How to Get Paid to Be in TV Audiences: Best Companies, Pay Rates & Tips

Anyone can work as a member of the audience, as long as you meet the producer requirements for that particular show.

From children to seniors, anyone can have the chance to work as part of an audience on a TV stage.

The Job of an Audience Member

Many TV shows, whether live or taped, need an actual audience on stage.

The audience may be required to act naturally or to applaud or cheer on cue.

It is not about acting, and no special skill is required, except for looking according to the producers’ needs. That is, you may need to belong to a certain age, gender, or ethnicity, depending on the type of audience they’re trying to build. One show might require young people, another a mix of old, mature, and young, and another just a female audience of all ages, and so on.

Since the idea is to reproduce an average audience, you’ll probably be asked to wear your own clothes. You may be given a few guidelines about the colors preferred or any other details the producer considers will make the audience look better or more appropriate.

You are not supposed to buy any clothes or accessories, just dress in what you already have.

How Much Do Audience Members Get Paid?

There are low-budget TV productions, and then there are high-budget shows that spend good money to make everything perfect.

You can be paid by the hour or with a fixed price.

Some shows, like The People’s Court, may pay up to $70 just for sitting as part of the courtroom audience.

Other shows may pay less, but they might offer some other kind of goodies in return. For instance, cooking shows might treat the audience or part of it with some of the food prepared. The Beat Bobby Flay competition, for example, pays every person $54 a day.

Many shows are taped over several days, not just one, which means that one hire could bring you as many days of pay as the taping lasts.

On the other hand, some shows are taped several times during the same day, and not all of them will pay for each taping but rather for one, no matter how many times it’s repeated.

Usually, you’re paid in cash at the end of the work, whether it’s performed during just one day or several.

Benefits

You may save on transportation if the show is taped out of town.

It’s very common for shows to have audience members meet at one point where they can be driven in a bus to the studio. The same bus will bring you back later to the same meeting point.

Very often, you’ll be fed. Depending on the hour, you can get a late breakfast or a quick lunch with soft drinks and sandwiches. Coffee and pizza may also be served, depending on the producer’s whim or budget.

Best Places to Find Paid Audience Jobs

Occasionally, national shows or parts of them might be taped anywhere in the country, so you may find an opportunity near your city or town, in addition to the shows at local stations that need a sitting audience.

However, the greatest opportunities are found where the most important TV studios are located and where national shows are produced:

1. New York
2. Los Angeles

Living close to those areas will dramatically increase your chances of being hired and, if lucky, becoming a regular in this job.

How to Find Paid Audience Member Jobs

Producers usually subcontract with specific companies dedicated to finding and hiring members of TV audiences.

Some of the most reputed companies are:

• Standing Room Only
• Onset Productions
• Auditions Free (which also works nationwide on casting extras for movies.)

These companies will ask you to fill out a profile that describes you.

According to their openings, they’ll offer you several types of opportunities, such as trading a ticket to the show as the sole pay for your attendance, particularly for those much sought-after shows like MTV’s Catfish Aftershow or Bridezilla’s Reunion Aftershow, or paying you an hourly rate or a lump sum to be part of the audience.

You may find audience casting calls also on Craigslist and, sometimes, on Mandy.com.

Final Words

Perhaps the best part of becoming a paid audience member, aside from the pay, is that you get to see how things work firsthand.

And if you are an aspiring actor or actress, this can be a valuable asset. Not to mention, you will also get to meet movers and shakers in the industry who could very well help you achieve your dream of becoming an actor or actress.

Even if a movie/TV career isn’t on your radar and you just want to make some extra cash on the side, this could be an awesome gig. I mean, what’s better than being paid to sit in the audience watching your favorite shows being made live in front of you? And you get to be on TV!