Hi there, I'm Shawna! For more than a decade, I've been leading teams of Post Professionals through the wild ride of showbiz. Through the successful delivery of over 300 hours of television and numerous feature films, I've honed my craft. My goal is to share helpful insights that might make someone else's journey just bit smoother.
It’s been a couple weeks here at Notes From Post since I was able to sit and actually write. I let my anxious thoughts ran away with me as I find myself without work once again. I’m thinking about all the freelancers in my industry that have been struggling for the past year. With the strikes from last year and additional potential strikes this year we are all in a very tough holding pattern. Freelancing has been a huge part of the film and TV industry, in fact freelancers make up the majority of the workforce in the industry. Now it has grown to become a significant part of the U.S. workforce too, steadily expanding over the past few years in large part due to the pandemic. Prompting a surge in freelancing fueled by a growing desire for flexibility and autonomy in work arrangements. This phenomenon, often dubbed "The Great Resignation," has resulted in a substantial increase in freelancers nationwide. Parents were being told they had to be their kids at home teacher, adhere to a full time school schedule, plus keep bills paid and food on plates. Going freelance was often the best option available. However, beneath the surface of that decision lies a complex reality that many freelancers grapple with daily: the uncertainty of when the next job will come, how to have adequate healthcare without the benefits from a full-time job, and how to keep progressing in your career. This unpredictability not only poses financial challenges but also takes a toll on mental well-being, leading to anxiety and stress. With someone who already struggles with the runaway thought train, this isn’t the best combination. But honestly I’ve realized that I’ll find something to stress myself out about no matter where I work, if I have benefits or not, so I can’t let that get in the way of having the career I want. In this article I’m going to share some of the things I’ve been thinking about the past couple of weeks as I’m in the “in between” zone of jobs.
NAVIGATING THE FREELANCE ROLLERCOASTER: THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHEN THE NEXT JOB WILL COME
Let me just start by sharing something I recently learned. The term freelance comes from the Sir Walter Scott book, Ivanhoe. Scott wrote about a lord who referred to his paid army as 'free lances'. In those days the term was used in referring to a mercenary who would fight for whoever paid them the most.
I think this leads to a common misconception. Where the majority of people think we could choose to work for corporations or companies, but instead we go freelance because often we are greedy and want to get paid more. Truthfully, in the Film and Television industry the majority of us have always been freelance because the work is so sporadic, shows have seasons where they come and go and the majority of production companies do not hire full-time. We don’t have many other options.
As a freelancer I often find myself in a constant cycle of hustling for the next gig. Unlike traditional employees with a more stable salary with benefits, and even then the jobs-here in general is not really stable anymore. Anyone can lose their job at any time. As a freelancer contracts can end abruptly, leaving me scrambling to secure the next gig.
Not much work is actually happening right now in the industry and the work that is happening is being filled before the majority of us know it’s even available. In an industry where who you know is money, the struggle to “break in” to get your next gig over and over, is overwhelming.
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Shows can be canceled or put on hiatus unexpectedly, leaving freelancers without income. I’m not even going to bring up what retirement looks like since there’s little dependability of when the next stable gig will come and savings goes into a fund for when I’m out of work again.
Not to mention just getting payment. If you speak to anyone who has worked freelance I’d bet a majority of them would say at one time or another they have had issues getting paid. Or a delay in pay, making it really hard to plan financially. Not only do we have the weight of trying to line up our next gig, when we are working we also have to worry about if we’ll get paid on time if at all, and have to be our own advocates. This can be especially hard for introverts, or people like me who hate conflict.
The first tip to survive is plan for being out of work. I usually take a percentage of my paycheck and save it for the months when I don’t have income. Most people will tell you to save anywhere from 3-6 months. This helps to not be desperate which never helps in finding a gig, it also allows you time to say no to gigs that you’d rather not do, and gives you the opportunity to look for a role you can grow in.
DOWNTIME
The industry is BRUTAL, in order to survive many people take downtime to recoup. During my downtime I’m working on this newsletter and my podcast, which I am excited about. I’m working on some personal projects I haven’t had time to touch for a while and I’m planning some projects on my house that have been on hold. Like painting my living room.
But honestly, the downtime is used to rebuild relationships that went neglected, focus on self care and get back into a good mental state.
