In-House Corporate Video to Freelance - Has anybody made the jump?

QuickHitRecord

QuickHitRecord

Veteran
I have been working for an in-house group for seven years now. I've learned a lot on the job (and then a lot more on extracurricular shoots), but for a while now I have been feeling like I have outgrown what is expected of me. The idea of walking away from a steady paycheck and into the unknown both scares and fascinates me.

Has anyone here made the switch? How did it go for you?
 
I just did it myself. It feels like a slow process to get it all in order from creating a company, getting insurance, website & reel done not to mention self branding. I should have my website up by end of week.

It is scary especially if you have a family (I have 2 kids) but I was in a situation that it just made sense to take the jump. The company I used to work for was offering voluntary packages and the money was great after working at a union broadcaster for 13yrs. My wife has benefits for the family so with the safety net I took a jump and I feel great.

There are some frustrating things. I hate talking about myself so I find the line between selling your skills and being overly boastful a tough one. I hate people who oversell themselves and can't deliver but you do need to take some risks to get to the next level.

I also miss having a stocked equipment room and all the things I've gotten used to over the years. I find each shoot there are a few little things that get added to my list of purchases. On the flip side I love the ability to control purchases and scrimp and spend where I see fit in the production not tow the line and order only specific things. If something makes my job easier and makes financial sense I just go out and purchase. no production manager to quarell with. :)

Who knows its been only a few months. I might have a different tune next year but so far I've loved being away from a broadcaster.
 
I did. Worked in house at a small production company, 9-5 type of job where I did it all (shoot, edit, motion graphics). In that city, it would've been suicide to try and freelance.

Moved to Vancouver and gave freelancing a try. It was very slim pickings at first. Lots of craigslist cheapo gigs and soul crushing stuff. Luckily I don't have kids or much in the way of bills, cause I was barely scraping by at times and almost had to succumb and get a job.

That said, I really hate networking and soliciting for work so someone more driven in that department could've had a much quicker rise to success than me.

After a year or so, I felt pretty solid. I'm close to making what I did at my old job, which admittedly wasn't much but the freedom is well, well worth it in my opinion. It's fun spreading myself around and working on different gigs. Plus, it feels really good to never really need one client too much, so if things ever get too dicey, I can just walk. I like that power.

I'm also willing to do most gigs, which helps. Corporate, wedding, event, music video. Whatever. If it pays and I can do a good job, I take it.

So it's possible but definitely be honest about your market and how willing you are to hustle for gigs because you definitely appreciate how easy it is to not have to worry about that with a 9-5. Be (possibly) prepared for financial hardships at first, but that's not set in stone. You might be fine out of the gate.

I think different personalities work better for freelance/self employed versus being an employee. I am definitely NOT the employee type. At least not to one employer exclusively.
 
the only thing that ever gets me about these questions is it comes down to one intangible -- well a few -- but a large one is: how GOOD are you? I mean.. REALLY?

It always kills me when you hear people complain how it's impossible to make a living freelancing and their stuff... well.. its not good. And then others say it's been no problem.. and their stuff is... well... spectacular. Really, a huge distinguishing factor is your talent. So.. how GOOD are you?

If you are just a tech guy with a camera that can frame up mediocre shots and haul a camera around, you are going to have a harder time, but if you're a good sales person, a good networker, a hard worker, smart about advertising and creating a professional presence in person and online, etc. -- that helps a ton. But if you're stuff is mediocre, ESPECIALLY in this day & age with the abundance of cheap tech, you better be REALLY good at that whole business/sales/networking side. And owning expensive gear helps.

If your stuff is jaw-dropping when you show it, you're playing on easy.. but it's still not an easy game. You still have to be good at the above, but at least you don't have to make up for a lack of talent.

Also as others have said, even if you are talented, you need to be ready and willing for instability in terms of income (terrible months & great months, up and down) and ready and willing for dealing with con artists, difficult clients, never entirely turning off your brain from work, and the pros and cons that come with crazy nice freedom + some seriously weird hours.

For me, its worth it and I've hardly done anything but freelance my whole life. 9-5s sound lame. But this lifestyle is not for everyone.

