Ask FreelanceSwitch #16: Workload Management, Freelance Video Jobs

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at the drain of working two jobs and how to grab the eye of a video agency.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Hit it!

Question #1

Hi I moved to Spain about 3 and a half years during that time I’ve landed a few projects I have a 2 year old kid and my wife works so I had to find a job at a local pub to provide for them I just work at nights, so is there any advice you can give me when it comes to focusing on my career when I find myself working more than 45 hours a week. Although I feel the desire to work on projects that come to me, I’m just too exhausted to get them done.

-Celso

Thursday: Trying to manage a freelance business at the same time that you’re working full-time on your feet is definitely not easy. At best, if you’re serious about making the switch to freelancing full-time, you’re going to be in a position where you have little time to spend with your family. With that in mind, the most important advice I can give is to raise your rates. That may sound a little unconnected, but here’s the thinking: if you’re working what can easily amount to two jobs, it needs to be worth your while, especially when you’re spending time away from your family to do so. That has to be worth your while, so you need to bump your rates up.

You have to be worth that higher rate, of course, but most of the freelancers I know really aren’t charging all the market can stand, so the odds are good that you can increase your rates. Ideally, a higher rate also means that you can cut back on hours at your day job.

The other piece of advice I have is to get up earlier if you can — work on your freelance projects before going into the day job. You’re just about guaranteed to be exhausted when you get home from work, making it slower going on freelance projects. If you can hit them when you’re freshest, though, things often go faster. On the down side, you’ll have less energy for the day job, but if it doesn’t require as much creative thought, that isn’t always a problem.

Travis: It sounds to me that you’re nervous about starting your freelance career, and with a young family to support, I don’t blame you.

I was pretty terrified too when I started freelancing. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if there was a 2 year old in the mix. Because I’d probably be all “What’s this 2 year old doing here? Is he mine?”

The truth is, it will be pretty near impossible to get beyond were you are now unless you commit to making it happen. So either you’re going to need to cut back on your hours at the pub and work like crazy to build up your client base, or you’re going to have to continue to burn the midnight oil to make it happen.

Currently, you’re like a man trying to straddle two row boats as they slowly drift apart. You’re going to have to pick a rowboat and jump in. After all, other people are waiting for rowboats and nobody likes a rowboat hog.

Question #2

I would like to know which is the best way to introduce yourself and your company to publicity agencies when you work with video and motion graphics? Who should I talk to in the publicity agency? What material should I present and in which way?

-Daniel

Thursday: Because I don’t work with video or motion graphics, I went straight to Mel Rainsberger, who takes on freelance film and animation projects. She told me the following:

First thing first, find out if the agency does any video in-house or if they hire outside agencies. Most agencies aren’t big enough to justify all the expensive equipment needed to offer broadcast quality video production. Many prefer to hire studios dedicated to video/animation because they only have a need for video 3 to 5 times a year. Even big studios / companies might farm out their video needs because the cost of building an in-house studio can run into the millions of dollars.

If they do have in-house video capabilities, try to find out who the head of that department is. Next, try to find out if they have an opening/need for another video person. If you’ve seen their work, try to tailor your demo reel/resume to the agency’s offerings. Do they do a lot of stuff with kids? For sporting events? How can you support what they already do? Lastly, submit a kick-ass demo reel. Agency folks like to be entertained. Keep it to 2 to 4 minutes and only use your best work.

If they DON’T have in-house video, try to find out if this is something they want. They may be very happy with the outside contractor/studio they already use. You’ll have to be much more persistent and inventive. Try to find out if all of the three big needs are met: faster, cheaper, better. Maybe, their video/motion graphics contractor is really cheap and fast, but their quality is more akin to a local car dealership. Or, maybe their video contractor is very fast and good, but they are looking for cheaper options for smaller projects. You’ll have to work harder to make friends with someone in the agency, get to know them and their agency’s needs. Try to find out if they go to local networking events, or have a blog, or even just start with the info@agency.com e-mail address that’s on their site. VP’s, design directors, and senior-level designers are good places to start as points of contact. Don’t make friends with junior designers or the marketing team. It sounds horrible, but their opinions on hires are not greatly regarded. This is a very hard route to go, and you might have to take an internship with them or even give a discount to prove yourself. Another route would be to join up with their outside contractor, work for that person directly. A good video contractor/studio will always have too much work and if they can send out another cameraman or grip to an event, it’s a plus. Again, a good, entertaining demo reel, a concise resume.

Travis: I’ve never worked in the video or motion graphics arena either, but I’ve watched a lot of movies, which pretty much makes me an expert in anything.

So I, like Thursday, decided to phone a friend to get the scoop on how things work in Tinseltown and called world renowned TV and film superstar Rowdy Roddy Piper (as a fellow Canadian we’re allowed to call Mr. Rowdy once a year with any question). And while he went on a bit of a rant about bubblegum and butt-kicking, I got the distinct impression that he was implying that you should always bring your ‘A’ game to any potential gig.

So here’s what I suggest you do:

• Research the top five agencies that you really want to work for
• Compare your work against the quality of work that they are putting out
• If your work is equal or better to what they’re doing then pitch your best stuff
• If your work doesn’t measure up, then it’s time to buy a pack of bubblegum and start working on your butt-kicking skills

Anyway, I need to call Bill Shatner now and ask him some questions about this macaroni salad I’m making.