How the One Big Beautiful Bill Affects Creatives

The first time I experienced major world events from the strip club, the votes for the presidential election were rolling in on the TV screens that are usually used for sports. The election totals were less like basketball and more like a boxing match of constituents versus super PACs and us dancers were tasked with being some kind of cheerleader. When one of Tyler The Creator’s lackeys came in with friends to be comforted and to complain to me about the state of the world I accepted the moment as part of one big game that We The People could eventually win if we play the long way.

The night Iran bombed Israel my customers felt defeated by the reminder that nuclear war can start at any time and sought a sense of control by spending with the true YOLO spirit inspired by the 2008 economic crash. The mood in the space following the Big Beautiful Bill passing was far less desperate, but somehow even more ominous. I wondered if now was the moment to harness our collective humanity into something bigger than feeling like we are sims subjected to someone else’s game.

My mind flashed back to day one of my civil procedure class in law school when my professor told us those who know the rules of the game are the ones who win. The kind of minutia the average American would need to master to play the long game well is designed to be so painstakingly boring and hard to master that easy loopholes become obscure.

So, in an effort to give The People a little more of the referee playbook, here’s what creatives need to know about how The One Big Beautiful Bill affects us–and what to do about it.

The One Big Beautiful Bill by creative practice, in alphabetical order:

• Fashion Designers
• Freelance Filmmakers, Photographers & Writers
• Models
• Musicians & DJs
• Strippers, Dominatrix and Full-Service Sex Workers
• Theatre Artists

Fashion Designers, start learning tax practices of the wealthy–now

 Whether designers are creating their own collections or they are designing in-house for a brand–or both–fashion designers require three mission critical support systems: accessing stable housing, healthcare and funding for their collections to make their visions reality.

The One Big Beautiful Bill cuts against all three of these support pillars so I spoke to Ebony Wiggins, Director of Program Strategies and Equity Initiatives at the Council of Fashion Designers of America for guidance on how designers can adapt. Ebony who witnesses up-and-coming designers navigate their journeys first hand at the CFDA explained that typically, “In the early stages, many designers, particularly those who are historically excluded from participation and access to institutional funding, depend on a patchwork of funding vehicles primarily relying on self-funding, community support, pre-orders, and supplementing their creative practice with income from unrelated jobs or personal savings.”

I wondered how The Big Beautiful Bill rescinding a category of grants named as “unobligated funds” to granting institutions across the country might impact available funding for designers from historically excluded groups moving forward? Ebony shared that “the challenge with this type of cut is that its effects are often invisible—these funds are withdrawn before they ever reach the communities or initiatives they were meant to serve. Unlike reductions to existing programs, which can be measured, the absence of unobligated funds is felt in what never has the chance to begin”

The unknown scope of fighting back against what could-have-been is overwhelming but there is a hidden measure designers can take advantage of. Because One Big Beautiful Bill makes large tax exemptions for corporations filed as pass-through entities, fashion designers who create a sole proprietorship for example can funnel all financial resources into this business to protect any and all funding they raise. In fact, this taxation strategy is so effective in minimizing the tax burden on entrepreneurs that it is responsible for massive wealth increases in the top 20% of earners in the United States over the past decade and will only continue under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Adopting the evasive practices of the wealthy does not undo the harm of this legislation, but, it does provide designers with a runway to protect their vision.

Freelance filmmakers, photographers, and writers–itemizing every expense is now your lifeline

Freelancers always have to be savvier than most to navigate getting paid on time and setting rates that allow them to not just work but also to thrive. Now the One Big Beautiful Bill threatens the day-to-day stability of freelancers by making it harder for folks to access healthcare. However there is one card freelancers can pull to reset the balance: working the new tax deduction framework in your favor.

The One Big Beautiful Bill extends tax cuts from the Jobs Act meaning that the amount of money you can deduct from your federal taxes is four times higher. Taking as much of that deduction as humanly possible is the way to carve out more resources for freelancers’ healthcare and housing.  The challenge to functionally doing so? Itemizing every conceivable cost is time consuming and highly detailed. Freelancers may already be taking deductions for allowable expenses such as internet, the cost of tech like computers, external hard drives and camera lenses, even taking the cost of your home office–but now that this legislation has passed it’s not just the best practice, it’s more like a requirement.

I asked my friend Jasmine, an entertainment attorney who works with stars we all know and love like Joseline Hernandez how freelancers should prepare for this new administrative burden. She emphatically began, “Let me be clear. We do not mess with Trump. And we are not co-signing the Big Beautiful Bill just because it happens to toss a few crumbs toward creatives. That said, if our people can benefit from this exemption, I want them to know how to use it.” Her mindset resonated with my sense that we need to understand how the law affects us, even as we navigate changing it. Jasmine emphasized that adopting traditional practices like creating an LLC, tracking every conceivable expense and filing taxes through your business entity helps to “form a paper trail, unlocking housing, loans, grants, and health coverage” particularly in the current climate. But that isn’t where we stop. Jasmine offered that if she could write a bill it would do things like waive or subsidize trademark filing fees for low-income creatives, provide automatic intellectual property protections for original works and publicly fund significant artist residencies. Pairing a tightened strategy around individual finances and clear requests of our elected officials is the way freelancers can navigate in the moment and thrive in the future.