I would say only do it if (A) you're good, like ACTUALLY good, not like oohhh i impressed my boss and family and friends who all suck at video by doing some internal training (sorry if that sounds harsh I'm just being straight, it's a whole lot less harsh than quitting your job and complaing that no one wants to hire you) and (B) if living the freelance life doesn't just sound tolerable, but freaking awesome.

Got those 2? Then good, do it... BUT.. do it slow. Phase into it. Start doing it on the side and working extra hours until you can't, then try and drop to part time at work, and then roll off and quit. Unless you're super confident and got a good financial base and wouldn't miss your job at all, well, in that case, jumping in head first can be fun. But these things take time, which is why taking a year to phase into "extra side job" to "part time freelance job" to "full time freelance" is smart - you need time to work with people, finish projects, and have them spread the word and your work to get seen. Time to build pricing sheets, contracts, websites, purchase equipment, learn the ropes, make mistakes, and even just feel it out a little. I mean, what if you don't like it?

You know, you won't JUST be doing the sort of videos you have been doing in house right? And you certainly will not be doing only videos you like. There will be 10+... 12+.... 16+ hour days. SHooting, hauling gear, etc. There will be computer crashes. Editing deadlines that will kick your butt. A banquet video coming up Sunday that has to be finished and you're behind and then a wedding on Saturday you already had booked. There will be difficult clients, mean clients. You might have someone try and rip you off. You might do a minor ball drop, and have an angry client try and berate you. You might have a bad week or month, where family troubles come up and having poor performance at a 9-5 is never good but it doesnt mean your whole career ends... but when you are more than a cog in a machine, when you are the whole machine, having an off month can literally derail your entire freelance career if you screw it up and piss people off. There's more pressure in that sense.

Can you post any sample work? Will we think it's good?
Do you have a decent savings?
Does the risk of instability sound exhilarating and freeing?
Are you a great salesman and people person and networker? (a HUGE part of this job is who you know, and getting in with people)
Are you PASSIONATE about film work?
Can your stuff absolutely set you apart from Joe with $25,000 camera and a bunch of connections but mediocre talent? Can you outperform him with a $2000 GH4?
Are you OK with selling off your current life/work situation and then having to apply for a new company/job if freelance doesn't work out?
Are you aware there are no health benefits or other benefits, you will need to expense gear and equipment and web site stuff and get more complicated with taxes and pay higher tax rates and come up with rate cards and contracts and maintain all of the business end of things, etc. and that sounds sort of fun to you?


If the answer is yes to all of the above, you are off to a good start.

BTW I am not trying to discourage you at all, just ask yourself the tough questions, face the facts, be realistic, and don't be to yourself the parent that tells their kid they can do anything they want when clearly, not all of us can sing like whitney houston. If you can do that and answer yes, I am a HUGE proponent of following your heart and chasing your dreams. Life is WAY too short. It's way too short to waste it.

Of course, it's way too short to make idiot moves, too, so... as Dwight Schrute would say.. "before I do something, I always ask myself, would an idiot do that? And if the answer is yes, I do NOT do that thing"

Good luck! ;) post up some work if you can
 
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Reread what Filmguy123 wrote at least 2 or 3 times. There is great wisdom in that answer. I have spent over a dozen years on staff as producer in a large ad agency and over a dozen years as a freelancer. All of what he says is true. The greatest advice is to not just jump in cold, but to spend a year building your client base before cutting the umbilical cord. Best of luck to you, my friend. We are all in a whacky business - especially nowadays when everyone has a camera and thinks that they can shoot great stuff just because their friends think it's cool and you posted it on Youtube and got some positive feedback.
 
@RatLabProductions
@DBP

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It sounds like it was the right move for each of you and I'm glad to hear that it's going well.

@filmguy123

Wow. Great post. Thanks for taking the time. Those are a lot of the same questions that I have been asking myself. I know that there is a common perception that in-house video personnel (especially those in large corporations such as my own) are pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to hard work and creativity; that they put in their eight hours and then they go home. In some cases, that would be accurate. But I really push myself to deliver good content, even when I'm asked for mediocre content. I spend hours outside of work every day learning new techniques and trying them out because I am fascinated by this craft of ours.

