Highest paying creative careers in Canada
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
27 careers in Canada
Ranked by typical pay
271ChoreographerMake the movement other people perform. Almost everyone in this job danced first.Typical pay$85kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandModerate2Film DirectorDecide what every shot, performance and cut is trying to say, then get a hundred people to deliver it.Typical pay$85kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandModerate3Film ProducerFind the story, find the money, hire the people, and carry the risk from first meeting to final delivery.Typical pay$85kTo qualify3 to 8 yrsDemandModerate4ArchivistDecide what records survive and make them findable. Quiet work with long consequences.Typical pay$82kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModerate5AuthorYou write books and long pieces for a living, usually alongside other writing work that pays the bills.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerate6Broadcast TechnicianKeep TV, radio and live streams on the air. Cameras, audio, transmitters and the gear nobody sees.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 3 yrsDemandModerate7CopywriterWrite the words that sell things: ads, websites, emails, packaging, scripts.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate8JournalistYou find out what happened, check it, and tell people clearly and fast.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited9Camera OperatorRun the camera on film, television, live sport and news. Heavy gear, long days, union rates.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandModerate10Museum CuratorDecide what a museum collects, keeps and shows. A research job with a public audience.Typical pay$76kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModerate11Technical WriterYou explain complicated products clearly: help pages, manuals, procedures and developer guides.Typical pay$75kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited12EditorYou take someone else's writing and make it clear, correct and fit for its reader.Typical pay$72kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate13Video EditorCut raw footage into something that holds attention. The last person who gets to decide what the story is.Typical pay$72kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood14Translator and InterpreterMove meaning between languages, in writing or out loud, without adding or losing anything.Typical pay$71kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerate15DancerBallet, contemporary, musicals, commercial work. The training starts as a child and the career ends early.Typical pay$69kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited16Sound EngineerRecord, mix and repair sound for music, film, games and live shows. One year of training, then years of ears.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 3 yrsDemandModerate17AnimatorYou make drawings and models move, frame by frame, for films, series and games.Typical pay$65kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited18Fashion DesignerYou design clothing and accessories, then work with pattern makers and factories to get them made.Typical pay$65kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited19Graphic DesignerLogos, websites, packaging, apps. A portfolio matters more than a diploma.Typical pay$65kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate20IllustratorYou draw for a living: books, games, magazines, packaging. The portfolio decides everything.Typical pay$65kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited21Visual ArtistYou make paintings, sculpture, photographs or installations and sell them through galleries, commissions and grants.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited22BroadcasterHost, announce and present on radio, television and podcasts. Small pay at the start, big pay if you get known.Typical pay$58kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited23ActorFilm, TV, theatre, voice and commercials. Good money per day of work, and most people do not get many days.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited24PhotographerWeddings, portraits, products, news, sport. Most photographers run a small business, not a job.Typical pay$50kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerate25Ceramic ArtistYou throw, hand-build, glaze and fire clay, and sell the results at markets, shops and galleries.Typical pay$42kTo qualifyup to 3 yrsDemandModerate26ComposerWrite music for film, TV, games, ads and the concert stage. No licence, no gatekeeper, and very little money at the start.Typical pay$36kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimited27MusicianPlay or sing for money. Almost everyone does it by stacking gigs, teaching and session work together.Typical pay$33kTo qualify2 to 10 yrsDemandLimited