Models set your dream brand targets and execute now

Economists project that the tax cuts within the One Big Beautiful Bill will increase spending in the short term with a GDP growth of 0.2 higher than it would have been without this legislation, particularly for higher income earners. That matters for models, because the luxury market will very likely expand for the next two years. That translates to 730 days of luxury brands working to catch this spending wave with more campaigns.

This is the time for models to be ambitious about the brands they can work with as luxury houses search for more talent to power their sales. Unfortunately, the wave will be relatively short because the GDP is projected to lower in the long term as a direct result of this legislation, which means models must plan for a time frame when the industry will stagnate. I asked Ebony about alternative policies that would stop the abrupt cycle of boom and bust impacting the fashion industry and she ideated, proposing that “[a] public-private partnership—where government funding establishes a foundation of access, and corporations invest alongside to accelerate innovation. This would recognize the creative class as a vital economic driver, like how we treat tech or infrastructure, with funding pools that allow for risk-taking, experimentation, and collaboration across disciplines.” Hearing her visionary ideas I couldn’t help but realize there is still time to make policies a reality in our towns, cities and states–so along with the individual hustle the next two years must include a collective push for more from the fashion industry and our local governments.

Musicians and DJs now is the time to get in the booth–and get organized

Thanks to strong advocacy from entertainment unions like Actors Equity, One Big Beautiful Bill, did slip in a silver lining for musicians, DJs, and producers in a hidden corner of section 181. Here, there are tax deductions for artists and producers to deduct 100% of production expenses up to $150,000 in the year that the expenses occurred, so if you were looking for a sign to get in the booth, this is it.

There is also an important progression in the national conversation around AI within this legislation. Specifically, this bill puts a hold on AI legislation at the federal level. Now, this does mean that nationally musicians are not protected from AI abuses, but, it also means if artists are living in a state that already has laws on the books protecting musicians from AI abuses such as Tennessee’s Elvis Act artists have legal recourse against improper use of their voice and likeness. This federal hold on AI legislation also means if musicians are living in a state where elected officials are committed to protecting creatives any future statewide legislation that protects artists’ work against AI will apply. Thus, as musicians get in the studio, artists should also get politically involved on the state level to hold elected officials accountable for protecting artists in every state.

Strippers, dominatrix, and full service sex workers–understand how the immigration and tax landscape is changing to protect yourself and each other

Sex workers are particularly vulnerable to this legislation because of the way it cuts access to healthcare and imposes dangerous policies onto undocumented folks. I reached out to my friend AJ Hikes at the ACLU for a detailed account of what to expect because knowledge, even horrifying knowledge, is power. AJ, who works on the front lines of advocacy for queer, trans, disabled and undocumented folks, cautioned that “This administration’s historic, cruel, and massive expansion of ICE means that immigrant and asylum seeking creatives will now live in greater fear of indiscriminate arrests, detention, and deportation.” For folks who are undocumented, sex work industries usually provide a shelter and path to economic security that is now very much in danger. Moreso, AJ emphasized that with “billions allocated for expanded detention facilities, thousands more ICE agents, and miscellaneous border projects, the bill introduces new policies blocking due process and legal immigration for immigrants and asylum seekers. The exorbitant fees put in place are largely unrealistic for many creatives and introduce increased instability and uncertainty into the day-to-day existence of all creatives.” I wondered how useful any tax exemptions can possibly be when the threat of real physical violence is so prominent. In fact, in a world without decriminalization, subtle financial loopholes are not revolutionary in the slightest. Instead, they are guideposts to remain aware of so folks can use these policies in a less oppressive way.

To this harm-reduction end, the new provisions in this bill allow sex workers to deduct $25,000 of their annual tips to be tax free. The exemption is applied across multiple tipped jobs. That means that for this exemption to be truly useful, creating an LLC that covers work expenses and itemizes all costs involved in the course of business from pleasers to stockings to eyeliner to transportation to and from work are the kind business expenses that sex workers will need to account for on taxes in order to make the $25,000 deduction useful.

Theater artists–consider making that movie or stage production this year

Although everyone is impacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill gutting the grad PLUS program which allowed students to borrow the entire cost of their graduate program, theatre artists are particularly impacted by cuts to financial aid because of the critical role higher education institutions play in providing support to actors, directors and screen writers. Now Black creatives emulating folks like Jeremy O’Harris, writer of Slave Play (2018) and Zola (2020), who attended Yale’s prestigious School of Drama may have a more tenuous experience financing the education they’ve earned.

Ironically enough, under this new legislation financing an independent theatre production will be more accessible, thanks to the advocacy by Hollywood. Now, production expenses are functionally free because under this bill creators can deduct 100% of the cost of a movie, TV show or theatrical production in the year that they go live.

Taking advantage of this production expense measure means you will need to have some kind of corporate structure that you’re running your theater productions out of whether that’s an LLC, a sole proprietorship or the like. Here, Jasmine recommends creating an LLC, S-Corp, or partnership, and keeping business and personal expenses separate by getting an EIN and opening a business bank account. This loophole is a real administrative lift to navigate, however, if theatre artists are faced with the choice between school being cost-prohibitive and turning a vision into reality, a path to make a theater production a living and breathing work of art still exists, even in this fraught political environment.