.
Personal Organization + Business Management
We are kicking off 2021 with our first Learning Pathway: Personal Organization and Business Management, created by me, Keshia Palm—Online Content Producer for ArtistProducerResource.com.
This pathway takes you through Personal Finance and Planning, Information Management, Websites, and a Contracts Overview on ArtistProducerResource.com, with some YouTube videos and downloadable templates for you to make your own. The total read/watch time is approximately 2.5 hours.
I recommend starting with the Rags to Reasonable video series Finding Your Financial Footing in the Middle of the Pandemic from our Personal Finances playlist on YouTube. The video starts with a breathing exercise, and acknowledges that money/our relationship to money is emotional.
Next, head to the Personal Finance & Planning page on ArtistProducerResource.com. You’ll find info to help better understand and stabilize your monthly budget on a variable income. The page includes a downloadable Budget Planning template that you can start plugging into right away—a particularly good “January” activity.
Reading time: 20 min
It would make me very happy if 2021 was the year artist producers everywhere made themselves a perfect, personalized, invoice template.
Head to our Contracts Overview page to buff up your Contracts skills so that you are ready to negotiate the terms of your next project, and download our basic invoice template to transform into your own masterpiece.
Reading time: 17 min
I’ve included Websites, because creating a professional website is a great opportunity to think about your artistic practice, and how to express yourself and your brand to the world—another juicy project for these slow, dark winter months. (You can also check out the ArtistProducerResource page on Artist Statements for some inspiration and guidance on how to talk about your work.)
Reading time: 28 min
Information Management is one of my favourite pages on ArtistProducerResource.com. It covers so many different areas of information management; from setting communication boundaries at work to explaining Gmail labels.
My favourite information management tool is definitely labeling and archiving emails—there’s a great YouTube video from Google Workplace that walks you through how to set it up.
Reading time: 20 minutes
I highly recommend you set aside some time to actually apply some of the information management strategies right away—give yourself an afternoon to rename and file all the stuff in your Downloads folder, or label and archive your Inbox! Trust me, it’s worth it.
If you’re eager for some further learning, check out From Rags to Reasonable. They have a wealth of resources, workshops and services available to help you manage your money, including a whole DIY Tools page.
You could also play the Funding Your Dreams with Leah-Simone Bowen video by Nia Centre for the Arts in the background while you clean up your inbox or plug in your finances to the planning template for some inspiration and insight. It’s an hour and a half of good advice—great background noise for those zen cleaning moments.
About ArtistProducerResource.com
ArtistProducerResource.com is a free, searchable online encyclopedia of information, resources, tools, and templates for producing independent performance work in Canada, currently with a focus on Toronto. Launched in November 2017, it has since been visited by over 10,000 users, transforming the way artists producers access information and share knowledge across Canada. ArtistProduceResource.com is free to access and always will be. You can become a supporter by subscribing to our Patreon—we’ll send you a monthly newsletter with highlights, features, and all the newest content on the site. Got a suggestion for ArtistProducerResource.com? Send it to us here.