I’ve mentioned this in a few posts and I think I’ve added a few links here and there, but the hacking of Sony has turned into a real mess. The hackers call themselves the Guardians of Peace, and there’s some idea that the hackers are either North Korean or closely associated with North Korea. Or maybe it was all an inside job. Who knows? Anyway, I have no interest in writing about the more personal information that was revealed in the hack, but I’m ALWAYS interested in salaries and in corporate grudges. The hack involved lots of salary news and lots of corporate grudge. Here are some interesting reveals:
*Princess Beatrice has a job with Sony’s offices in London. Her job description is listed as “Intermed Coord, Prod” which just sounds like a fancy title for a production assistant or intern. Surprisingly, even though Beatrice has crazy-amazing royal connections, her salary is relatively paltry: she makes £19,500 or $30,300 a year. That’s probably a lot of money if she barely does anything for them, but overall, if a princess gets a cushy job at a studio, you would expect it to pay a bit more.
*Seth Rogen & James Franco’s salaries were revealed for their film The Interview (which is about North Korea). Seth made more than James! Seth got $8.4 million and James got $6.5 million. The film only cost $44 million to make, which actually is a pretty small budget. And they paid Kevin Federline $5,000 for his cameo.
*A laundry list of employee grievances was also included in the hack. This stuff probably came from Sony’s Human Resources or something, where Sony employees felt free to unload criticism about their employer. The grievances included lots and lots of hate for Adam Sandler. Basically, the fact that Sandler is still allowed carte blanche has crushed a lot of souls over at Sony – go here to read.
All in all, I feel sorry for the people who work at Sony. It must be particularly soul-crushing to not only work at a studio that makes Adam Sandler films, but to also get hacked so publicly. Yikes.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She’s an assistant. That salary is a bit high I would say. Most assistants make less than that. Anyways, I don’t think she should get special treatment because of her family, though I’m sure she got that job because of her connections anyways.
I worked with daughter of quite famous person in my country – we were assistants in PR division. Our salary was the same but often she could do a lot more than me with certain things, just because to certain people she was just a child of their friends. She was never bragging about this, she was even embarassed on many occasions, so I don’t hold the grudge and I would not blame her if her salary was bigger that mine. It’s unfair in a very cosmic way but because of her name she was better in our job than my humble person.
I don’t know how much Beatrice’s salary is bigger than normal but maybe her presence is worth it.
We’re all equal. She was no better than you, Magda and it was right that you made the same money. Beatrice being a royal would mean nothing at Sony. If it mattered, she would not be a lowly assistant making less than 20 grand.
It’s actually London living minimum wage. It’s roughly £19000 and everyone who lives and works in London gets this at the very least because of the high living costs.
The interesting question is if Beatrice does do any work at all for her salary? If you consider how often she goes on a holiday then I really wonder if she makes anything anyway?
Also Beatrice doesn’t really live on her salary, does she? Pounds 19.000 isn’t even enough for her annual clothing bill judging by what Kate goes through.
Additionally there are zero-hour-contracts which mean that one is tied to a company and but has no guarantee of any income or hours at all. And as you are tied to one company you can’t just go work for another. There are more than 1 million people on these zero-hour-contracts and quite frankly this should be made illegal.
Additionally many interns work for free but pull regular 12-hour-shifts.
So judging by that Beatrice is pretty well-cushioned.
But that has nothing to do with who she is – there are no zero hour contracts in the UK, and as someone mentioned above, she makes minimum wage in London. I don’t disagree that she is well-cushioned compared to assistants in the US (especially taking into consideration the fact that she probably doesn’t have rent/mortgage/bills etc), but pretty much everyone in much of Europe is well-cushioned compared to the US.
“Well-cushioned” in Beatrice’s case means: she lives in multi-million-pounds apartments and has a clothing budget several times the size of the average median income. Her holidays cost five figure sums even without bodyguards and she gets to attend parties for free which have three to four figured ticket prices for us average folks.
And she has neither the merits not the work ethics to deserve all this.
