How Much Money Does Don Draper Make?

Mad Men is an American TV series airing on AMC in 2007, showcasing how the advertising industry worked in the 1960s. For a show to run up to seven seasons, it is no surprise that the character Don Draper would ooze an image of someone too good to be true. In this blog post, I’ll run through one of my favorite all time questions about Don Draper, being how much money does Don Draper make? Be sure to read on or subscribe to our blog for additional details and information.

What is Don Draper’s Career? And How Much Money Does Don Draper Make In A Year

Before Don Draper became an ad man enthusiast, he was an employee at a car dealership company. Initially, Anna Draper was skeptical about Don’s real identity, unmasking his philandering ways. It is only until Roger Sterling, a client seeking fur coats in a specialty shop, requested Don Draper to try advertising that he decides that was his destined career choice.

Despite his philandering ways, he’s very talented in the advertising world. Don Draper, played by John Hamm, is an extraordinary adman who takes his skills a notch higher to earn a salary and bonus no other ad-person can imagine to get. He is always able to think on his feet, and that’s how he remains at the top of his game.

In one of the episodes, when Sterling Cooper was trying to land an account with Lucky Strike, Draper came up with the idea of using the death of smokers as a selling point for their cigarettes. This was considered very controversial at the time, which was what ended up turning it into such a good selling point.

What is Don Draper’s Background? The Ad Man

Meet Don Draper; a man whose lavish lifestyle doesn’t allow him to keep one woman. He’s the main actor in a US TV show called “Mad Men” portraying a character who doesn’t mix business with pleasure.

Initially, Don Draper was formerly known as Dick Whitman; a son to a hooker who died at childbirth. He lived with his father, Archie Whitman, and his step mother Abigail Whitman until he hit 10 years. Later on, his father died from a kicked-in-the face-by-a house. This made young Dick Whitman run away and join the army in order to get away from his step mother’s advances.

In the army, Whitman was able to change his name to Don Draper through a dead officer’s dog tags. When he got back from the war, he started working in advertising. This is where he would thrive for the rest of his working life.

What is Don Draper’s Salary? Inflation Adjusted, Around $400,000 Per Year

Don Draper can afford a kingly lifestyle thanks to his salary of $45,000 a year plus a $2,500 bonus. From my angle, I’d consider his salary equivalent to $365,510 yearly. Today, if you landed Draper’s job as a creative director at an advertising firm, your average salary for the whole year will be $133,641.

How did Don Draper make his money?

In the 1960s, Don receives a 25% stake in Sterling Cooper after Roger gets a heart attack; a move the stakeholders chose to reassure their clients since Don was a guru in advertising. Don gets the big break of his life by earning $500,000 when Putnam, Powel and Lowe buys Sterling Copper.

The Life of Don Draper

Draper was born in 1924 and raised by a single mother, Abigail, after his father, Alvin “Ace” Draper, passed away from appendicitis when he was just 9 years old. Alvin had been an abusive husband to Abigail, which led to her leaving him and to Don joining the military. Even with all of this bad behind him, Don Draper was able to do a lot of good over his lifetime, eventually making a world renowned Coca Cola commercial in his last episode of the show.

Sources:

https://www.bankrate.com/banking/cds/cd-rates/

https://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

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