Artistic Finance

Artistic Finance
  • 5.0 (47)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
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/

  1. JUL 4

    193: America The Beautiful (Except The Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Jane Cox (Part 2 of 2)

    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-Broadway Play https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/   Jane Cox https://janecoxlight.squarespace.com/ https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jane-cox-115195   Sam Pinkleton https://sampinkleton.com/   Stacey Derosier  https://www.staceyderosier.com/   Accountants for Theatre Artists https://www.artisticfinance.com/resources.html   Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/donor-services   The Watershed https://thewatershed.org/donate/   Roundabout Workforce Development Program https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/education/career-training/theatrical-workforce-development-program   1/52 Project https://www.oneeveryfiftytwo.org/   Tech 25 in Pittsburgh (Jordan Gilliam) https://www.tech25.org/ Website temporarily down as of July 2025   Brighter Boston (Aja Jackson) https://www.brighterboston.org/   Design Action https://www.design-action.com/   LA Opera https://laopera.org/   Teeth The Musical https://teeththemusical.com/   Playwrights Horizons https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/   Elsa Hiltner's Designer Pay Resource https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1myTM4B4VGfv21iJovNLYiIopUtsDClzSGLsFOsAZHi4/edit?gid=0#gid=0   Penny Remsen https://www.umass.edu/theater/about/directory/penny-remsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-remsen-1b53b8a/   Ben Stanton https://benstanton.com/   Justin Townsend https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/justin-townsend-117237   Brian MacDevitt https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-macdevitt-25766   NYU Graduate Design School https://tisch.nyu.edu/design   University of Massachussets Amherts https://www.umass.edu/theater/   Jane Cox is a theater maker, an educator and a lighting designer working in theater, opera, dance and music. Jane won a Tony, a Drama Desk and the Henry Hewes award in 2024 for her lighting for Appropriate, and has three Tony nominations for Macbeth (‘22), Jitney (‘17) and Machinal (‘14). Her creative career has been built on relationships; some of the extraordinary theatrical artists who have shaped her creative life include Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Doyle, Elise Thoron, Shariffa Ali, Caitríona MacLaughlin, Sam Pinkleton, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Stacey Derosier and Sam Gold. Jane is also inspired by her brilliant students and young alumni   Recent designs include a co-design for Michael R Jackson and Anna K Jacob’s Teeth with Stacey Derosier; Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter at the Irish Arts Center; The Weir at the Abbey Theater in Dublin (her home town); Felon: An American Washi Tale; and The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi and Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera. Upcoming projects include Marina Carr’s new trilogy at the Abbey in Dublin and the Rocky Horror Show on Broadway.   Other highlights have been co-organizing and hosting the 2023 symposium and creative convening The Future of Race in Design at the Park Avenue Armory with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Mimi Lien and Mikaal Sulaiman; organizing a series of events with returning citizens in conjunction with performances of Felon: An American Washi Tale by Reginald Dwayne Betts; working with the engineer Naomi Leonard, composer Dan Trueman and co-designer Tess James on Rhythm Bots, a project investigating collective motion and rhythmic connection with robots; and receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from USITT in 2025.   Jane has been a member of the Monica Bill Barnes dance company for more than twenty years and has been working with fellow lighting designer Tess James in many capacities for fifteen. She is a Professor of the Practice and Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University, where she is also the co-director for the Fund for Irish Studies and a member of CreativeX. She is married to brilliant conceptual artist Evan Alexander and they have a fantastic teenage daughter who so far shows no interest in going into theatre.   Instagram Handles @janecoxlight @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel

    57 min

  2. JUN 12

    192: America The Beautiful (Except the Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Lighting Designer Jane Cox