Every little popstar or any model has better merits and more work ethics than she does.
However Beatrice DOES block a job for some more-deserving young person who acutally wants to have a career.
“Well-cushioned” for Europeans (GB, F, GER, Scandinavian states) means: unemployment benefits. And unemployment benefits for a single person means: about 350€ / rent per month, plus 350€ for food/clothes… per month, plus health insurance. (Bit less in GB, bit mor in Scandinavia). It is a risk insurance similar to a fire insurance and that means that most people PAID to ensure their risk of becoming unemployed.
I wouldn’t exactly call that “well-cushioned.” People who get this do get this because they paid for it.
Beatrice never worked for anything but pretty much everything she has got is a result of being born into the Royal Family.
The grievances included lots and lots of hate for Adam Sandler.
HAHA. Of course.
Yep, I’m on board with Adam Sandler hate. They’re still pouring money into him?
Exactly. And it’s refreshing to see! Don’t worry, Sony employees, we’re all long since over Sandler movies. What I want to know is why aren’t the top dawgs listening to such sound advice?
I feel bad because it appears that hundreds of employees had their vital info hacked. 😢
Seth Rogen gets that much for playing himself in all things? Jesus.
He’s Jesus?!?
Canadian, but close.
It’s ridiculous what actors get paid. Imagine how much the oscar-winning ones make. I’m not sure how Hollywood works. They sure don’t pay based on talent do they? I like Seth, not talking about him. But someone like Jessica Alba, who really can’t act yet she makes millions per movie. How does this make sense?
I don’t have a problem with what actors make, though if they’re talentless it’s a bit annoying. The industry generates its own revenue and everyone gets paid from the pot. MPs getting a 25% increase in salary when we’re about to enter yet another recession here in the UK, and the people footing the bill for the royal family’s renovations, parties, etc. etc. etc….now that I have a problem with.
So now KFed can help support his 7 kids.
That sounds about right for a production assistant. I’m sure she’s getting some assistance from her father, so she’s probably not all that inclined to negotiate salary aggressively.
It’s unfortunate so many people’s information is now public.
•lunchcoma•
Andrew paid for a flat in Chelsea for both his daughters to use (nothing extravagant) and she has a small apartment at SJP (I think). But I find it interesting she lists Windsor as her address — basically at the very least Andrew is paying her living expenses, which is a lot. She probably has a few trust funds helping out too.
Really? She’s probably fetching coffee, making photocopies, and answering phones. That seems a bit of a high salary to me for that job. But I guess it depends on where you live. I mean there are teachers in America that get paid less than that and do much more work. I know office managers that make $30 000 a year and their assistant would make about $15 000 to $20 000 a year at most. But Sony probably pays higher since they are such a huge company.
Her salary is average for that job in L.A., which is below the national average–probably because of the amount of competition for the positions.
What teachers in America make less than $30k? Where I am you pretty much have to have a Masters to teach and starting salary is approaching $60k.
ETA: $15000 is the federal minimum wage for full time employment and I find it hard to believe office workers make the same as the register-person at McDonalds. Here starting salary is usually $30k in an office and office manager would be making at least $50-$60k minimum.
@ Jenny
It depends where you teach. Salaries for starting teachers in the mid-west are around $30 000 – $34 000 per year. I have seen teachers on tv complaining about their low salaries and saying they make around $25 000 per year. Insane. I think California teachers are the highest paid in America.
From what I know, most teachers need a Bachelors degree and then one to three years of teacher’s college. Masters not required…but then again that depends on where you are teaching.
I live in a moderately sized town…and from what I know “assistants” do not make much. Obviously, she works for Sony who is able to pay their employees higher wages…plus bigger cities like London, LA, NYC give higher salaries to combat the higher price of living compared to a small town.
You’d be surprised at how little some office workers get paid. I used to be an employment counsellor so I know a lot about this stuff. Once gain. it depends on the town you live in.
In some rural areas starting salaries for teachers are more in the mid-20s. In a major metro area they should be higher (especially if you come in with a Masters).
