When it comes to following dreams in Los Angeles, most individuals need a way to pay the bills.

The cost of living remains one of the highest in the United States while industries like entertainment, often demand unconventional schedules that normalize dropping everything at a moments notice.

It's no surprise then that traditional 9-to-5 employment isn't always the ideal fit for LA's artists, actors, and musicians.

This reality has fueled the rise of flexible work opportunities in Los Angeles that defy convention.

From event staffing and freelance gigs to remote work, LA now offers a plethora of non-traditional career arrangements catering to different goals, skill sets, and lifestyles.

For those seeking an alternative path to better work-life balance and fulfillment, LA's temp job market provides some incredibly compelling options to explore.

Event Staff in Los Angeles

Ask any experienced event planner and they'll tell you: at the core of LA's flexible work scene is event staffing.

With major festivals, conventions, premieres and corporate gatherings happening constantly, there's an endless need for temporary event personnel across various roles.

Event Staff Roles:

Promotional Models

Individuals hired to represent and promote a brand, product, or service at an event, often by engaging with attendees, distributing promotional materials, or demonstrating the product.

Brand Ambassadors

Similar to promotional models, but with a deeper knowledge of the brand they represent, ambassadors act as the face of the brand and aim to create positive brand experiences for attendees.

Check In Staff

Responsible for greeting and registering attendees as they arrive at the event, verifying their credentials, and providing them with necessary materials or information.

Bartenders

Individuals who prepare and serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the event's bar or designated serving areas.

Catering Staff

Responsible for preparing, presenting, and serving food and beverages to attendees throughout the event. Based on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.2% of jobs in Los Angeles consist of food service related positions, which is the second largest percentage out of all LA jobs.

Production Assistants

General support staff who assist with various tasks related to the event's setup, operations, and teardown, such as moving equipment, managing supplies, or assisting with audio/visual needs.

Crowd Control

Personnel responsible for managing the flow of attendees, enforcing capacity limits, and ensuring attendees are in designated areas as required.

If you love going to concerts and want to get paid $17-$20 per hour while ensuring safety and blocking passage ways, apply to work with CSC.

Security

Trained professionals who maintain safety and order at the event, often by monitoring entry points, patrolling the premises, and addressing any potential security concerns or disruptive behavior.

According to Salary.com, unarmed security guards make an average of $37,410 to $47,047 per year.

No matter which event staff roles above interest you, the demand is certainly there for all of them.

What makes event staffing such an attractive flex job is just how perfectly it aligns with the non-traditional lifestyle.

Staffing agencies in Los Angeles like Elevate Events, Julia Valler, and Runway Waiters offer an on-demand pool of available events for workers to handpick based on their schedules and interests.

Payment is typically higher than minimum wage, and tips are often included. Many actors, models, and musicians are able to pay their rent by working at one or multiple event staffing agencies.

LA Event Staffing often has room for growth as well for those who take initiative and prefer to lead.

Event Captains can make $30-$40 an hour, which can easily add up to a 6-figure salary with enough consistency.

"I'm working towards my music career, but event staffing lets me earn income on a totally flexible timetable," said Amr Nabeel, who frequently takes on registration roles for Elevate Events. "One week I'll work three 10-hour days for a convention, and the next I'm totally free to record and shoot videos."

This ability to customize their workload to their exact needs and availability is perfect for students, parents, creatives, and anyone seeking supplemental income without being tied to an inflexible schedule.

Events ranging from intimate VIP parties to large festivals ensure a variety of responsibilities, and environments.

Perhaps the most alluring aspect is being deeply embedded in LA's events scene.

While obviously never quite as exciting as being a guest at an event, event staff gain VIP access to major awards shows, movie premieres and concerts.

Working major events is an incredible opportunity for networking, leadership development and industry connections.

Many event staff workers have parlayed their temp jobs into long-term careers like event coordination, event direction and leadership.

How to get involved in Event Staffing:

Get a headshot, a full body shot, and a lifestyle shot of yourself.

Create a resume of your previous work experience.

Submit to open jobs on popular job boards like Zip Recruiter, Indeed, or apply directly to event staffing agencies like Elevate.

Event staffing agencies will contact you when they have an opening to interview, be prepared to share your experience and talk about yourself.

If you get accepted to join an event staffing agency in Los Angeles, you’ll be invited to start working for jobs right away.

Freelance Work in Los Angeles

Another way to make money in Los Angeles is Freelancing. Freelancing is taking a skill you excel at and finding people who need what you’re offering.