I have no illusions about the type of work that is the bread and butter for most freelancers. It's a lot of the same stuff that I do. But some of the freelancers that I know, the ones that are really good, get to work on cool projects from time to time. Obviously, that is where I want to be. I realize that I have to be good enough, and known enough, to get there.

I'm actually thinking about making a move to city that I like better before trying to establish myself. If I do that, "phasing in" won't be an option for me. But like you say, life is too short. I'm not having enough fun where I am.

I write, produce, direct, shoot and edit. I have a year's salary saved up, no debt, no dependents, enough camera and lighting gear for most one or two-person shoots, and my website portfolio (cherry-picked from a career of creating damningly boring and technical videos): www.quickhitrecord.com

If it doesn't work out, I think that my in-house experience would get me back into corporate in-house.

I'd love to hear what you think.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
I know that there is a common perception that in-house video personnel (especially those in large corporations such as my own) are pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to hard work and creativity; that they put in their eight hours and then they go home. In some cases, that would be accurate. But I really push myself to deliver good content, even when I'm asked for mediocre content. I spend hours outside of work every day learning new techniques and trying them out because I am fascinated by this craft of ours.
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You just pretty much described the situation I was in and my thoughts of leaving. Having been with the same broadcaster for 13yrs and not liking the direction of the content over the last 2 I was getting frustrated as it seemed no one else cared. The perception you talk about real and in many cases it is true. My old work was unionized and there were some real loafers around. A lot of people just doing the bare minimum. I always try and go above and beyond and enjoy learning about the craft and trying new things. It was wearing on me that it was a fight to try and take work to the next level and up the quality.

This year I turned 35 and took stock of where I wanted to go and I knew I had to make my break. It was that point where I either break free or commit to staying for life. I needed to make my own reputation because every year that goes by is a year that it would be harder to head into the market and make a name for myself. I have some clients already from my time at the broadcaster that helped start me to the new biz and the rest is just networking. In Toronto the industry is pretty tight so being someone people want to work with leads to more jobs and referrals.

The thing I struggled with the most was deciding if I want to sell my skills as a freelancer or create a production company to bid on bigger jobs (Ad campaigns $15-$30K) and contract out the positions needed for the project scale. I'm lucky that I have a good network of people I can draw on for the bigger projects and the smaller ones I can do a good majority myself to keep profit high. I personally found it also easier to brand & sell a company rather than talk about myself as a person. Like I said earlier being self concious about self praise is something I've been needing to shed. In this business you need to make a little noise and toot your horn and talking about a production company made it easier for me. Maybe I'm just weird like that.

The other aspect of selling a production company instead of a person is that I find pitching clients responded better to a production company offering producing/Directing/camera/post services rather than a person who can do all those things. Your mileage may vary but this has been my experience so far.
 
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It's true, when I picture corporate in-house video I picture low expectations and a VERY narrow set of projects. However, taking a look at your reel and some of your pieces, it's clear that you'e had a much larger variety of work - and also - that you CARE. Which really, is the main thing.. it's what shows a sort of underlying passion and interest that extends beyond responsibility and moves into a love for your work.

If your answer then is YES to all of those above questions, then, and after some more thinking on it you decide you want to make the plunge... I think your work is both strong enough and varied enough, and from the sounds of it, that you have the interest, work ethic and drive. I think you're good. When I started, I sold myself with a whole lot less than that.

Yes, you'll have a lot to learn, but there is something exhilarating and rewarding about pushing yourself to learn from the sake of your survival and your own business. I think you've demonstrated from what I watched there that you're the sort of person to always want to take it to the next level, and in this line of work, I think you sink without that. My driving factor has always been "make every video the best video I have ever made." Whether its a travel video or another boring wedding, without that mindset I lose myself. With it, it's an endless supply of EXCITED clients. And EXCITED clients (not satisfied clients) generate the most work.

