How to get freelance gigs

[Dylan Holden]

Hello all, a bit new to the site, loving it so far though. I have a question for any freelancers out there. At the school I'm going too I'm told to freelance freelance freelance. The amusing part is that the teachers telling me to do this give little advice as to how to go about it. I'm just not sure where to go, or who to call, or how to get my work noticed. Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks for your time guys.

[TempleDog]

Posting your stuff to community sites like this one is good for a start! I don't do a lot of freelancing but I've gotten several small gigs from contacts at online forums I frequent. Try to frequent sites and forums of genuine interest, though...a lot of guys tend to float around animation site forums (no names) spammin' 'em with their work, and it don't get them anywhere. A forum like Fred Raw is much broader and has tools for getting your stuff seen, like the function that auto-posts new artwork to the main page as it's posted. Plus, the moderators kick ass. Good luck!

[Jennifer Adkins]

Freelancing is good if your significant other has a stable job. :) I freelance full time right now and really enjoy it but only because I don't have to rely solely on my income. Be wary of people who "have a small budget" or "can't pay you right away" because they are looking for suckers. I've had my fair share of clients that seem like they would never screw you over but sooner or later you are having to chase them down for your money.
If you want to find steady work, the best place to look is at an established agency that contracts jobs. One I work for often does AT&T, Mattel, Coca-Cola, Coors and a few others and they specialize in Illustration and Animatics. So I'm free to do normal freelancing and just make sure to keep my schedule open for when he calls. You get paid better and more reliably on those jobs than you do through small business or at least that has been my experience.

[Robb Mommaerts]

THAT IS SO TRUE! I've gotten very burned by small businesses. I remember a guy contacted me to design a mascot and right away he told me he "had a small budget". When I talked to him I got the feeling that he wanted me to do the project for free.

In this case I REALLY wanted to do this project because it was something that was right up my alley, and I charged him a VERY minimal fee. That was stupid of me to do, a bad message to send across, but I really wanted that piece for my portfolio. I am now so leary of work that comes my way and now I try to stick to businesses and people I am familiar with, or I try to research them beforehand too.

[Kat Hulka]

I've gotten quite a number of freelance gigs by responding to Craigslist postings. They are always hit or miss... many of the people posting on there have small or no budgets. Be aware of this, get project details and specifics and then draft a project estimate and/or contract. Use the contract to ensure that you get at least a percentage of the total fee up front, and based on the client, consider adding a "kill fee" stipulation should they not want to complete the project. Check out the "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook for Pricing and Ethical Guidelines" to get a basic contract that you can customize to your needs. Oh - and be sure to set aside money for taxes.

My current company has hired quite a number of people through Craigslist as it provides very quick access to a large number of people. I recommend checking it regularly and checking larger cities in your area, as many freelance jobs can be completed remotely.

Finally, once you've gotten the gig, deliver what and when you say you will and keep in contact with past clients as you never know when you might get repeat business or a new client via referral.

[Chris Kennett]

I agree with everything said here. Especially what Kat said about keeping in contact with past clients. By "contact", that should be a casual "Hi" and gentle reminders that your still around, not constantly pestering for jobs. People soon get wise , if your the person who only calls when they're out of work.

Maintaining relationships is essential for repeat work. Visit and comment on the Studio's or key people's blogs, it shows you're interested in their company and them as idividuals. Plus it also puts some potentially beneficial traffic your own way.

[jaybird]

that is a great book. I never read it all the way through... tend to thumb to the sections that I need at that moment :)

[Temris]

I've been freelancing for about a year myself and I find some of the above advice very helpful. And I have to say, the "Freelancing is good if your significant other has a stable job." statement is very very true. Job pay varies quite a bit and sometimes I'll have stretches of time with no or very little work. But sometimes I'm kept super busy, so there's no way I could hold a part time job AND freelance. What I would suggest, though, if you're goin to freelance is to network network network. Keep your face and name known so studios and businesses will think of you when they realize that they need an artist/animator/whatever. I've found the local chapter of ASIFA to be very helpful for meeting others in the industry. I also just looked around for other freelancers in the area and emailed them asking them for advice, and that sometimes landed me with work down the line somewhere. I honestly am unsure how good an idea these cold calls/emails are, but I did it anyway because it's the only thing I knew to do to get started!

And yeah, always try to keep enough money stashed for taxes and tough times.