Working on series television can be rough, this past job I was lucky enough to build into the post schedule a down week for Christmas but this was the first job I was able to do that. Even with that though there were some weeks where I mentally was pushed to complete exhaustion. Having to balance multiple episodes at difference stages of the process and putting out multiple fires as we get closer to delivery and the need to get all of the things wrapped up and done by looming deadlines.
Because of this taking time between jobs can be necessary, even if it’s difficult financially.
Second tip to surviving freelance is to use your downtime wisely. Plan for it and be your own manager. Outline what you want to or would like to get done during your time off and plan time to do it. Then let yourself off the hook, don’t worry about getting it all done but you’ll feel much more productive and less depressed at the end of it if you were able to focus on some things that make your personal relationships or your space a priority.
HOW TO KEEP PROGRESSING IN YOUR CAREER
Another very difficult thing with freelancing is there is no clear progression. I talk about the way into Post Production Supervising in this episode of my podcast and the non traditional ways to get into the role. But to take the conversation further once you’re in a role and you’ve proven yourself, the industry has a hard time seeing you as anything else. When you wrap, you’re starting from square one. Reaching out to people you’ve worked with in the past, who’ve only known you in a certain role so they only feel comfortable recommending you as one thing. Which makes progressing tough. Credits are everything no matter how unfair that seems. Many people do not fully understand everyone’s role in the industry and rely on what credits people have received on shows. The bigger the show the better. So it doesn’t actually matter if you’ve done a good job or not, but if you have a credit on a major series or film that’s taken as gold. Combined with how many of us work from home now means it’s so much harder to connect with people and build those connections that will recommend us for the next thing or be willing to help us be pushed into the next step upwards.
First, just do your best, be good at solving conflict and learn to communicate clearly. Even if you’re not on what is considered A list shows being the best at what you do will get you noticed. I love the book Creativity Inc., by Ed Catmull. He speaks widely on his experience of leading upwards as well as being a good leader for those under him. If you have the time to read it this summer I highly recommend. My biggest takeaway was, be a “safe” person. Don’t be quick to judge, allow people who’ve made mistakes the space to come and admit to the mistakes, then focus on the solve, not who made the mistake. This is an issue I see over and over, too many business leaders are focused on the mistake and who caused it vs a solution oriented approach. This alone will help you be seen as someone who can be easily spoken to and people will be much more honest about what it takes to do their jobs and you in turn will be a much more effective leader.
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Another communication tool I use a lot as a WFH freelancer is Slack. While yes it can also be torturous, and some people have PTSD from hearing the little “bling” sound. However the ability to quickly chat with something and check in helps to build meaningful connection. When I talk about “connections” this is what I mean, not what you can get from someone else but what you can provide. For me that’s a sounding board, I work hard to be a safe place for people to vent and workout frustrations then we move on together. They know I have their back.
Last tip for surviving freelance work, is to never stop having conversations. Attend the mixers, the monthly meetups and return the calls you’ve not had time too. Add 1 day a month where you reach out to friends, family, past co-workers who you haven’t talked to in a while. I truly care about human connection, that transcends just what I can get out of it. For me it’s always genuine, I care to hear about what is going on in other people’s lives, I like to send birthday cards to colleagues and friends. Even just a hand written thank you note is a fantastic way to stand out. Everybody hates email, so when you can if you’re able to write people notes it’s really appreciated. Of course asking people for their address can be less awkward but if you’ve built a good professional relationship with people it’s less so. I’ll usually ask for an address while working with someone and then store it in my phone, at some point if I notice it’s someone’s birthday or they’ve just completed a big project I’ll send them a handwritten note. Sometimes you’ll even find some incredible friends all the way.
BOTTOM LINE
Freelancing offers a lot benefits, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges. It’s really just a different form of working. I’ve done both a full-time with benefits and freelance roles during my career and I’ve noticed that there’s plenty to worry about in both. So if you’re tired of one try giving the other a chance. Freelance is’t that scary once you’re able to set aside some of the “unknowns” about it. The uncertainty of when the next job will come can take a toll on freelancers' mental health, but by acknowledging these difficulties and implementing strategies to cope with uncertainty, freelancers can navigate the ups and downs of the freelance rollercoaster more effectively.
Until next time,
Shawna Carroll
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