    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 working a full time W2 job.   Video Version https://youtu.be/jA1IOCWmHFs   Artistic Finance https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance   Jane Cox https://janecoxlight.squarespace.com/ https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jane-cox-115195   Appropriate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_(play)   Linda Essig https://www.artisticfinance.com/147.html   Penny Remsen https://www.umass.edu/theater/about/directory/penny-remsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-remsen-1b53b8a/   Irish Session https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_traditional_music_session   Cory Pattak's Podcast https://in1podcast.com/   Light Talk Podcast https://lighttalk.libsyn.com/   NYU Graduate Design School https://tisch.nyu.edu/design   University of Massachussets Amherts https://www.umass.edu/theater/   Clifton Taylor https://cliftontaylor.com/   Jennifer Tipton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Tipton   False Steps - Off-Broadway Play https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/   Jane Cox is a theater maker, an educator and a lighting designer working in theater, opera, dance and music. Jane won a Tony, a Drama Desk and the Henry Hewes award in 2024 for her lighting for Appropriate, and has three Tony nominations for Macbeth (‘22), Jitney (‘17) and Machinal (‘14). Her creative career has been built on relationships; some of the extraordinary theatrical artists who have shaped her creative life include Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Doyle, Elise Thoron, Shariffa Ali, Caitríona MacLaughlin, Sam Pinkleton, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Stacey Derosier and Sam Gold. Jane is also inspired by her brilliant students and young alumni   Recent designs include a co-design for Michael R Jackson and Anna K Jacob’s Teeth with Stacey Derosier; Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter at the Irish Arts Center; The Weir at the Abbey Theater in Dublin (her home town); Felon: An American Washi Tale; and The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi and Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera. Upcoming projects include Marina Carr’s new trilogy at the Abbey in Dublin and the Rocky Horror Show on Broadway.   Other highlights have been co-organizing and hosting the 2023 symposium and creative convening The Future of Race in Design at the Park Avenue Armory with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Mimi Lien and Mikaal Sulaiman; organizing a series of events with returning citizens in conjunction with performances of Felon: An American Washi Tale by Reginald Dwayne Betts; working with the engineer Naomi Leonard, composer Dan Trueman and co-designer Tess James on Rhythm Bots, a project investigating collective motion and rhythmic connection with robots; and receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from USITT in 2025.   Jane has been a member of the Monica Bill Barnes dance company for more than twenty years and has been working with fellow lighting designer Tess James in many capacities for fifteen. She is a Professor of the Practice and Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University, where she is also the co-director for the Fund for Irish Studies and a member of CreativeX. She is married to brilliant conceptual artist Evan Alexander and they have a fantastic teenage daughter who so far shows no interest in going into theatre.   Instagram Handles @janecoxlight @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel

    1h 5m

  3. JUN 4

    191: 6k Investing Special - Q4.0

    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 - Molson Coors Beverage (owners of Blue Moon) SKLZ- Skillz   Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin   Wine: Vinovest   Real Estate - REITS: REG - Regency Centers Corp -Previously UBA SRG - Seritage Growth Properties VICI - Experiential Real Estate - Previously MGM Properties STAG - STAG Industrial   Art: Bret Slater - Artist https://www.bretslater.com/  https://www.patreon.com/posts/64295618   VTSAX - Total USA Stock Market Index Fund https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VTSAX/   Coinbase - COIN https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/COIN/   Masterworks https://www.masterworks.com/   Bridget Riley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Riley   Kroger - KR https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/KR/   Nvidia - NVDA https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVDA/   Daktronics - DAKT https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DAKT/   Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maithreyi-gopalakrishnan/ https://www.liquidificorp.com/   Ebony Madry: https://www.instagram.com/ebmadry/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebony-madry-6a9651139/   Amy D Lux: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-d-lux-953a7318a/ https://utopiadreamscape.com/author/luvlogica/   Gary Archer https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-archer-31482933/ https://www.instagram.com/lightdesign2020/   Ethan Steimel https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansteimel/ https://www.instagram.com/artisticfinance/?hl=en   Instagram Handles @ebmadry @liquidifi @officialamydlux @lightdesign2020 @ethansteimel @artisticfinance

    1h 9m

  4. MAY 28

    190: Tracking Hourly Pay As Theatre Designers with Set Designer Vincent Gunn

    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/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-gunn-3a45aab2/ https://www.instagram.com/vincentgunndesign/?hl=en   Hours Tracker https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P-ujmcgDcdZYxW78hqBa3HgiBdlI0gGK0LGG2RoNZqw/edit?usp=sharing   NEA Budget Cut Tracker https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cHCTXssMWuMweRLUjGQKtsck_rg7v4tMg7cpfzDQil8/htmlview?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeulUJ--0GngJ37kmfk-9enz2w9TczbBkJ8hs4U-ZuBgeaGYyF4TCzLnnQi4Q_aem_6SEys-aWiD8H-wxOGseuWw%23gid%3D0   Liability Insurance for Lighting Folx https://www.artisticfinance.com/136.html   Liability Insurance for Performers https://www.artisticfinance.com/141.html   Vincent (he/him) is a New Jersey based Scenic Designer. He has designed shows for various theatre companies in the New York area and beyond including York Theatre Company, Centenary Stage Company, Vanguard Theater Company, St. Bart's Players, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Post Theatre Company, the Metropolitan Playhouse, the New London Barn Playhouse, and various educational venues. He has assisted designers on productions at venues such as The New York Philharmonic, LABrynth Theater Company, Irish Repertory Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Roundabout Black Box, BAM Fisher, La Mama ETC and INTAR. Vincent has a B.A. in Theatre Design and Production from Fordham University. vincentgunn.com @vincentgunndesign   Instagram Handles @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel @vincentgunndesign