Here are a few examples of Freelance skills to make money in California:

Copywriting

Writing persuasive, promotional, and marketing materials, such as advertisements, brochures, website content, emails, and blogs.

Graphic Design

The creative process of visually communicating ideas and messages through the use of text, images, and layout, often for printed or digital marketing materials.

Videography

Capturing, editing, and producing video content, which can include promotional videos, event coverage, instructional videos, and social media.

Photography

Capturing still images, often for use in marketing, advertising, or documentation purposes.

Make-up

The application of cosmetic products to enhance or alter an individual's appearance, often for special events, performances, or photo/video shoots.

Web Development

The process of designing, building, and maintaining websites and web applications, including coding, user experience design, and SEO.

Tutoring

The act of providing individual or small group instruction and guidance to help students better understand and learn specific subjects or skills.

With the population being so large in LA, freelance talent can turn their side hustle into full time businesses.

Much of this stems from the endless demand for creative services in LA.

The content needs of major media companies, ad agencies, film productions, startups and brands ensure freelance creatives like videographers and editors are never short on potential project work and clients.

How to become a Freelancer in Los Angeles:

Create a Website that describes your services, shares testimonials, and a way to reach out to you via email or phone.

Make a social media page on Linked-in and connect with people who would need your service. For example: if you are taking on Make-up, connect with film producers.

Find a freelance platform to get involved right away with jobs that need your services.

For example: if you’re a make up artist, use backstage to connect with film producers who are actively seeking make up artists. (If you’re having trouble finding a freelance platform that fits what you offer, google search ‘[freelance job] job platform’.

Create a pitch deck and pricing sheet that guide your potential clients through your process or product.

Be patient and continue to focus on outreach via linked-in.

With a polished portfolio and self-promotion, it's absolutely possible for skilled freelancers to fully sustain themselves through a consistent stream of contract jobs.

However, freelancing requires trading the stability of salaried employment for the freedom of being your own boss, for better or worse.

While the prospect of being self-directed and able to choose which jobs you take on is certainly alluring, the flip side is dealing with the income fluctuations and responsibility of perpetually hunting down new contract work.

When becoming a freelancer in Los Angeles, organization and resourcefulness are absolutely essential.

Online platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer make it drastically easier to directly connect with clients, pitch proposals, and discover new gig postings daily.

Meanwhile, local networking events and collaborative spaces provide indispensable communities for freelancers to find mentorship and support one another.

For those able to embrace the tradeoffs, few career paths offer the sheer flexibility of freelancing. Being free from a single employer provides immense freedom to tailor your work schedule as desired, pursue personal passion projects between paid roles, and prioritize the right work-life balance for your unique situation and goals.

Freelance jobs may require upfront cost for hardware, software, and other items needed to provide the service you’re planning to offer, but these investments can pay off quick.

If making your own hours and being self-directed is a top priority, the risk is certainly worth the reward.

Which Flexible Jobs are Best?

Ultimately, whether event staffing, or freelancing ends up being the right flexible path comes down to some key questions of self-reflection.

What exactly are you hoping to get out of a more non-traditional career?

Is it chiefly about creating better work-life balance by regaining control of your schedule and time investment?

Are you eager to explore entrepreneurial waters and be fully self-directed in your projects and clientele?

Do you crave variety in your day-to-day roles and environments, or consistency with more mobility?

There's no correct answer, as we all have different priorities and lifestyles that inform our optimal career trajectories.

Freelancing could be the ideal move for creatives eager to build a distinct brand and portfolio on their own terms.

Though the upfront hustle of continually pitching projects and managing irregular pay can be daunting, the long-term rewards of handpicking clients and assignments that inspire you could outweigh the sacrifices.

Freelance writing, design, videography, and tutoring are just some of the paths that allow for crafting your dream work-life integration in LA.

Conversely, event staffing may better suit those simply looking to earn supplemental income on a more casual, ad hoc basis around an existing job or personal schedule.

The relatively low barrier to entry and ability to customize a calendar of shifts make event gigs an accessible side hustle for all backgrounds.

Just be prepared to flex your customer service skills and work outside traditional hours at times.

If I were to do it all over again, I’d choose event staffing because freelancing is time consuming and only the most dedicated, patient, and hardworking individuals succeed in a freelance contract business in Los Angeles.

Event Staffing allows you to choose when you work, and have the freedom to focus on the rest of your priorities as soon as your shift is over.

I’ve seen many high performers focus on both freelance work, and event staffing simultaneously.

Event staffing can be leveraged for consistent pay when needed while you try to make money doing something you’re more passionate about.

If you’re interested in applying to event staff jobs in LA, here’s the best company you could work for.