There's no denying that an Emmy Award is valuable. A win bestows an honor upon an actor that is immeasurable. But can an Emmy Award bring tangible rewards like raises and job security? Soap Central spoke with some of daytime's most influential movers and shakers to find out.
General Hospital's Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) recently made waves when he equated soap operas to sweatshops (of the showbiz world, at least) and said the power of an Emmy has changed over the years. He explained that his first Emmy win in 1982 earned him a pay raise, "back in the days when salaries could be hiked up," and these days, it's more about job security, because "we're in a very lean period of daytime TV now."
But how do daytime executives view actor Emmy wins? Are they more willing to keep and hire Emmy-winning actors? And can wins bring rewards such as pay raises?
CBS Daytime Senior Vice President Angelica McDaniel recognizes the triumph of an Emmy win, but she admits that having Emmy wins under one's belt doesn't necessarily translate to a job or higher pay. "I wouldn't say that Emmys translate to job security," she told Soap Central. "But I will say that we definitely appreciate an Emmy."
Because, as she explains, "The cache that an Emmy brings is the recognition from your peers: it's your peers in the day part who vote, and they reward and acknowledge your hard work, your skill set, and your efforts, and that's really what's important about an Emmy. You get to know that it's not a fan award, it's not based on popularity, it's really based on peers saying, "You know what, I want to recognize this artist,' or "I want to recognize this crew member in this specific skill set'... It's really about the integrity of the awards and about having that recognition from your peers."
Days of our Lives' executive producer, Ken Corday, agrees -- though he seems hesitant to give a black or white answer. "You know, tough question," he begins. "I think it always helps. It helps for an actor to say "Emmy-award winning [insert name here]'. But does it really affect the ratings on the show? There's no correlation that says if you win an Emmy, your ratings will go up next week."
The Bold and the Beautiful's executive producer and head writer, Bradley P. Bell, sees a different value in an Emmy win, however. "We give raises!" he exclaims when Soap Central poses the question of an Emmy's tangible worth. "We certainly do give raises on The Bold and the Beautiful. Emmys salute excellence. You're judged by your peers, so it's an important award. It does mean job security, and it does mean raises -- though not all the time. But more than anything, it's a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that you've done something excellent that's worthy of an award. It's a wonderful thing."
So, has B&B's five-time Emmy winner, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), seen her wins translate to tangible results? "It's a nice pat on the back from the community, but I've never thought that it gets you a raise," she says. "It might get you a little job security, but there are plenty of people who haven't won who are plenty secure, and I also know people who have won and are let go the next year, so I don't know that it really makes much of a difference. But it's a lovely thing, it's lovely to be recognized, and it's lovely to celebrate daytime."
Do you tend to appreciate and value Emmy-winning daytime actors more than non-Emmy winning actors? Do you believe actors should be given raises when they win Emmy awards?? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
