Are you an aspiring actor? A job with Uber or Lyft may boost your chances of getting discovered
More unemployed actors are driving Uber cars than ever before. According to recent reports, 60 percent of Lyft drivers had jobs or aspire for a job in the entertainment industry.
According to Lyft (the service with the big pink fuzzy mustaches attached to the grilles of its cars), as of June 2013, about 60 percent of its L.A. drivers also had jobs (or aspirations for one) in the entertainment industry. Uber (which had startup help from such Hollywood backers as Ashton Kutcher and WME) doesn’t share data on its tens of thousands of L.A. drivers, but plenty of anecdotal evidence suggests they also are waiting for their close-up, trying to sell scripts or just earning extra dough between gigs as a gaffer.
“The ability to make money without someone telling you when and where you have to be is amazing,” says Zack Rice, who was driving around town for Uber until September, when he sold his anthology crime series to NBC (cast- and script-contingent, Manhunt will air during the 2015 TV season).
For aspiring actors, writers and directors the best part of driving an uber is that you never know who is going to end up in yourcar and be your captive audience all the way to the airport. “I had one guy who had started his own production company,” says former Uber driver Justin Park (who also has a job starring on Funny or Die‘s Buddy Talk web series). “I picked up this one musician who makes music for TV shows. I’ve picked up a few writers. It’s nice to hear people’s point of view and have a conversation about the creative process.”
So the next time you are looking for a job to make connections in the entertainment industry, think about driving an Uber.
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