[Jor]

I just started Freelancing myself over the summer, and I agree with what Kat says about making a contract. The one I did basically laid out the different phases of production (producing characters, animating, compositing, sound effects, etc.) with a time estimate for each. This will also help you make your own schedule to stay on track.

[jaybird]

Dylan-

I think that the biggest question you're asking is where do you get the gigs, am I right? Where does one start? there is craigslist- hit or miss as someone said. Then there is posting on sites or agencies that contract work. Does that Help? A little. Here are some sites that could be useful:

www.ifreelance.com - bidding on a project, pay for a few months or a year to participate.
www.guru.com - same as above, but costs a lot more. I think that they have a secured system to ensure payment.

Networking at events that have artists is a good thing as well. The clients I have now were word of mouth, but I am always looking for work outside of that 'circle of clients'.

If anyone else can suggest some sites, feel freel too :) I like to think that we're all in this together and you never know who you're going to meet at your next gig :)

[Dylan Holden]

You hit it right on the head. How do you get them. I feel like I somewhat have a firm understanding of how to cover my behind, and cover the client, its just the annoying task of finding the clients. Thanks for the info, very helpful.

[Mathew Ferguson]

Bit late to the discussion but I thought I'd contribute ...

I come from freelance writing world and the way to get freelance work is to call call call. Make a list of everyone who could possibly hire you. Everyone in your industry. Every place you suspect has used someone with your skills. Then ring them up.

"Hi, I'm X, and I'm a freelance Y. I'm calling to see if I can email a portfolio of work in to get some freelance work."

From here it goes a few ways.

1) They don't use freelancers.
2) They don't use freelancers but send it anyway.
3) They use freelancers but have no work right now but please send it.
4) They use freelancers, have work and please send it.

If you have a website with your work on it make sure it is suitable for business consumption. As in, if you blog on there about stuff you wouldn't want them to see, get rid of it or take it down.

You should have an emailable PDF of your work which includes your contact details. The email should say something like:

Hi X, thanks for taking the time to speak with me regarding freelance with with Company Name/ Hi X, your receptionist/editor/etc advised me to forward my portfolio to you regarding freelance work with Company name.

Insert credentials here. I've worked with X, Y, Z. I deliver on time and on budget.

If you're a student with few credentials write "I'm a recent graduate/current student looking for some freelance work".

Money:
Always get a payment upfront. Try for at least 1/3 of the total payment.
You should only work for free if you are building a client list and really want that company's name on that list. If you work for free you automatically set your future price for that client at zero. Working for free is valid if you don't do it for too long.

If you can't get any money upfront (and aren't using it for folio building) then don't do the job. No matter what they promise, a client who can't pay a on-signature fee will NEVER EVER pay you. NEVER!

Ensure you have a contract that clearly states: First 1/3 payment ($X) due on signature of contract. Work on project begins when first payment is received.

Stipulate a kill fee should they decide to pull out of the project. "Should the project be cancelled, all monies will immediately become due and payable within 14 days."

Ensure the job has an end point. Ask very openly "What is the end point for this project?" They must be able to define it and write it down. An end point should be both a date and an amount of work. Cover yourself by including in contract stuff like "Meeting the final deadline is dependent on corrections/comments/feedback being received in a prompt and timely manner. Should corrections/comments/feedback not be returned to me within set timelines, I may not be able to meet final deadlines."

There should be a payment on first draft submitted. If that payment isn't made, work stops. If the client says something like "We'll we've signed, let's get going!" the answer is "Once payment is made then I'll start working."

If you are handing over copyright be sure to include a clause stating that copyright shall only transfer upon full payment of $x within y days.

Once in the project, communication is key. Send emails and make a lot of calls. If they client is meant to deliver materials by a date and fails to do so then you need to tell them they are putting the final date in jeopardy. Do this in writing (kindly). Sometimes you'll need to kick their ass. Only have a single contact point for corrections. It doesn't matter if 10 people are making comments, only one person should be giving them to you and it should be all sorted out by the time it gets to you.

Collecting money and getting new jobs are the hardest parts. You have to be vigilant with money collection. Don't worry about politeness when it comes to money. If they agree to pay on the 14th and don't then you should be emailing them on the 16th and giving them a call.

Finally, get yourself a paper invoice book. Emailed invoices have a way of not being paid. Sending an invoice in the mail directly to accounts will often get results.

cheers,
Mat

[Joel Zain Rivers]

Wow.

New to the site. This is all great food for thought. I cannot stress enough to get 'em to pay some kind of deposit. Money talks, B.S. Walks.

Joel