Diversifying Income and Skills
Alvin Cowan is a veteran actor, writer, and producer from Austin, Texas, who has worked with legends like Clint Eastwood, James Caan, Bradley Cooper, and Bruce Willis. Alvin has a passion for sports, and his football prowess led him to become a record-setting quarterback at Yale, where he was inducted onto the All-Era Team. He then briefly played professional football with both the NFL and AFL.
After his athletic career, he moved to LA, where he landed a breakout recurring role in ABC’s “Back In The Game” followed quickly by a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.” He recently appeared on Season 2 of HBO’s critically-acclaimed series, “Westworld,” and had a recurring role in the Emmy-nominated show, “This Is Us.” He will next be seen in the highly-anticipated indie, “International Falls,” alongside Rachael Harris and Rob Huebel and guest-starring in the final season of the AMC hit, “Better Call Saul.”
- The unplanned move from football to the acting and entertainment industry
- Working in Eastern Europe working on country-oriented infomercials, gaining experience on the production side of media
- Avoiding the idea of creating an exit plan from football created a singular focus but left him without a plan for money post-career
- The startling financial lessons of moving to LA and having parental support for just three months
- Going into debt to pay lifestyle bills and spending two years digging out of that hole
- Stopped subscription renewals, cut back on social and entertainment, and lived in some less-than-comfortable housing arrangements
- Finding stable income in football coaching
- Diversifying income (particularly with rental properties) to avoid relying on the periodic income of creative endeavors
- Diversifying skills by adding writing and eventually producing to his acting portfolio
- Encouragement and support from mother
- Adding the belief in ownership to the depression-era focus on saving as a way to build financial stability and security
Links referred to in the episode, and how to connect with the guest, Alvin Cowan:
