Rico Priem, a veteran film crew member, worked a 14-hour day shift for two consecutive days before his untimely demise in a car crash. At the time of his unfortunate demise, he was worth approximately $1.5 million.
The experienced grip worked as the best boy grip in the series 9-1-1 before facing a car accident.
But do remember that the figures mentioned here are only our estimations and do not necessarily reflect the actual facts.
Key Takeaways
- Rico Priem’s career started as a grip in the year 1996, and slowly, he became the key grip in many movies.
- The talented grip’s lifetime earnings were around $2.5 million.
Rico’s career in the entertainment industry started in 1996 with the movie Sworn To Justice, where he worked as a grip.
In the same year, he made his valuable contribution to the movie Uncle Sam.
During those times, the average annual salary in the United States was around $30,000.
Since the official data of his earnings aren’t available, it is safe to say that he earned around the same figure that year.
In 1997, he appeared in 7 different movies, including a critically acclaimed movie Sparkler.
But his biggest breakthrough came in 1998 when he finally got an opportunity to play the key grip in the hit TV movie Modern Vampires.
Besides that, his skills with the camera became quite visible in the movie American History X.
In fact, after his work in that movie, his position as a grip was cemented in the industry.
During 1997 and 1998, experienced grip earned a salary of around $120 to $150 a day, so it is safe to say that his estimated earnings from both years were around $100,000.
Since then IMDb has credited him in 28 different projects with a career that spanned over 20 years timeframe.
His value only increased after the initial few years. Plus, veterans like Priem earn more than $100,000 p.a. in this industry today.
If we add all his accumulated income from being a grip, his lifetime earnings were around $2 million.
But wait, that’s not it; he also worked as a VFX artist.
Rico Priem Stint As VFX Artist
Back in 1998, the talented Grip also tried his hands as a VFX artist in the movie The X Files.
After that, he never got an opportunity to showcase his art on the big screen. But we all know how many crew members never get credited for small-budget projects.
In addition, even as a grip, some of his roles were uncredited, including his last work in 9-1-1.
So, it is safe to assume that he earned more than $500,000 working on the smaller projects.
Before his untimely demise, he was driving a Toyota Highlander with a starting price of $39,320.
Judging by that, we can say that he lived quite a comfortable life.
Many sources say he was planning a retirement before his demise, which means he did have some savings tucked away somewhere.
In Case You Didn’t Knew
- Rico Priem studied at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1979.
- The talented grip was fond of riding his Harley Davidson bike.
- Rico had a grand-nephew with whom he was pretty close.