How old are you? Sounds like that is a great situation - a year of salary and no dependents and you're ready to move. That's sort of a perfect storm and does not come around often.. especially if you are discontented with DC and your job, it might be the ideal time to do it or forever hold your peace.

What city would you be looking at? My gut recommendation is avoid anyplace that is oversaturated. People who do not know what they are talking about always would ask if I was going to move to LA. Hell no. Why would I do that? There's a million talented people willing to work for nothing just to get the big break. Maybe 40 years ago when there just wasn't an industry anywhere, but nowadays, IMO you're gonna be 10x better of in a small hip city that is full of small businesses and is growing and on the edge. Some place not too big, and not too small. Nashville, TN comes to mind, as does Austin, TX.

Wherever it is, find someplace that you would want to live anyway and fall in love with. Someplace that hits THAT criteria AND the good place to build a business criteria. Some place with an endless supply of new businesses and small businesses to brand, to shoot training and internal work for, to shoot weddings, to shoot whatever. Churches are GREAT. They *always* need video production and always seem to be lacking in talented options, of course, if you're not a church goer yourself you'll have a hard time with that niche - but non-profits or other similar institutions can also be a great source of work and many are not nearly as short funded as the label "non-profit" would have one believe.

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My other piece of advice would be find a 15 hour a week job 2 days a week, either before you move or immediately on arrival. Something that will provide stability and demand very little of you in terms of mental real estate. Something where you can grind and socialize or not leave with your mind trying to figure out 2 jobs. Maybe it's a work at home tech-support position for a new small company, or even a remote work position, or maybe in the office, where you can answer emails etc.

Or maybe it's retail of sorts, Apple or Starbucks or Home Depot or REI. It sounds low down the totem pole, and IT IS - but that's the point. Something where you will enjoy the job (if you love coffee or computers or outdoor stuff, you can be social and talk about it all day and make some new co-worker friends that share interests in a similar city), and honestly some very talented people work at these places while getting their footing. Some of the dumbest people I met in my life worked at my contract at some BIG companies, and some of the most brilliant people I ever met worked retail at Apple selling computers while building their business and finishing a masters, etc.

Anyway, having some sort of less-than-part-time, scaleable job that will let you pull off 2x 8-hour shifts a week and be flexible with you if a shoot comes up/super busy week, or provide you more hours if you are just not selling this month (i.e. hey man I ned some extra work, I can cover your shift) is great. The point with this job is NOT to be profitable. Just think of it as a big rubber plug on your savings account. You have a year worth of salary, so keep it that way. Your low paying but consistent and scaleable side job is temporary for the first year but its basically there to make sure your rent, gas, and good is covered every month. If you sell nothing for 3 months, leaking $800 from your savings is a whole lot better than leaking $4,000.

It's also a great way to stay social in what can become a very lonely first year in a new city and a work-on-your-own job and unless you are super introvert, you may find the weekly interaction with co-workers and customers a life saver. Also, depending on where you work you can hook up some great benefits. I worked at Apple my first year of freelance for 2 days a week and got 25% discounts on everything. Yes, I used that 25% discount to buy Cinema Displayers, a Mac Pro, a Macbook Pro. This was toward the end of my first year when $$ was better and I think my co-workers were like "how can this guy afford $10,000 computers while he works 2 days a week here? Slash... why is he still here?". But let me tell you, 25% $15,000 in equipment I was going to buy anyway can be looked at like a $3500+ bonus check. Also I bought a bunch of stock on the discounted employee program 4 years ago and just sold it recently for 7x the price I paid.

In any case, that provided a safety net the first year and after I bought all my gear, I quit the next year right before Christmas holiday rush. If you're an outdoor enthusiast, REI is great if you're spending money on gear. If you are a caffeine addict and want discounts for when you meet clients in a coffee shop since you have no office, discounted coffee from Starbucks comes in handy. You get the idea. Plus all of these places allow you to network and meet people that want work done (the 25 year old tech head co-worker at Starbucks may have a great start-up idea, the customer @ REI may want his mountain hike filmed, the guy buying 3 laptops at Apple may have a great small business that needs branding, and your co-worker who is also into to film may have some great leads). You get the point. Take some sort of side job that's non-demanding, flexible, social, and in a field you enjoy to provide connections, perks, and some sense of "I'm not gonna take a massive hit if this month blows". Maybe you work there 2 months, maybe 2 years, maybe you never add it to your resume, or maybe you find something non-retail or higher paying (a resource tech at a hospital for 2 shifts a week, working on cars, whatever).

