The Los Angeles-based interior designer served as the host ofUnspouse My HouseandBuild Me Upfor two seasons starting in July 2019. In a highly personalessay posted on his websiteon Monday, he alleges that he was overworked and underpaid during his time making the show.
“I haven’t chatted much about this stuff yet because I thought I’d get in trouble or burn professional bridges,” writes Soria, who is also apopular Instagram personality, author ofGet It Togetherand was formerly thecreative director of Homepolish. But since the show ended, he’s opening up about what he says really went into making it.
Build Me Up,his second show that included a repackaged version of the earlier 6-episode run ofUnspouse My House, began filming in September 2019 and aired in July 2020. Soria recalls he was in the middle of production when COVID-19 took hold in March of that year — but the show had to go on.
“I worked continuously for the first few terrifying months of the pandemic with very little protection. While everyone else was isolating, my design team and I were going to every store possible before they closed down to get the furniture we needed in time for our show to meet its (immovable, even in the time of covid) deadline,” he writes. “It’s a miracle no one got Covid because there weren’t any clear guidelines for safety. We just tried to wear masks and not stand too close to each other while we were shooting scenes.”
Still, Soria doesn’t put any blame on the network’s behind-the-scenes talent.
He continues, “I’m not quite sure who the ‘bad guy’ (ie the person dictating that budgets for these shows be so unworkably small that they make life on set unsustainable for everyone from top to bottom) is in this situation but I’m guessing someone very high up.”
Build Me Upbegan airing in July 2020, but three weeks in, despite what he calls “honestly decent” ratings, he got a heartbreaking phone call: They were moving the time slot to midnight. “While the network said they were doing it in the hopes of finding a younger audience, I knew what it was. The show had essentially been canceled after three weeks. That time slot was a death sentence,” he writes.
In an effort to be transparent, he disclosed his pay on the show: $5,000 per episode, which he equates to $40,000 for 10 months of work. “After taxes and my agent fees, my take home was $17,500,” he writes.
Beyond his own experience, he claims other network stars may be glossing over some of the more unsavory parts of their own experiences.
While he notes the purpose of his post is to highlight the struggles of — and commiserate with — other freelance creatives who have suffered similar setbacks during the pandemic, he digs into some heavy personal matters, too.
Orlando Soria Instagram
He also opens about his health and relationship with drinking during the pandemic.
“Getting further and further into debt, in the dark months of winter . . . the only thing that brought me joy was alcohol,” he writes. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I do think I’ve had a troubling relationship with alcohol since Covid started. I don’t think I’m an alcoholic though. If there’s something called ‘situational alcoholism.’ I think I had that.” He’s since stopped drinking.
He admits, “I know all of this sounds incredibly bleak, but I don’t feel bad about it..” And he does look ahead with some positivity.
“What I’ve seen in my own life is I always come out better on the other side of a personal/professional slump. There are periods of building that can be painful and overwhelming. But they lead to a richer appreciation of what comes next,” he writes.
He continues, “While the past two years have been stressful, overwhelming, and filled with anxiety and depression, they’ve provided me with a sense of strength I didn’t have before. When you are treated as though you don’t matter, you believe it for a while. And then you get angry and start to rebel against that notion. I know exactly who I am and I know what my accomplishments are – I have worked hard for both.”
source: people.com