For somewhere like London, I would say $30k is not an outrageous starting salary at all. I mentioned in another comment, but my husband and I currently pay close to $20k/yr in rent in SF, I imagine London is similarly pricey. We have a studio apartment, nothing fancy, and don’t live in a particularly central or upmarket part of the city. If you are one half of a couple (so bringing in $60k combined, say), that means rent would be about 1/3 of your gross pay, which I believe is the general rule of thumb for determining whether or not you are earning a living/sustainable wage. If Beatrice were actually paying her own way, I expect most of her take home pay would be going towards rent, and this salary would not be high at all. If anything, given the geographic area, it’s low.
My starting salary, just outside of NYC, 10 years ago, was $27k. It was a slightly more “skilled” job than Beatrice’s, but not much (and not at somewhere as flashy as Sony).
Bottom line, for the job, her salary does not seem high. Now, depending on how much she *actually* does, it may be too much, or not enough….but I guess the hacked docs do not include her timecards, eh?
It is a true injustice that they pay teachers that low. They are only educating our future; why pay them a good living wage, right?? I am totally on board with states like Washington and Connecticut that are increasing minimum wage. It really isn’t right that people can work a full time job and still be living below the poverty line while CEO’s are making millions and millions. It is just morally reprehensible.
@ Jenny
Yes, America for the most part does not pay it’s teachers very well. It’s ridiculous, especially if you look at what teachers in Canada and some other countries get paid.
But you have to keep in mind that this is London where both wages and living costs her higher – there is no point in comparing it to what anyone makes in the US!
Yeah, this sounds about right for an entry-level position for someone with a fairly generic bachelor’s degree. In a major metro area, this is NOT a huge salary if you are actually covering all your own expenses (e.g., my husband and I live in SF and our annual rent alone is close to $20k/yr, for a studio apartment). But, as it sounds like Beatrice has (at the least) her housing covered by Andrew/BRF, plus a pretty well-heeled boyfriend, it’s probably more like a nice source of pin money. My feeling is that Beatrice/BRF are benefitting from this job more than Sony is (BRF gets to push her as a “normal”, hardworking royal), so there’s no reason for Sony to be paying her anything above average. What I really want to know is if she logs hours anything like what a normal assistant would or if she just works 3 mornings a week and gets to take vacations to Ibiza whenever the urge strikes.
•Jenna•
She gets no tax-payer funded money from the BRF as she’s not a working royal. Any funds she gets would be from her family would be their personal funds. Andrew and both his daughters probably received some money when the QM passed. And Granny is pretty good about helping her (many) cash poor relatives if need be but we haven’t heard that she’s had to do it with the York princesses (that I know of).
She may not be getting tax-payer funds, but it’s pretty clear that she is getting her lifestyle funded in large part by virtue of being a member of the RF (i.e., Andrew would likely not have the means to pay for an apartment in Chelsea if his mother were not the Queen!).
•Jenna•
Actually, not true. QM was thought to have set up decent sized trust funds for her grand-children and great-grandchildren (excluding Edward’s children as they weren’t born yet). My guess is that Andrew uses those funds to support himself and his family as the money he gets from tax-payers is used to pay for his staff. In fact, trust funds help keep quite a few cash-poor royals and aristos afloat.
The flat in Chelsea was ‘only’ about £1 million, which is fairly reasonable considering its location. And money from a good sized trust fund could easily handle that.
In London, that’s nigh-on a poverty wage (not that there aren’t a huge number of Londoners trying to live on less). Current poverty threshold in London is £16,750 a year (£9.15 an hour for 35 hours a week). Renting even a rundown rathole in a poor area would cost almost half a £19.500 salary.
I find the UK to be extremely expensive. I have been there many times and it’s shocking, even the price of a tomato or cucumber is insane.
•word•
Japan was like that too — mind boggling expensive.
It’s not as bad as Japan, LS, or as some of the Scandi countries, but cost of living is definitely high here. Housing, in particular. In London and the south east, in particular.