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On the business side, I would hit up companies to partner with. Go to boutique flower shops that sell to brides a lot. Never pitch yourself as needing a favor, you are ALWAYS providing the favor. You are a professional production house looking to expand into weddings and would like to offer a great deal for the shop and the brides. Any prospective client they can provide a lead on they get a cut. Normally you charge $3500 for a wedding, or whatever, but you are looking to do 3x weddings at an introductory rate of only $1,200 for a full service and will give them a $250 cut of anyone that books through them. The reason for this insane deal is you are passionate about weddings the emotional connection of people and would love to move from shooting high-end corporate work to high-end love stories that really matter. SOME shop will oblige, I'm sure. Or a vendor. Do not do anything for free, it's a waste AND people won't take you seriously AND you want *good* weddings. Rich weddings. Don't shoot poor weddings they look like crap on the portfolio. Rich people will be skeptical on a free service, but stoked on a VERY reasonably priced service from a professional studio (that's you). Get a few rich weddings on your portfolio, and boom, now you are a production company that shoots high-end weddings. Now go to different vendors with your wedding specific website (QHRweddings.com), a division of QHR. Offer a 10% cut of any weddings they direct through you, a partnership, and leave cards there. Maybe you are not passionate about weddings but 1x $3500 wedding a month takes 1 day and pays the bill. The editing is a pain, but hire someone from your side gig who wants to learn film to rough cut for you for $15/hour. They can do 60% of the cutting and tagging, you do the creative pass in 10-15 hours at the end, plus the 10 hours of shoot time and a couple hours of meetings, you are sub 30 hours and if you paid the side guy $300 to cut, you're still looking at over $100/hour.

Legal videography is boring as hell but can be a great side gig that would fit perfectly with your expertise.

Check out Staffmeup for a bunch of constantly posted freelance gigs that will allow you to build connections and work in a variety of positions and productions.

Make lots of trades. You avoid taxes on trades. If you can trade labor for gear, labor for labor, etc. You don't pay taxes on any of it. That will make your money go further.

Everything and everyone is a sale. The guy on the airplane, the guy at the coffee shop, the annoying guy who asks what kind of camera you have and who are you shooting for. Take a couple minutes with everyone to be relationial. They might be the owner of a small airport or a shipping company or a yacht owner ora whatever and they need or want a video produced for themselves or a friend. They might work for a non-profit. Be smooth and engage everyone and you WILL make crazy connections in public. If they like you and you are genuine it can happen surprisingly fast. Carry well designed business cards with you everywhere, and ALWAYS trade info if you think someone is a prospect. Give them your card but DO NOT leave without their info. Make a document backed up with every client, how you met them, some personal details, etc. and a note on when to contact them again. Cycle back through every week and keep in contact with the clients you tagged as due for contact again this week. I always have people saying "not now, but check with me in March." Great, make a note. They are 1 of 100, from coffee shop girl to food cart owner to snowboarder.

Well, I think that's all I've got for now. But yes I think you have enough work to pitch yourself and look legitimate. The website isn't bad but you could make it a little slicker, and highlight the videos more.

I still might recommend spending a few months trying your hands at freelance in DC and building up your pricing sheets, contracts, website, etc. To test the waters and give yourself more of a footing before you make a city move. Spend some time researching cities, etc.

And... good luck!
 
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Fantastic conversation and stellar advice. I myself am looking at a year+ transition to my own specialized film business. Any practical advice on getting a production company setup? Are there websites that offer help (tips, pitfalls to avoid, actual services) in the establishment of the company? How would you approach it? How have you approached it? I know only a little about setting up a company for myself, so any advice is welcome!

Thanks!
 
Mars said:
Fantastic conversation and stellar advice. I myself am looking at a year+ transition to my own specialized film business. Any practical advice on getting a production company setup? Are there websites that offer help (tips, pitfalls to avoid, actual services) in the establishment of the company? How would you approach it? How have you approached it? I know only a little about setting up a company for myself, so any advice is welcome!

Thanks!
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This one gets passed around a lot: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2013/08/01/how-to-succeed-as-a-creative-long-term-know-your-c-o-d-b/

It gets you thinking in terms of true costs to keep yourself afloat while earning a reasonable living.

I do think a lot of the business stuff is where many video producers will need to brush up on. It's an entirely different animal than the artistic stuff.

Filmguy123 has a wealth of info in his posts, but I just wanted to add a few things.

While it's great to always strive for perfection in our work, I think it's important to keep the financial realities in mind. I shoot a lot of weddings and for the rate I get paid for them, it just isn't realistic to devote hundreds of hours to perfecting the color grading or audio. At some point, you do have to say "that's good enough" and move on, or else you'll bury yourself by working 100 hours on a project and making 5$ an hour in the end. It's hard, because we want everything to be perfect, but as a freelancer I do think we have to be very concious of time spent vs income from a project. I just can't spend the same time tweaking every little thing on a 2 hour wedding video that I can on a 3 minute promo. Unless I move into the 6-10k wedding video market. Then, sure. That makes sense.

I also think it's wise to avoid sinking tons of money into gear. It's easy to convince ourselves we need all of this stuff, and it's doubly hard to avoid because it's so fun to own... but I think we always must ask ourselves whether this gear purchase will really bring in more money or substantially up our production value. I fight that battle every day, haha. But honestly, anything past a T2I/7D can make really nice video if you know what you're doing. You don't need a Red Scarlett to produce quality work. Time spent draining your bank account on gear is time better spent learning and practicing lighting, framing, audio (hugely neglected), production design, etc...
 
RatLabProductions said:
You just pretty much described the situation I was in and my thoughts of leaving. Having been with the same broadcaster for 13yrs and not liking the direction of the content over the last 2 I was getting frustrated as it seemed no one else cared. The perception you talk about real and in many cases it is true. My old work was unionized and there were some real loafers around. A lot of people just doing the bare minimum. I always try and go above and beyond and enjoy learning about the craft and trying new things. It was wearing on me that it was a fight to try and take work to the next level and up the quality.
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I'm right there with you. When I started out, I was really proud to tell people what I did. Lately, I have been a bit embarrassed -- not based on my own work, but just the general perception of people in my position.

That's why I know it is time to make a move.

RatLabProductions said:
In this business you need to make a little noise and toot your horn and talking about a production company made it easier for me.
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I have always had a difficult time marketing myself as a video professional. I don't like talking about how good I think I am, and this has been one of my big concerns when it comes to the idea of freelancing. But this is a great idea!
 
filmguy123 said:
It's true, when I picture corporate in-house video I picture low expectations and a VERY narrow set of projects. However, taking a look at your reel and some of your pieces, it's clear that you'e had a much larger variety of work - and also - that you CARE. Which really, is the main thing.. it's what shows a sort of underlying passion and interest that extends beyond responsibility and moves into a love for your work.

If your answer then is YES to all of those above questions, then, and after some more thinking on it you decide you want to make the plunge... I think your work is both strong enough and varied enough, and from the sounds of it, that you have the interest, work ethic and drive. I think you're good.
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Thank you. It's an ongoing question for me whether my work can stand on its own, and while I strive to be 'good' at what I do, it so encouraging to hear from someone outside of the corporate bubble that it does.

filmguy123 said:
How old are you? Sounds like that is a great situation - a year of salary and no dependents and you're ready to move. That's sort of a perfect storm and does not come around often.. especially if you are discontented with DC and your job, it might be the ideal time to do it or forever hold your peace.

What city would you be looking at? My gut recommendation is avoid anyplace that is oversaturated. People who do not know what they are talking about always would ask if I was going to move to LA. Hell no. Why would I do that? There's a million talented people willing to work for nothing just to get the big break. Maybe 40 years ago when there just wasn't an industry anywhere, but nowadays, IMO you're gonna be 10x better of in a small hip city that is full of small businesses and is growing and on the edge. Some place not too big, and not too small. Nashville, TN comes to mind, as does Austin, TX.

Wherever it is, find someplace that you would want to live anyway and fall in love with. Someplace that hits THAT criteria AND the good place to build a business criteria. Some place with an endless supply of new businesses and small businesses to brand, to shoot training and internal work for, to shoot weddings, to shoot whatever. Churches are GREAT. They *always* need video production and always seem to be lacking in talented options, of course, if you're not a church goer yourself you'll have a hard time with that niche - but non-profits or other similar institutions can also be a great source of work and many are not nearly as short funded as the label "non-profit" would have one believe.
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I'm about to turn 31. I have a list of cities that I am looking at -- neither LA nor New York are on that list. Austin is on that list. I want to love where I live, and I'll take a pay cut to realize that dream.

filmguy123 said:
My other piece of advice would be find a 15 hour a week job 2 days a week, either before you move or immediately on arrival. Something that will provide stability and demand very little of you in terms of mental real estate. Something where you can grind and socialize or not leave with your mind trying to figure out 2 jobs. Maybe it's a work at home tech-support position for a new small company, or even a remote work position, or maybe in the office, where you can answer emails etc.

Or maybe it's retail of sorts, Apple or Starbucks or Home Depot or REI. It sounds low down the totem pole, and IT IS - but that's the point. Something where you will enjoy the job (if you love coffee or computers or outdoor stuff, you can be social and talk about it all day and make some new co-worker friends that share interests in a similar city), and honestly some very talented people work at these places while getting their footing. Some of the dumbest people I met in my life worked at my contract at some BIG companies, and some of the most brilliant people I ever met worked retail at Apple selling computers while building their business and finishing a masters, etc.
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This absolutely sounds like the way to go. I've never had the experience of a prolonged job search before (which is probably comparable to the first months/year of trying to drum up work as a freelancer), but I've always read that the structure of even a menial job is good for mental fitness and avoiding depression. And like you say, most opportunities stem from personal connections -- every job I've had since high school has been because I knew someone who knew someone.

filmguy123 said:
On the business side, I would hit up companies to partner with. Go to boutique flower shops that sell to brides a lot. Never pitch yourself as needing a favor, you are ALWAYS providing the favor. You are a professional production house looking to expand into weddings and would like to offer a great deal for the shop and the brides. Any prospective client they can provide a lead on they get a cut. Normally you charge $3500 for a wedding, or whatever, but you are looking to do 3x weddings at an introductory rate of only $1,200 for a full service and will give them a $250 cut of anyone that books through them. The reason for this insane deal is you are passionate about weddings the emotional connection of people and would love to move from shooting high-end corporate work to high-end love stories that really matter. SOME shop will oblige, I'm sure. Or a vendor. Do not do anything for free, it's a waste AND people won't take you seriously AND you want *good* weddings. Rich weddings. Don't shoot poor weddings they look like crap on the portfolio. Rich people will be skeptical on a free service, but stoked on a VERY reasonably priced service from a professional studio (that's you). Get a few rich weddings on your portfolio, and boom, now you are a production company that shoots high-end weddings. Now go to different vendors with your wedding specific website (QHRweddings.com), a division of QHR. Offer a 10% cut of any weddings they direct through you, a partnership, and leave cards there. Maybe you are not passionate about weddings but 1x $3500 wedding a month takes 1 day and pays the bill. The editing is a pain, but hire someone from your side gig who wants to learn film to rough cut for you for $15/hour. They can do 60% of the cutting and tagging, you do the creative pass in 10-15 hours at the end, plus the 10 hours of shoot time and a couple hours of meetings, you are sub 30 hours and if you paid the side guy $300 to cut, you're still looking at over $100/hour.

Legal videography is boring as hell but can be a great side gig that would fit perfectly with your expertise.

Check out Staffmeup for a bunch of constantly posted freelance gigs that will allow you to build connections and work in a variety of positions and productions.

Make lots of trades. You avoid taxes on trades. If you can trade labor for gear, labor for labor, etc. You don't pay taxes on any of it. That will make your money go further.

Everything and everyone is a sale. The guy on the airplane, the guy at the coffee shop, the annoying guy who asks what kind of camera you have and who are you shooting for. Take a couple minutes with everyone to be relationial. They might be the owner of a small airport or a shipping company or a yacht owner ora whatever and they need or want a video produced for themselves or a friend. They might work for a non-profit. Be smooth and engage everyone and you WILL make crazy connections in public. If they like you and you are genuine it can happen surprisingly fast. Carry well designed business cards with you everywhere, and ALWAYS trade info if you think someone is a prospect. Give them your card but DO NOT leave without their info. Make a document backed up with every client, how you met them, some personal details, etc. and a note on when to contact them again. Cycle back through every week and keep in contact with the clients you tagged as due for contact again this week. I always have people saying "not now, but check with me in March." Great, make a note. They are 1 of 100, from coffee shop girl to food cart owner to snowboarder.
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You are clearly a master at this and I am floored by some of these ideas. Trading -- I'd never even thought of it. But it absolutely works. It's brilliant.

I'd say that I've learned more from you in this thread than I have in the past year of reading online articles about freelancing. This thread is an invaluable resource to me, as I'm sure it will be for others in similar situations. Thank you so much for a very clear, to-the-point and illuminating rundown. I can only imagine how good your videos must be!
 
^ +1
I am also thinking of taking the plunge into self employment. I currently work as a marketing analyst for a major environmental charity and do video work for them one day a week as well. The scary part for me is building up a client base, I have maybe repeat 4 clients I have worked with outside of my 9 to 5, but those gigs are sporadic and nothing I can make a decent living out of.

Thanks for all the invaluable information!
 
I just quit my full time corporate job and am moving the family and I to Georgia to begin freelance... I already freelance edit for a couple companies, but we're doing it full time now.
 
Great topic and discussion! Bit of a different perspective - I work as a producer for a relatively small studio and prior to that was freelance for about 7 years. The shift has been great and allowed me to see freelancing from the other side of the table.

Networking and selling is key and while no one likes to talk too highly of themselves, for fear of coming across boastful; I'm a huge believer in selling your personality and work ethic. If you're talented at what you do, people will ask to see your work. The people that I hire most often are the ones that every once in a while send me their new work and are great assets on set. Do they penny pinch with me the first time I have them out or are they understanding that some jobs stray outside the initial scope and want to build a relationship with a company? Prove where your priorities lie, work hard and be personable.

Also, some great work on your reel - I'd make it a little tighter though and lose some of the weaker or overused (ie - landscape) shots.

Best of luck to you!

KS.
 
If you do go freelance, do not forget production insurance - not so much to protect you from equipment breakage or theft, but for liability: An actor trips on a light cord and you lose all your gear and maybe your house. Oh, how well I remember those wonderful days when I was pretty much inactionable (i.e. I didn't have a house and my car was crap).

Nice reel. I like your attention to audio (i.e. the car interior). FYI - when I would look to hire freelancers at the agency, I weighted the interior work on their reels much more than their exterior work.
 
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Kegan said:
The people that I hire most often are the ones that every once in a while send me their new work and are great assets on set. Do they penny pinch with me the first time I have them out or are they understanding that some jobs stray outside the initial scope and want to build a relationship with a company? Prove where your priorities lie, work hard and be personable.
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This is solid advice. I've been in a position to hire freelancers several times. If someone is responsive to my calls, always on time, and takes the time to understand the project (I encourage questions) and then delivers accordingly, I'm not likely to call anyone else.

@cyclone
I don't have a house, and my car is definitely crap. ;-) In all seriousness, insurance is definitely important.
 
the time to multiply your income by going freelance is when it makes math sense. Once you have a client following there is no reason not to do it. Until then.. no reason to think if ya quit your full time job that will just appear.
 
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