Hong Kong's film and television industry is currently experiencing an ice age. Due to insufficient production, many actors are out of work or underemployed. Even if actors have no shows to act in, they still need to make a living. Some take on part-time jobs to make ends meet, while others have shifted to a new battlefield—livestream sales.
In recent years, many actors have turned to livestream sales, from top-tier celebrities to supporting actors from TV stations, bringing them considerable income. Earlier, 香港01 went to Foshan, Guangdong, to witness one of Yuen Qiu’s livestream sales. She said, “As actors, we’re very passive. If people don’t give us opportunities, we don’t have any to act. Why can’t we be more proactive and find our own paths?”
Yuen Qiu started getting involved in livestream sales in 2018. From a novice to now a leading figure in the field, she has experienced her fair share of hardship. Now that Hong Kong’s film and television industry is in a winter period, she urges peers to try out livestream sales. She said, “Many people say doing livestream sales is shameful, but really, it isn’t at all. During livestreams, it’s like acting. When you introduce a product, you’re performing, delivering emotional value to viewers. If you act with emotion, the audience places orders. This line of work is actually very suitable for actors.”
In addition to actors making money through livestream sales, Yuen Qiu believes there are many opportunities behind the scenes as well. Directors can organize teams to do sales, starting with non-top-tier products and scaling up. But the most profitable and most talent-short field is actually copywriting. She said, “Actually, what’s most lacking in this line is people who can write copy. Let me tell you, we hired a copywriter, and their content usually goes viral. Many people read what they write. For writing content for 30 videos, they charge me 70,000 RMB (about 41,000 MYR). If you get three such jobs a month, you can earn 210,000 RMB (about 123,000 MYR) a month.”
News Source: 香港01