When I moved out of London a few years back, I bought a comparable size house, paid off my mortgage in full, installed solar panels on the roof and a greywater system, paid the moving expenses, and STILL had cash left over. Seriously! And I had only owned my London house for 9 years – prices in London had gone up that much in that time!
Sixer: every time I leave London to visit friends I’m always surprised at how much money I seem to have simply for the fact that London is so expensive compared to everywhere else.
And the cartwheels I do when I go abroad….. 🙂
LS: Every member of the royal family has trust fund bequeathed from past members. They tend to get full access at 25. Every older member sets up bequests or trusts that benefit the next generation of grandchildren so no one is ever truly left out of the family wealth.
In that vein, The QM’s bequests were merely top ups of already existing trust funds set up for all the grandkids. Although Diana’s money was William/Harry specific, that was in addition to other royal family trusts, including QM bequests, already received.
•LAK•
Ahhh like William and Harry* were gifted £1 million in a trust at birth from Diana’s father — give that 25 years to grow and that ends up being a pretty substantial amount.
It makes sense that Earl Spencer was following tradition. So QM’s death merely added to the funds she had created when her grand & great-grandchildren were born.
*I know you know this as we’ve chatted about it before. I don’t think others grasp how much personal money some of the royals and aristos have. Excluding the Gloucesters — apparently they are poorer than most.
•Sixer•
That is amazing!
Most of the Midwest is a fairly reasonable place to live. Thank goodness.
Yeah the fact so many employees personal information has been hacked – including discussions of medical procedures and treatments people have had – makes this not very enjoyable.
Props for Seth Rogen. I assumed Franco would get the bigger check. After that good luck to the poor people who’ve had their private business splashed everywhere.
I think Seth was paid more because he was a producer or writer or something as well.
That salary sounds right for an assistant in the entertainment industry. I worked for a an independent record label right out of college about 10 years ago, and my salary was $27k, so with inflation and it being a major label, that seems like it is a pretty normal number.
HW accounting is weird:
“Are you aware that Men In Black 3 may gross $600M at the box office, and yet will lose money for SPE? Shouldn’t we question that strategy? “
Hollywood accounting isn’t the only thing that is weird, accounting in general is. The loss for MIB 3 is really just paper so they won’t have to pay taxes or perhaps Will Smith and whoever has a backend percentage deal. Government accounting is weird- pencils don’t cost $10. Medical accounting too your ten minutes with the doctor doesn’t cost $500 or the same lab service costs $100 one time and $5000 the next. The list is endless.
Her salary seems about norm to me. Low level entertainment jobs don’t pay that well, because everyone wants a shot at it, and she is working in London for most people not princesses it is very expensive to live there. If it seems high to you that’s why, and yes London is more expensive to live in than LA and even NY- a bit at least. Seth and James seem high for that drivel, and all this hacking is just making people want to see this movie. I know I wouldn’t even think twice about this movie, but with all the hoopla I am curious.
I remember 10 years ago when New Line swore that The Fellowship of the Ring didn’t make any money whatsoever, and got sued by Peter Jackson and the others who had a percentage deal. I believe that New Line had to pay up.
And no, Beatrice’s salary doesn’t seem too high for where she is.
I’m a production coordinator which is the same position as Beatrice though not in the entertainment industry. 30,000 $ is a pretty standard entry level salary and that’s about how much I was making when I started out a few years ago and I’m not royal. Is it bad I feel kind of smug that I make more than her? Regardless, having your personal salary exposed to the world is not something I would wish on anyone.
Salary is about right for UK, if not a bit low if she’s is above entry level. Usually start between £15-18k in that sort of role.
That’s about right for Prod Assistant.
I’m more fascinated by the fact that James and Seth’s salaries alone are a third of the budget. Never mind the other actors, crew, etc.
Well, it is almost Festivus time, so it seems right for the Airing of Grievances…
I feel bad for anyone who had their personal info hacked. Adam Sandler probably heard about it, shrugged, and went back to enjoying his mansion in Malibu.