{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Thing We Never Talk About","title":"Matthew Wortz – Actor","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3214,"description":"In this episode, Tim sits down with Matthew Wortz, a New York-based actor who came to the craft after decades in conventional employment. Matt describes how being laid off in his previous job as a web designer led to showing up at an open call for extras on a film set. What started as something to stay active has turned into a serious second career: he's now a SAG-AFTRA member, working his way up through featured background roles, and thinking carefully about what the next phase looks like. Matt shares how the financial habits he learned during previous economic downturns helped him navigate the transition, and what it's like to build something new when you've spent most of your life as an employee.\nMatt's question for Tim: I'm thinking about setting up a loan-out company for my acting work. What advice would you give someone who has spent a lifetime in 9-to-5 jobs and is now creating and managing a small business for the first time?\nKey Takeaways:\nMatthew tried acting after being laid off from a web design role, signing up to be an extra almost on impulse, and found that being on set exciting and engaging.\nBreaking into the industry as an extra is unglamorous and low-paying, but the network of people doing the same work has helped him find new opportunities.\nAs a member of the SAG-AFTRA union, Matt is now able to earn more money as an actor. And being reliable on set has led to production staff recognizing him and recommending him for more roles.\nMatt's most valuable financial habit during the transition to a new career was having lived through the 2008 layoff, which taught him to move quickly into budgeting mode and adjust his lifestyle to fit the new financial reality.\nOne practical reason Matt is drawn to the loan-out structure is the paperwork problem: working for many different production companies means receiving pay stubs and 1099s from dozens of sources, and consolidating that into a single business entity would simplify both bookkeeping and tax filing...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ij30T8S22oW7oq3h35PBmjsaEjzv6wqJJXFR2goCl8k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80MWUw/NTk1NDU5NDIxMTc4/N2RlZDJiNGFhZmUx/MDQ0OS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}