Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jim Cooney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jim, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

The idea of a starving artist is a myth. It’s actually a lie. The average theater artist’s annual income is the same as the average American’s income, yet we don’t go around calling any of those other people starving.

Propagating this myth is harmful for a few reasons. First, money touches everything in this world. If you have a starving artist mentality and feel scarce about money, that bleeds into all areas of your life. You feel scarce about everything.

Maybe you don’t see it on the surface, but this belief is holding you back. You’re sabotaging yourself by not investing in yourself or in the things you need to move your career forward.

It also trains people to think artists don’t make a lot of money, and therefore they undervalue what we do. However, just look at the pandemic. What did everyone do while stuck at home? They watched movies, read books, listened to music…all products of artists.

Art is culture. It’s what defines us and differentiates one nation from another. It’s so important that the governments of many countries help fund their artists.

But even here in the US, we’re paid enough to not just live comfortably, but to also build real wealth. You’ve just got to know how to manage your money.

I’m fortunate to have parents who were financial advisors, so I learned from them all the things no one teaches us in school.

For example, you can use your existing money to earn more free money by compound interest. Just this alone is a total game-changer for people to understand. You can get off the hamster wheel of living paycheck-to-paycheck by literally doing nothing!

My entire income comes from being an artist, and I consider it to be an average artist’s income. I’m not earning residuals from commercial productions or working nonstop on Broadway (the highest paying job for theater artists). I have the same career peaks and valleys as most other artists.

Yet, I’ve been able to buy a home, spend 6 weeks living in Europe each summer, and could support myself for a couple of years if I had a medical emergency or didn’t book any jobs. I’ve also been investing in my retirement accounts since I first started working at age 16.

This is why I’ve been on a mission to help all theater artists take charge of their financial situation. It’s truly as simple and easy as just knowing what to do. I’m so passionate about showing artists the methods to do so.

Jim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a NYC-based theater director/choreographer, teacher, and community builder. I also host the Theater Life Uncensored podcast and am the founder of Amplified Artists, a membership community helping theater artists build careers and lives they love.

Currently, I’m the Associate/Tour Choreographer for the US national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater’s production of My Fair Lady that opened on Broadway in 2018. I’m also directing a concert of a new musical in January that’ll be featuring some Broadway stars, so I’m in the middle of pre-production for that.

A few past highlighted choreography credits include Sweet Charity (directed by Tony Award winner Michael Rupert), Broadway Bares (directed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell), the US premiere of Shooting Star (Best Choreography Award), and The Accused in Atlantic City (Casino Show of the Year Award).

My directing credits include critically acclaimed productions of The Music Man, 42nd St., and No, No, Nannette, plus a handful of Broadway-studded concerts, events, and theme park shows.

As a teacher, I was praised by the New York Times for training performers with “audition must-haves: character, motivation, and endurance.” Students I’ve worked with are now appearing on Broadway and TV, are members of leading dance companies and the Rockettes, and have competed on American Idol and The Voice.

Throughout everything I do, my goal is to help theater artists shine their brightest, both onstage and off.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Most of us are brainwashed into thinking all we need to do is be as talented as we can be and we’ll automatically have a career. We’re taught to spend all of our energy on improving our skills through classes, workshops, and repetition.

However, anyone who’s ever been to an audition sees some of the most talented people in the room get cut because they don’t match the vision of the creative team. We also see lesser-talented people getting kept solely due to the fact they have an existing relationship with someone on the team. Or we see them getting booked for a commercial gig because they have a giant social media following that will help get more eyeballs on the product being advertised.

I’ve had people tell me they hired me because of something I said on my website. Or because they know from my social media posts that I lead with kindness.

There are SO MANY other factors why people hire you. Talent is just one piece of the puzzle.

I really try to help artists understand this, because once they do, it’s a game-changer. I’ve seen it over and over and over again, including for myself, too.

The biggest jump in the amount of jobs I was booking came from when I switched from focusing on my talent to focusing on everything else—things like nurturing industry relationships, highlighting who I am as a person on my social media, and tailoring my reel to the jobs I wanted to be doing, which is different than just haphazardly showing off my most impressive footage.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My artistic mission is to inspire conversation, affect change, and bring communities together. I love shows that challenge the audience to think in new ways or consider another viewpoint. Meanwhile, I also think joy and humor are needed, especially in the current times, so helping make people smile and temporarily forget about the world for a moment is really rewarding, too.

Whenever I’m first about to start a project, I always have this moment where I think, “There is literally nothing here but a blank page right now, and soon there will be a fully realized production.” It’s truly incredible how all of these artists come together, collaborate, and produce something out of their combined creativity. That never gets old.

I also love watching people in their element. Seeing an actor nail a role, or a composer bring a melody to life, or a set designer craft a world into existence are all just so exciting.

But I also have to say, some of the most moving moments for me have been when artists I’ve been teaching or mentoring call me to tell me they booked their dream job. There’s nothing like that immense pride and excitement I feel during those moments.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JimCooney.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimcooneynyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.cooney.752
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcooney/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimCooneyNYC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39P7q5TakpF5oEP9eTTOAg
• Other: My podcast, Theater Life Uncensored: www.JimCooney.me/podcast

Image Credits
All photos submitted except for the jump shot at by JJ Ignotz. The jump shot is by Justin Clynes.