I made $63,000 for 2 days of acting in a McDonald’s commercial—here’s how I did it

My go-to fun fact? “I was an actor for eight years.” Most people are surprised, especially when I tell them I now work in tech.

Growing up with immigrant parents, acting was never on the radar. But I’d always been drawn to performing, and dance was my happy place. After college, I thought: I can’t spend the rest of my life wondering “What if?” If I’m going to shoot my shot, I need to do it now.

I started with modeling, which led to my first real gig, a Cadillac commercial. Things snowballed from there. I ended up in campaigns for Samsung, Sony, and McDonald’s, plus speaking roles under my stage name on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “This Is Us,” and “Shameless.”

My biggest payday was about $63,000 for a two-day McDonald’s commercial shoot, which paid out over many months. But it took years of hard work to get there.

I’d sit in LA traffic for three hours just to wait around with a bunch of other hopefuls for a two-minute audition. I took acting classes all over the city. While I was working at a medical school in Korea by day, I’d show up to dance studios in Gangnam at night, auditioning for the same agencies that created BLACKPINK, Big Bang, Twice, and other K-pop groups.

At the time, I thought I was just learning how to sing, dance, and perform. What I didn’t realize was that I was actually building the same resilience I’d need later in tech and entrepreneurship. Here’s how I did it.

When I started putting myself out there, I realized that I needed some way to make sense of it all. So I did what any Type A person would do: I made a spreadsheet.

I tracked everything: auditions, roles, casting directors, callbacks, and even my outfits. I needed some form of control in a process that felt completely random. And slowly, patterns did emerge. I learned which offices brought me back, and which times of year were busier. It made acting feel like a craft I could improve in, and a business I could learn.

The momentum built gradually. I got better agents and bigger auditions. I’ll never forget the day I was told I booked “This Is Us” while on set filming for “Grey’s Anatomy.” It was surreal. The cast and crew all clapped for me. 

But those highs only came after years of work and sacrifice behind the scenes.

I made about $63,000 for the McDonald’s commercial I filmed in December 2020, according to the spreadsheet I kept to track the checks that came through in 2021 and 2022. My agents got a cut of that, of course.

The shoot itself was pretty straightforward. The concept was showing someone’s relationship with McDonald’s evolve and grow through their teens into adulthood. Instead of casting different actors for different ages, they had me play the whole journey.

Jobs like that are rare. It was a big brand, a big campaign, and it ran for a long time. I got lucky, and I didn’t take it for granted. I put most of my earnings from that job into savings, and used some to get my own business off the ground. 

Acting taught me how to bring my best even when no one was clapping. Commercial sets move fast. You show up, take direction, and make someone else’s vision happen. I got good at adapting quickly and taking feedback.

Over time, I wanted more ownership and flexibility, so I transitioned into a career that offered both. Today, I lead go-to-market at a startup and run my business, which is focused on financial well-being. I still get to be creative and solve problems, build from scratch, and tell stories in new ways.

Just like in acting, there’s a lot of trial and error. But the persistence I built going to 847 auditions and getting rejected 98% of the time helps me keep going. Whether you’re auditioning for roles or pitching a product to potential customers, the key is to keep showing up.

People are always shocked that one commercial earned me so much money. But they don’t see the eight years of auditions, classes, and rejections that came before it.

There’s this saying in acting: “It takes 10 years to become an overnight success.” I’ve found the same is true in business and life.

All those career changes, from health sciences to acting to tech, taught me to be comfortable taking risks.

When I launched my company, I had no idea what would come of it. Some days, I still don’t. Leads ghost. Clients drop. But I believe in what I’m doing, so I keep shooting my shot.

Janet Lee is the Head of GTM at daydream, an AI startup that helps companies grow by building and managing their end-to-end organic growth engine. She also founded Doing Well, a personal finance company that offers monthly coaching and bookkeeping. She regularly shares personal finance and career insights on her socials @startdoingwell. Find her on LinkedIn.

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