What Creative Careers are Available Outside of Entertainment?

For months now, we’ve been told to wait until 2025 for the industry to bounce back to normal. We’re hopeful that will prove true, but if the last four years of instability have led you to reconsider your entertainment career, that’s perfectly reasonable. And relatable! We’ve worked with many clients in the past few years who are looking to make a jump to another career. Some have a clear idea in mind, but many struggle to figure out a direction that will be just as satisfying creatively while providing more stability.

Here’s the hard truth: There’s no exact match to a Hollywood career, and there’s always going to be a trade-off when you leave your passion job for something new. It’s normal to feel grief about this, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope in sight. You just have to find a trade-off that works for you. Here, we’ve compiled a list of industries and roles that might inspire you. It’s not an exhaustive list, and you might find some of the options make more sense for you than others. Consider this a starting point for your research. The most important thing is to find a path that aligns with your needs and values – and if you want to dig into that more, our career coaching services can help.

Video Games: These jobs are highly competitive and often require some experience working with games or game IP, though you may be able to make the case for yourself if you’ve worked on well-known projects in a similar genre to the game, have a strong knowledge of gaming as a player, and tap into your network for referrals. This sector is growing, and the storytelling gets more and more complex, so it’s a good option for those hoping not to stray too far.

Branded Content / Creative Services: As marketing content continues to transition to video, this sector is expanding. A lot of brands are bringing their creative marketing in-house, so there are options beyond the traditional agency. There are a lot of similarities to entertainment content, like pitching concepts, writing scripts, high-level production, and post-production. Candidates coming from unscripted, commercial, or physical production are especially attractive in this market.

Copywriting: Similar to the above, this role utilizes a lot of the same creative skills as entertainment roles (especially for writers) but focuses on writing for a specific target audience and in a particular tone. It may be helpful to take some online courses in SEO and marketing copy to make yourself more appealing to employers, and you'll have an easier time making the jump if you target companies and clients whose brands you love.

Interactive Media / VR / AR: These fields are expanding, and as the technology improves, there will be more room for high-level storytelling. If you have a strong technical background, this could be a very logical transition, but if not, you can make yourself more marketable to employers by taking courses in the foundational technologies and user experience design.

Visual Merchandising / Theme Park Design / Experiential Design: If you have experience in the art department or field production, you may be able to translate your expertise to staging store windows or storefronts, designing theme park attractions, or producing immersive experiences. There are opportunities for creative technicians as well as producer/project management roles in a creative space. Note that these jobs may be seasonal, and the job titles may not be as easily discernible, so it's best to start your search by identifying companies who have these kinds of projects.

Event Production: Live events are very similar to TV and film productions, and especially easy to transition to if you’ve worked in live broadcast settings. These can be entertainment-related events (think: concerts, screenings, theater) or not (weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate retreats). These roles tend to be freelance, but there are event companies that offer full-time work, and barring another global shutdown, this sector is pretty stable.

Industry Tools / Industry Services / Film Programs: While not creative per se, there are jobs available at companies or programs that service the entertainment business. There are software companies that cater to the industry -- Final Draft, Final Cut, Avid, etc. -- where your expertise as a user and your connections in the industry can be invaluable. There are also consulting companies, universities, and professional organizations that provide services to filmmakers and Hollywood hopefuls, and often hire people with professional experience. And while we may not all love that AI is coming for our jobs, if you’re of the “if you can’t beat them, join them” mindset, you may find opportunities at a company developing tools to leverage AI for production.

You may also decide that creativity isn’t important to you in a career, and you can continue to evolve creatively through your hobbies or independent projects. There are a whole host of careers where your skills can be useful. If you’re considering moving on from entertainment, invest the time in figuring out what your true priorities are for this next chapter, so you can tune out choice paralysis and end up in a role you’re excited about.