If you’ve been making the most of your Netflix subscription lately, then you’re probably already familiar with comedian Iliza Shlesinger. Already in her mid-30s, it seems that the talented comic’s career is only peaking now thanks to some pretty lucrative productions with the streaming platform.
Now, the self-proclaimed ‘Elder Millennial’, which is also the title of one of her specials, mind you, is ready to impart knowledge about her newfound wealth and how she’s spending it.
Slow Burn
Shlesinger describes her success as a slow burn. After all, she already got her big break over a decade ago when she won the sixth season of NBC’s ‘Last Comic Standing’.
Her achievement was monumental because she was the youngest and only female contender to do so. The following years saw her working hard doing standup work, going city to city.
A second wind at recognition came after she created her first two comedy specials and financial success came it with. The past two years even saw her career flourish some more.
Industry Blues
Although she’s already gotten past many hurdles to nab a spot at the top, Shlesinger isn’t stingy with sharing what she learned along the way, especially to her fellow female comics.
The 36-year-old advises women in comedy to be self-generating and self-promoting particularly when it comes to creating opportunities on their own.
Still, she acknowledges that there is a wage gap in the male-dominated segment of the entertainment industry. Shlesinger also observes how there may be a gender bias from the audience’s point of view about how much and whose shows they’d be willing to pay for.
On Spending
There’s one thing Shlesinger does that a lot of other millennials like us can only dream of copying: Earning seven-digit paychecks. Surprisingly though, she isn’t actually one to splurge.
For starters, she says she still drives a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid until today. For context, that car is only a year older than her ‘Last Comic Standing’ win 12 years ago.
Shlesinger isn’t like one of those extreme cheapskates you see on television though as she can still squeeze out $45 for a Chinese chair massage that got her floating out of her chair.
As for the worst money advice she’s followed, she reveals that it’s anything she’s ever heard dished out in a rap song. A $30,000 gold chain? She says no, thank you.
At the end of the day, she’ll pick to keep her financial success. Nothing beats living freely without having to anxiously check your bank account all the time, she says.