Salary
Average Salary: $60,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,504,880
As you are probably completely aware, show business is big business. Some movies pull in billions (with a "B") of dollars at the global box office, and even some artsy drama that cost $3,000 to make can hit the million-dollar jackpot. So what's your slice going to be out of all of these piles of cash? If you're doing the average, probably a decent $60,000 (source).
Oh wait, did you get into the film business thinking you'd be making millions?
Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Hahahahahahaha. Ahem, pardon that little outburst.
The real reason to get into this is because you love movies, and you want to help movies succeed, and, of course, get paid to do it. You may or may not dabble in acting, writing, directing, or producing, but your main focus is finding films that no one has seen and getting people to see them. If you're working with independent films as a producer's representative, that means a big risk on your part (source).
You will be spending your own time, energy, and cash reserves promoting a film to theater owners and studios, without any guarantee that you will see a dime from any of it. Sure, you may ask for some cash up front from the filmmakers to hold off some of that risk, but that gets worked out in negotiations, which basically comes down to how low you're willing to go to contract with this film (which means if you like it, you've got to really like it).
If you're smart, you'll have a few films in your pocket to "shotgun" or showcase as a package, but don't ever let your clients know you're doing that. They need to think that it's all about them.
It's not Brangelina level money, but mid-$60,000 is still a bit above the American average (source). And if you're both incredibly successful and incredibly lucky, you may see the rewards get you into a really comfortable six-figure income. But as poet Dorothy Parker so eloquently put it: "Hollywood money isn't money. It's congealed snow, melts in your hand, and there you are."
And any advice that includes the phrase "congealed snow" is not to be taken lightly.