The Freelance Deck: with Victor Akhidenor
There’s a thriving community of freelancers in Africa, believe it or not
The Freelance Deck is a weekly post, where we spotlight Africans who are pursuing their dreams and passions through independent work. Our interview today is with an award winning freelance sports journalist, Victor Akhidenor.
BuffrSpace: What type of freelancer are you? What’s your niche — journalist, social media manager, ballerina…?
Victor: I’m a freelance journalist and run a sports website SPORTS NG. However, I take on other writing jobs unrelated to sports.
You freelance Fulltime or Part time?
I’m a fulltime freelancer.
Are you saying it’s possible to run a full-time freelance gig and not starve in your country? How do you manage that? Share the secret with us.
It’s possible to freelance and starve to death! Personally, I think this is the toughest period to be a fulltime freelance writer, but my experience seems to be an isolated one so…. How do I cope?. Well, I’m lucky I guess. I have some friends and family members who assist me when my writing can’t put food on the table for that month. I also pick up editing jobs which doesn’t come too often but help with the monthly bottomline.
How did you get started on the freelance circuit?
Mine was borne out of job loss! Between year 2000 when I finished my youth service and 2010, I was a banker. The banking tsunami hit me in January 2010 and I decided to merge my hobby (watching sports) with a latent skill (writing). I started working on a book on football (which is still not out) until I got a fulltime job with Complete Sports. From there, I joined an online newspaper where I wrote and edited the sports page.
When I lost that job (I know by now you are associating me with job loss) in November last year, I went freelance and started my own website.
Embracing the freelance track wasn’t too difficult for me. I love travelling, I love freedom. I had won a couple of awards for my reporting (the DAME award being one of them) and I even had some industry clout from when I broke the story of the sacking of the late Keshi, in 2014.
So, I was pretty confident I would be able to land some freelance work.
How do you land freelance jobs?
I have a friend who’s a geek and an internet whiz. He feeds me with opportunities and gigs in the writing circuit. I apply, and let my resume do the rest.
What’s your favorite thing about freelancing?
I like the research I put into writing about projects I am not too familiar with. It opens my eyes to new line of thoughts which I easily adapt to my main interest — sports writing. I like being able to approach sports writing from different angles due to extensive research. It makes the final outcome the more satisfying and engaging.
What’s your worst?
Landing awful clients. There’s a particular one I can never forget. Through a third party, I got linked to this client who needed someone to write them a business proposal. They said it was urgent and were desperate for a writer. I was given a short notice and few days to deliver the job. I abandoned other jobs just to focus on theirs. I trusted them and didn’t ask for upfront payment. I met the deadline and was commended for my efforts. They asked for my account details immediately.
I forwarded and was expecting a transaction alert from my bank. Maybe that alert will come tomorrow. This happened in 2014!
Bad clients are a blessing in a way because they teach you endurance and patience. They must have been the people Jesus had in mind when He said we should love our enemies!
For you, what’s a typical working day like?
I combine writing with motherhood and fatherhood. What my three kids are doing at every point in time determines my own activity. On weekdays after dressing, feeding and taking them to school, I return home to tidy up things. Then I read The Guardian newspaper. I scour it for news and use the relevant ones on my sports website. If I have an original story to write, I use this time for research and field work (which could be visiting or making calls to interviewees). Then I prepare my lunch for the kids (this is important) and go pick them up from school. They get home hungry, antsy and grumpy (see why I fixed their food first?).
I go back to sourcing for news. At night, I go back to my research and field work and do my story. I write best at night and before the break of dawn.
Do you listen to music while you work?
I dare not! How can one write while music plays in the background? I can’t even imagine it. The only exception is if it’s coincidental. For example, I could be in a bar drinking and I got an idea. I would scribble down stuff easily, despite the music in the background. But then again, it depends on the kind of music. It would be rather unfortunate if that bar was playing the music of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. My pen and paper take the backseat!
Any advice for new or aspiring freelancers?
Well, you need to be sure you have the passion for your subject and writing. Because believe me, your passion will be tested. When money is yet to roll in, you’ll need to draw energy from your passion and drive, otherwise, you’ll be giving up as soon as the storm hits. That’s the most important thing to know.
Victor is an award winning freelance sports writer, who spends his spare time hunting the lost records of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. He can be found at sportsng.com
That’s a wrap!
Next week, we’ll have an interview up with another freelancer.
Stay awesome!
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