Good $$$ in NYC
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- canoe
So what's good money for a Sr Art Director or Creative Director in NYC?
- helloeatbreathedrive-8
i'd say depends on experience, talent, who you know (especially in nyc) and what you can get away with what is in your contract, possibly around $70-75k in a realistic current market situation
- lolkona
- would they get benefits too or is that VP level only?zarkonite
- i would think $110 is the low sideGnash
- Yeah... someone is a bit out of touch, but still appreciatedcanoe
- Can anyone even live on 75k in NYC?Continuity
- agreed that seems pretty low.bulletfactory
- I know in Chicago a SR AD can be around 115. CD (depends on place) 140s.kona
- i meant that as a starting point and upwards, i'd be happy with 95k for whats out there currently but you never know. good luck if you are looking.helloeatbreathedrive
- you'd make twice that in LAscarabin
- I'm moving to LA. Can I live with you scarabin? Do you mind kids? I have 3.
:)kona - twice? good god.helloeatbreathedrive
- i make more than the quote in this post and i'm just a lowly art director. a good CD is gonna be 100-150k (in film advertising)scarabin
- i always thought new york made much more than us in LA because standard of living is so highscarabin
- lol@$70-75k 2years ago a mediocre sr ad got 95k and cd 240k @ jwt-nysted
- ^ that's kinda what i was thinking, from what i've heardscarabin
- so i was pretty much low balled in vermont :) the city is good but la is another story, wow.joneschuck27
- like i said though, i can only speak for film advertising. no idea about other industriesscarabin
- i'm always blown away by the high numbers i hear about new yorkscarabin
- (when i said "twice that" i meant regarding the original post, not your note saying 95k)scarabin
- a CD is different wherever you go, so that's why there are such wide salary ranges ... in-house at a smaller company vs at a global agency, for examplemonospaced
- Also, re: Vermont. Well, that's Vermont. Very well could be equitable, if examining cost of living. I wouldn't be considering NYC numbers in VT.bulletfactory
- I was an AD 9 years ago making $90k. That was a small ad agency in NYC. $70-$75k is way too low.CyBrainX
- canoe0
wtf
- err3
I would say $125k
- canoe0
Maybe another question is... how far does 3200/month get you in rent?
(basing that number off of .30 x 125,000 = rent)
We really don't have any kind of exceptional private high school for my son on the island... toying around with the idea of relocating... i might have new year itis though
- Depends on where you want to live. Park Slope, Brooklyn for example, it could be difficult to find a decent 2br for $3200.bulletfactory
- setgoblen0
I guess around $100k. A large part of that being spent on rent.
- OP311
For those roles no less than 100k, but it really depends what type of place you are working at. I've found that a smaller agency tends to pay Art Directors far less since the role is more like a senior designer in some places. In-House tends to have more money and better benefits, but some people don't like the repetitive nature of the job. Me personally having worked both, I've found it both creatively and financially beneficial working in-house for a larger company.
- samebulletfactory
- plus once you get into director roles at a larger company there is usually a bonus structure added to your contract. Some places 15% of your salary end of yearOP31
- samemonospaced
- I imagine working for an agency again, but I'd have to say it's toss up between wanting the money and wanting to work with clients that appeal to me.canoe
- If you're doing anything for the money... rethink :)robthelad
- doing just that now,GeorgesII
- working in-house for a company you like is a plus. There are a ton of cool and appealing companies in NYC with great creative teamsOP31
- monospaced1
After taxes, a $125,000 salary probably won't allow you to get that $3,200/mo rent and still feel comfortable after. You'll probably want to scale back the rent considerably, or aim for $175K or so.
- In NYC, taxes are about 39%monospaced
- And then there are bills, retirement savings, health plans etc, before you even get to food, drugs and clothing.monospaced
- lol @ $3,200 a month for a 1 br.freedom
- ?monospaced
- Holy tax fuck mono, thanks for the insight!canoe
- Consider benefits too. Most places are scaling back vaca, health, dental, 401k contributions, pre tax commuter benefits, etc.whatthefunk
- I will not discuss salary with a place until I know exactly what their benefits are too, I've seen it vary so much and I believe that impacts base imho...whatthefunk
- "food, drugs, and clothing" lolscarabin
- pinkfloyd0
Is glassdoor still relevant? These are the numbers it gave me:
Senior Art Director - New York City, NY Area Avg
$102,364Associate Creative Director - New York City, NY Area Avg
$141,095Creative Director - New York City, NY Area Avg
$160,000- I've found Glassdoor #s are about 10-15% lower than the going rate.whatthefunk
- freedom0
How much do these agencies charge to be able to afford these salaries and office spaces?