    1h 24m

  5. MAY 20

    189: Work Life Balance As A Theatre Designer in Chicago with Jason Lynch

    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/jasondlynch/ https://www.instagram.com/jasonlynch.design/   Vehicle Expenses Tracker https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kDb48wLKWWnkGigyu52tYYGWRHDV2h-Ai7AizNCrtb8/edit?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZh7dkkg9Htl1oE4M46Emo-Cw8yEahk7n90sRBCDy5R32W5D1xbTHSjvYI_aem_adKVVnGYaIN_xPS6bS21wQ&gid=1052323773#gid=1052323773   IRS.gov https://www.irs.gov/   Lynn Nottage - "Why I'll Never Make It" Interview https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/why-i-ll-never-make-it/lynn-nottage-writes-through-some-of-life-s-hardest-moments/366   SPY https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SPY/   Arrived - Real Estate Investing https://arrived.com/   Lofty - Real Estate Investing https://www.lofty.ai/   OSF - Oregon Shakespeare Festival https://www.osfashland.org/   Indiana Rep https://www.irtlive.com/   Estate Sales https://www.estatesales.net/   JASON LYNCH is a Chicago-based lighting designer for theatre, dance, opera, and other live performance art. Regional: Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, City Theatre Company, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Huntington Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Northlight Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Old Globe, Trinity Repertory Company, among others.  Lynch was also the recipient of the 2022 Equity Jeff Award for his work on Choir Boy at Steppenwolf Theatre and the 2019 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award, which recognizes emerging theatrical designers within the Chicago area. Jason is represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE and The Gersh Agency. jasondlynch.com, @jasonlynch.design   Instagram handles: @jasonlynch.design @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel

    1h 39m

  6. MAY 14

    188: Finances As A Projection Designer with Sven Ortel

    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.com/svenortel/   Is the credit "Projection Design" or "Video Design?" https://www.projctn.com/about-projection-design   Projection Design Costs https://www.projctn.com/projection-design-costs   Trudy C Durant https://tcdurant.com/home.aspx   Notion https://www.notion.com/   Caite Hevner Episode https://www.artisticfinance.com/93.html   Since 2000, Sven Ortel has been exploring and advancing the use of imagery and projection in the live arts. His primary interest is how digital and emerging technologies can create engaging narrative experiences. He is particularly drawn to complex scenic and production design challenges that place live audiences at the center of the experience, and he enjoys collaborating with other experts and creatives.   Originally from Cologne, Germany, Sven earned his BA in Lighting Design in London, where he designed media for Simon McBurney’s seminal production of *Measure for Measure* at the National Theatre in 2004. He then created many projection designs for opera, dance, musicals, and plays across Europe and eventually in the US. In 2012, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his work on Disney’s *Newsies*. In 2014, he received a Drama League nomination for his designs in Julie Taymor’s *A Midsummer Night's Dream* at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn.   Notable recent projects include NHKS4220 at New York’s Artechouse, *Thoughts of a Colored Man* (Broadway, Drama Desk nomination), *Parade* (Broadway, Outer Critics Circle nomination and winner of Best Revival of a Musical), and *Once Upon a One More Time* (Broadway), as well as the multimedia installation *Lamentations at Liesbeck*, which premiered at Mesa’s Mix Center.   Sven always seeks innovative ways to tell stories through media and create cohesive visual environments that fully engage live audiences.   He has worked at public research universities for the past ten years, focusing on educating the next generation of designers, artists, and thought leaders. His work in academia focuses on adapting effective creative processes prevalent in the performing arts, particularly projection design, to address the design challenges found in other live experiences, especially in emerging forms of rich media like immersive and XR productions. This research is central to his role as a professor of practice in immersive and entertainment design at Arizona State University and as a faculty member at Mesa's innovative multidisciplinary Mix Center.   Outside of his professional work, Sven is a passionate landscaper dedicated to restoring and stewarding the land. He also loves camping, running, hiking, and mountain biking—more info at svenortel.com or linked-in.   Instagram Handles @svenortel @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel

    1h 28m

  7. MAY 6

    187: Designer Pay & Transparency - Broadway, Off Broadway, and West End with Isabella Byrd

    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   Isabella Byrd https://www.isabellabyrd.design/ https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/isabella-byrd-527907   Drift https://studiodrift.com/work/drifter/   The Shed https://www.theshed.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvr--BhB5EiwAd5YbXqw-o1AZJ4K0bhxLrH613ZH2yPapTv6-Lw54hGG-7dZ_7bVzULR3pBoC8hkQAvD_BwE   Death Sex And Money - Podcast https://slate.com/podcasts/death-sex-money   Zenith American - USA 829 Benefits Hub https://www.zenith-american.com/   USA 829 https://www.usa829.org/Membership-Info/Benefit-Funds   CD Rates - Bask Bank https://www.baskbank.com/products/certificates-of-deposit   Entertainment Community Fund https://entertainmentcommunity.org/services-and-programs/financial-wellness-0   In 1: The Podcast - hosted by Cory Pattak https://in1podcast.com/   Instagram Handles @isabelllaa @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel

    2h 18m

  8. MAY 5 · BONUS

    5th Anniversary & Casting Notice - Bonus Episode

    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!

    6 min
See All (218)

5
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

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/

Information

  • Creator
    Artistic Finance
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    218
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020-2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Artistic Finance

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada