A frustrated applicant revealed that the reason people are struggling to find jobs that can grant them a livable wage is that most companies are severely underpaying for the roles they are advertising.
Kate Hindman claimed that while browsing applications on LinkedIn, she came across a job posting that immediately left a bad taste in her mouth because of the advertised pay range.
In Hindman’s video, she shared a screenshot of the job posting from WME Agency, one of the top entertainment companies in the country. The job in question was for an assistant HR role, which Hindman explained she had experience working in and knew firsthand that the company was underpaying whoever got accepted for the role.
“It’s like an HR operations assistant,” Hindman said. The responsibilities that the job candidate was expected to do ranged from managing and processing all new hire job changes, working closely with payroll and finance teams, assisting the HR operations team with projects as needed, and any other duties that would be within the scope of the role.
Before showing the pay range, Hindman admitted she had done the same job at Morphe, a cosmetics company, and was paid $85,000 a year. However, she pointed out that with the cost of living and inflation, she should’ve been making more. But she was flabbergasted that this job on LinkedIn, which was considered entry-level, was nowhere near the same salary.
The job was on-site in Beverly Hills, California, and the posting advertised that the starting pay was $15.96/hr, and up to $18/hr. Hindman explained that soon this pay range wouldn’t even be legal as California would be raising the minimum wage to $20, and even remarked that other minimum-wage jobs, including places like Target and Trader Joe’s, were already paying their employees $20.
That’s not exactly true, however. Fast-food workers received a minimum wage increase to $20 per hour, but California’s minimum wage, effective January 2026, is $16.90/hr. So, yes, this job’s starting pay did not meet the minimum requirements, but those requirements are still well below $20/hr.
So, she decided to take action. “$20 is the bare minimum … to be one of the biggest entertainment industry companies in the world in Beverly Hills. I reported that job listing for harassment on LinkedIn,” Hindman shared.
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“I strongly believe that LA companies are the absolute worst at paying slave wages, especially in the entertainment industry,” Hindman observed. “They’re taking advantage of young, naive Midwestern transplants who move here having lots of dreams, having lots of talent, having lots of drive and charisma.”
She pointed out that these young adults, who are hoping to make it big in Hollywood, are being manipulated and exploited because they are all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and don’t know any better. They don’t know how to advocate for themselves, especially when it comes to being paid fairly. It doesn’t help that the consequences of speaking up could mean that they won’t have a chance to make it in the entertainment industry, and they are terrified of standing up to these big-name corporations.
They’re so willing and so eager to work and be in a space that was once just a dream to them that they convince themselves that being paid below minimum wage is more than fine. However, Hindman admitted that even people who were born and raised in Los Angeles wouldn’t accept this job.
According to stats from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, entertainment industry employment in Los Angeles is dropping, with 344,000 jobs reported as of March 2026. This is down 30% from a peak in July 2022 of 455,000 jobs.
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From big cities like New York City and San Francisco to smaller cities in states like North Carolina and Washington, companies are paying higher salaries. Wondering why, Hindman concluded that it’s because people care more.
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“Something unique to Los Angeles that I think is playing a factor in this is that everyone here works a salary and then also has a side hustle, and also has investments. The expectation is that you will work and you will rat race it out more than just your salaried job.” In Los Angeles, if you want to work a normal 9-to-5, have a family, and have no other means to bring in income, it’s frowned upon.
The problem with this mindset is that people shouldn’t have to stretch themselves thin and work multiple jobs, multiple times a week, for hours on end, just to afford a roof over their heads, food on the table, and money for bills and expenses. It’s unrealistic, and one of the many reasons why Los Angeles has quickly become one of the most expensive cities in this country.
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
