If you're a script coordinator, you're already used to kicking ass. You single-handedly keep scripts flowing and showrunners happy, even when that includes invaded turnaround and unexpected weekend work. But if your show is taking longer to get renewed or you find yourself unemployed during the winter lull, it can be frightening to find a well-paying job that you can also guiltlessly quit (or at least relegate to the back burner) as soon as your next season gets picked up. Without further ado, here are the best side gigs for a script coordinator.
Blogger/Proofreader/Copywriter
“Most people hate writing and would rather throw money at someone to do it for them.”
You've read a thousand scripts. Your inner monologue's been trained to mimic another writer's tone and style. Now's your chance to get paid for it. Content creation, usually in the form of blogs, is a powerful tool that sites use to boost their Google search rankings. The higher the rank, the more likely someone will find it, which means more revenue for the owner. And with Google tweaking its algorithm to discourage AI-based content creation, bloggers are commanding higher fees than ever.
Sites like Upwork.com can help you find not just blog work but also proofreader and copywriter work. You would be shocked at the available projects needing help already in your wheelhouse: manually retyping PDFs into Word, app content proofreading and writing, bios for company websites. Most people hate writing and would rather throw money at someone to do it for them. There is always work to be done and it quite often pays better than you're used to.
If you're interested in copywriting as a more full-time gig to keep your writing afloat, consider the Showrun Your Life copywriting challenge. Here, former Writers' Assistant Krystee Morgan discusses how industry support staff can use their skills to find and create copywriting work.
Mortgage Notary
Notaries seem to have an air of mystique about them. No one's quite sure what they do or where they're located, but somehow they're always at lunch the moment you actually need something notarized.
Notarizing is a relatively simple job: notaries reasonably ensure that the person signing a document, as confirmed by that person's ID, is the same person listed on the document as the signer. Which makes sense: birth certificates can only be requested by the parents, so someone needs to "Yes, I checked the ID of the person signing this request, it matches the name of the parent's ID on the request, so we can be reasonably sure it's the parent making the request." You're essentially a bouncer for important documents.
Being a notary doesn't inherently pay well: your fees are set by the state and, right now, that's $15 per signature. You also have to take a class, pass the state's notary exam, and submit to a background check to receive your commission (your permission from the state to work as a notary). However, banks and mortgage brokers need notaries when mortgages need signing, and those notaries bring a value-add to the job: they print out the documents requiring signing, attach the convenient "Sign Here" and "Initial Here" stickers, drive to the client's house, notarize everything, then FedEx the documents immediately back to the bank. That's called a value-add, and it's worth hundreds. A single complete mortgage signing process (from printout to ship) can take 4-5 hours. Banks will compensate you up to $200 for the work. And since most people who can afford a mortgage work a steady 9-5 (sad panda face), brokers are looking for notaries available on nights and weekends. Like you.
Self-Published Short Fiction Writer
Amazon has an interesting and virtually unheard-of platform called Vella. Vella authors write and sell their books one chapter at a time. Readers purchase Amazon tokens and use them to unlock the next chapter of their favorite story. You, the author, get 50% of the token's value. The game here is mass likability: the top Vella stories are about ghosts, sex, and ghosts having sex. #5, for example, is a "steamy paranormal, romance" called Filthy Rich Vampires. Each token only nets you a half-cent, and each chapter (or "episode") costs 15-20 tokens per user. But the benefits here are three-fold:
It's not unusual for a story to have over a hundred episodes
You're creating the illusory IP that studios covet
Every single .fdx pilot in your Google Drive is one afternoon of reformatting away from becoming 2-3 Vella episodes.
This is your opportunity to live the dream and write the content you're passionate about - even if it doesn't command the kind of paycheck an elusive staffing gig brings.
Script Coordinator
Coordinators, project managers, and executive assistants command a living wage outside the entertainment industry. But script coordinators want to be writers and a living wage is dangled before us as a carrot: work grueling hours in a thankless position and, perhaps one day, you too will achieve self-sufficiency and the job you really want.
In other words, script coordinating isn't a career — it's a side hustle in itself. If it's not working out for you, if you have PTSD every time inbox dings, it's okay to walk away. Any fears you may have had about missing an opportunity to get a freelance should be squashed, since script coordinating is a never-ending, low pay nightmare.
Covering the Gaps
Of course, there are dozens of other ways to keep yourself afloat. Whether it's selling your old swag on eBay to a superfan or driving for Instacart, there's no shame in taking a step back to focus on you, your wallet, and your writing. Did we miss the perfect side gig? Sound off in the comments!
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