Guillem Estadella: "I have an account where I try to put between 1,000 and 1,200 euros each month to save."

Comic and humorist Guillem Estadella's (Cunit, 1996) first memory of money is buying trading cards after school and depositing the money his father earned at the ATM downstairs. The comic entered the working world doing what he wanted to do: "When I started doing radio at fourteen, when I started a theater group at fifteen, and when I was sixteen, stand-up comedy."

"My first gig was in Canet de Mar, and as soon as I arrived, I was already at least 75 euros behind on gas and tolls. They paid me 50. In other words, the first time I made money, I was in the red," explains Estadella. The only time he hasn't worked doing comedy was during the COVID pandemic: "I worked at a MediaMarkt and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I had a blast. When I saw someone in the charger aisle, I treated it like a gig, I'd say, 'Can I give you a hand?"I don't know if it's a shame that I found my passion quickly, because I haven't been able to try other things or make mistakes. I would have loved to have worked as a waiter for a summer at a beach bar and taught refresher classes," the comedian explains.

Estadella also works in the RAC1 version making the program The Opening ActsHowever, he claims he makes a better living performing shows all over Catalonia: "I can earn with one gig what I earn in a month at RAC1, with my base salary, not including bonuses." In fact, he considers the communications world to be a very precarious sector: "Nowadays, living in Barcelona on the salary of an editor at any digital newspaper or any non-public radio station is very complicated." "It's hard to disconnect because you're so caught up in current events, and I think this should be reflected in your paycheck," he explains. Thus, he maintains that it's a creative and very passionate job: "And with passion, sometimes we forget that we're being deceived."

On the other hand, he's self-employed when it comes to collecting his pay for shows: "Paying VAT has been something that really bothered me and was hard to understand. No one sits you down and explains how to issue an invoice. I've had problems with the tax office because I didn't know how things work. And I've learned the hard way." "As the years go by, I've become a bit more sensible, and I have a manager who's a real powerhouse," he emphasizes.

The period that has seen the greatest financial hardship is when he moved out on his own in Barcelona, ​​around the age of eighteen: "I had calculated the number of gigs I needed to do each month to be able to pay the rent, which was my basic principle." But he wasn't working in radio yet and ended up with some months in the red: "We all have a central bank, which is our parents. I've never repaid them the money they've lent me." He continues: "There have been months when my diet has been based on rice and vegetables."

In economic terms, his biggest frustration now is transportation: "I bought a car for 20,000 euros, and after three years, I've done so many kilometers, I've screwed it up so much, that I now have to change it. Then, I got into leasing, for which you see about 400 euros each month." "We drive because we have shitty public transportation. I'm happy to pay taxes, but I'd like to see these taxes on the streets," he adds. Currently, the comedian drives every day because he lives in Cunit, where he owns an apartment: "It's the inheritance my parents gave me during my lifetime; I'm lucky that I only pay half the mortgage."

To manage her personal finances, she has three current accounts: "I have one account where I try to put between €1,000 and €1,200 each month to save, with another I pay my expenses, and I have a final account where I receive my income." In fact, she says that doing so has been key to achieving financial stability and learning to save. She believes money should be "invested to generate more." In her case, she'll open a business: "I'm looking at premises in Cunit to buy one and make it my office. I'd also like to set up a small multipurpose room where I can teach comedy classes, exhibitions, and even set up a podcast studio for rent."

The comedian says he has fulfilled a dream: to make a living making people laugh, performing stand-up comedy and performing for the media: "If I could make a living doing this all my life, I'd sign up right away. My amphetamine is knowing, for example, that on May 17th and 31st I'll get in a car and go to the Muntaner Theater to do a gig."