Transparency
A clear look at where every euro of your membership goes
Where your Membership Fee Really Goes
At Fishpond, we’re always working to increase the value we provide to our members, and we’ve never raised the price of an annual membership since we began in 2008. We know that following your passion and chasing the dream of becoming a working actor can be a challenge. We’ve been there ourselves. Inclusivity, creating a place for everyone, is one of our guiding principles.
That’s why we think it’s important to be transparent and show you exactly where your hard-earned membership fee goes.
First and foremost: Our people
We’re a small team of real humans. We’re not part of a big corporation, and not a faceless machine running on artificial intelligence. Each year we welcome interns from universities we’ve built long-standing relationships with. Our small staff earns a decent living wage, and our interns receive a modest stipend plus a small bonus at the end to say thank you. We maintain a small office for our team because we believe shared space fuels collaboration, sparks ideas, and keeps our passion alive.
Our industry-expert contributors often donate their time to judge audition competitions. When we invite speakers, content creators, or workshop leaders, we pay them a reasonable fee for their expertise.
Then there’s the technology
Over the past 17 years, our platform has gone through five major upgrades, and we’re about to launch version 6.0, which we believe will be our best yet. From our early days as an ambitious concept to today’s searchable, feature-rich database, we’ve relied on developers, designers, and service providers, sometimes in far-flung places to help keep costs manageable. And as you’d expect, keeping the platform running smoothly is an ongoing investment.
So there you have it. Those are the real costs of running Fishpond, and why it’s worth it. We’re a small but proud and passionate group, much like Ireland itself. We believe in what we do, and we believe in you.
