Ep137: How to Negotiate Your Real Value (and Advocate For Yourself) As an Assistant Editor | with Scott Jacobs

<blockquote> <p>"You can't just stand up for yourself. We have to stand up together."<br /> Scott Jacobs</p> </blockquote> <p>When it comes to working the brutal hours that have become the norm in entertainment, negotiating for better pay, and fighting to make changes in industry standards, most of us feel helpless (and hopeless) about where to even begin. When I wrote<strong><a href= "https://optimizeyourself.me/dear-hollywood-its-time-for-an-intervention-about-hours-we-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Dear Hollywood: It’s Time For An Intervention About The Hours We Work</a></strong> this past summer, I was surprised to learn the majority of people in Hollywood have no interest in losing their golden time and overtime hours in exchange for shorter, more manageable workdays. While I have no interest in taking money out of anyone’s pocket, I do believe there has to be a better way than working 60+ hours a week and burning ourselves out just to make ends meet.</p> <p><strong>Here’s a crazy thought:</strong> What if we were paid for <em>the value</em> we bring to a project rather than the number of hours we clock in each day?</p> <p>Today's guest <strong><a href= "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2931791/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Jacobs</a></strong>, a longtime editor, AE, and MPEG board member, tackles this question with me. Scott has worked as an editor and assistant editor in both television and feature films on studio features such as <em>The Bourne Legacy, Despicable Me </em>3, and <em>Men in Black: International</em>, and his TV credits include CBS' <em>Person of Interest</em>, NBC's <em>Parks and Recreation</em>, Fox’s <em>The Orville</em>, and he's currently working on Marvel's <em>WandaVision</em> for Disney+.</p> <p>As a father of two, Scott has had to wrestle with difficult choices between the faster track of being a television editor and the higher negotiating power of feature film assistant editing. His role as a Board Member of the Motion Picture Editor's Guild has made