Who doesn't love a discount?!
You may not be aware that your profession - an actorrrrrr - entitles you to SO many discounts, it's virtually impossible to list them all! I resent having to pay full whack for anything when I know for a fact I can get a discount - however small, and especially in our current economic climate. I've selected four important organisations for actors that offer countless discounts as part of their membership; Equity, Spotlight, Act On This and The Actors' Guild. There are so many other organisations that I've not included, and there may well be some overlap in the discounts their membership offers. Feel free to write your own findings in the comments to share with your fellow actors, and together we can save money, time, resources, and get more for less!
Every actor should be on Spotlight. I once watched a webinar with a very well-known and respected Casting Director who said "if you're an actor in the UK and you're not on Spotlight, you're invisible. No one knows about you", and it's stuck with me ever since. One of the biggest discounted benefits from Spotlight is the Totum Pro Card (formally known as NUS Extra). I'm not joking when I say having a Totum Pro membership will save you HUNDREDS OF POUNDS A YEAR ON EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS. It's just the truth. Don't believe me? I've rounded up some of my favourite discounts where I've enjoyed HUGE savings on my actor-y purchases below. Enjoy!
CO-OP - 10% off instore
Amazon Prime - Student six month trial
Adobe Creative Cloud (including Audition for you VO types!) - 65% off
HP Technology - 35% off
Supercuts - 10% off
Hotels.com - 10% off UK and abroad + flexible cancelation
National Express - 15% off
Travelodge - over one million rooms for under £29
Food Hub - 15% off for new customers only
Zizzi - 30% off
Prezzo - 25% off
Ask Italian - up to 40% off
McDonald's - free Cheeseburger, Mayo Chicken or McFlurry
Domino's - 25% off orders over £25
Carluccio's - 25% off
Las Iguanas - 40% off
Frankie & Benny's - 20% off food bill
Bar Burrito - any regular burrito for £5
Buyagift - 15% off
Odeon - 25% off
Scribbler - 10% off
Robert Dyas - 10% off
Boots - 10% off with a Boots Advantage Card
Candles Direct - 15% off
PLUS HUNDREDS MORE! See, I wasn't lying! Check out the TOTUM website for a full list of benefits and discounts, and see the Discount page in the members area on Spotlight for how to get your Totum card!
Equity brings together entertainment professionals and ensures their demands are heard: whether these are for decent pay better health and safety regulations, or more opportunities for all. Being a member of Equity is pledging your support to the sector and is a badge of your professionalism and commitment. Not only does Equity work on your behalf for all of the above, but they've also secured amazing benefits for their members, too! Here's some of my favourites...
The Mandy Network - 25% off monthly membership
Nick Hern Books - 30% off
WeAudition/WeRehearse - 50% off annual membership
IMDb Pro - 30% off annual membership
Travelodge - 5% discount
Headshot Photographers - various discounts and savings
Restaurants - various discounts and savings
Various venues such as: ATG theatres, NT Platform events, Arcola Theatre and more!
The Stage - 10% off
Pineapple Studios - £75 off annual membership
Phoenix Arts Club - 50% off annual membership
Voicebox Productions - 10% off
If these aren't good enough reasons - along with workplace protection, unity with over 47,000 other creatives, and professional advice 24/7, then I don't know what is! Check out the members area on the Equity website for the full list of discounts.
The Actors' Guild (TAG) is the first organisation I recommend to people for continued developmental workshops. There is something for everyone, whether you want to work on voice or accents, casting, horse-riding (that's seriously a workshop, I just haven't got round to it yet...) Shakespeare, voice-over... honestly, the list is endless. As well as access to top Casting Directors from film, television, radio and video gaming, you get these lovely discounts, too!
Accountants - various discounts and savings
The Mandy Network - monthly and annual discounts
Self-Tape support
Insurance
Digs and Accommodation
Headshot Photographers (I personally recommend Michael Carlo!)
Methuen Drama & Arden Shakespeare - 25% off
Nick Hern Books - 30% off
The Stage - 10% off
Visualeyes - 10% off
Showreels - various discounts and savings
Voicereels - various discounts and savings
Check the Discounts page under the Resources tab for a full list of benefits and great workshops!
Act On This is just great. It just is. Created and run by Ross Grant, this actor's network brings you up, close and personal with the industry's leading actors, casting directors, top agents and award winning directors & MORE for live Mastermind webinars and 1-2-1 career coaching. Ross is an amazing guy, and although I'll cover Act On This in a future blog post, I wanted to give a special mention for an amazing discount to an online voice-over training called Gravy For The Brain.
Again, I'll cover Gravy For The Brain in a bit more detail later on, but by being a Premium member of the Act On This Community (and it is exactly that), you can get 25% off dedicated voice-over training from the voice of The X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, Voiceover Man - Peter Dickson.
One last little bonus, Concord Theatricals (formally Samuel French) offer students, Friends of The Royal Court, Spotlight and Actor's Centre members 10% off when ordering from the website!
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT! Go explore your memberships and maximise the offers available to you. Let me know what other organisations give you actor-y discounts and how much you're saving in the comments below!
(One last tip: don't forget to claim any items you purchase for your business as taxable deductions!)