Making the Money Work: How to make being a comedian, writer and podcaster pay with Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin

Feb 18, 2020, 01:35 PM

In this Making the Money Work episode, we talk to writers, comedians, podcasters and performers Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin about how you can make your money work if it comes from such a variety of sources.

From hosting their podcast Nobody Panic, to being in comedy trio Massive Dad, writing scripts and articles, and putting on Edinburgh shows, Stevie and Tessa have a lot of things to juggle.

The pair tell Andi Peters and Simon Lambert their tales of living on a shoestring to get ahead in the London publishing world, including sharing a one-bedroom flat and sleeping under the kitchen table.

The duo also explain how to set up an Edinburgh Fringe show and why it is similar to launching a small business, from fronting the cost to book a venue, to selling tickets and hoping you can break even or maybe even make a little money.

And Tessa tells of the difficulties of trying to get a mortgage, even with a contract to write a pilot season of a new show for US television.

In the Making the Money Work series, in partnership with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, we talk earnings, budgeting and savings with those whose lives and finances roam far from the norm.

The five podcasts are hosted by Andi Peters, alongside This is Money’s Simon Lambert, and every fortnight you can listen to a new interview with different special guests talking about their financial lives.