Is working for free worth more than we think?
Recently, while discussing my hopeless future as a film professional with my dad, he asked a question I found difficult to answer.
“Why do so many media and design people work for free?”
Why do we do it? Is it a masochistic drive to give away hard work for a cup of coffee and a warm handshake, or is there actually a solid reason for it? Last week I took part in a five-day startup lab with plenty of insightful presentations by smart, rich and successful people about how to start a company. The location of this event, Aachen, in the far west of Germany, is a domain of mechanical engineers. RWTH Aachen University admits about 1000 new engineering students each year. Consequently, about 70% of the other students at the conference were studying engineering. Most of these folks had smart technical solutions which they wanted to turn into a business. Talking with these brilliant inventors and listening to their ideas, one thing quickly became clear: most of them spent a lot of time and money on developing their ideas to a certain, presentable stage. Some did so working as a research assistant, earning money doing their research. However, most weren’t in this comfortable place: they spent time and resources on the mere chance that they might make a business out of their project. This is not so different from creatives working for free to set themselves up in the industry.
One big part of the curriculum throughout the week was learning about startup financing. Big buzzwords like the “business angel” or VCs (venture capital), seed funding or incubation, early stage, Stages A through C and the desired Exit quickly seeped into my protected, happy little head. I had to learn to sound like a serious entrepreneur to not embarrass myself. One shorthand, in particular, disheartened me: the Three Fs. Friends, Family and Fools. Those are supposedly the people who finance you to the point where your idea is ready to be pitched for serious financing. A value tossed around for this very first stage of financing (for the German startup circle!) was about 20.000€ to 50.000€. Shit, that’s a lot of money for a student. I was baffled. Surely, if this was true, I could bury my hopes of ever starting up. I just don’t have that bankroll.
When I went to the pub that night and talked to my dear friend and colleague Tamara, we arrived at a new point of view:
Time spent upfront developing and working on a product to start-up with is essentially the same as working for free as a creative.
This turned every film project, every edit or color grade I’ve ever done for free from a waste of time and energy into an investment in my product — myself. As business angel Franc Dorfer said to me later in the week “[…] when you’re selling a service, your product is yourself and your value is determined by the software and processor speed that’s in your head”. This little comment was hugely reassuring. Thanks, Mr. Dorfer!
I am not telling you to work for free forever because it is great for exposure. We all need to make a living, we all need to eat, or, as we graciously say in my hometown: You have to keep yourself shitting. That does not include working for companies at a rip-off rate, delivering valuable designs, marketing concepts or films on the vague promise of exposure.
Companies that use inexperienced but eager people are mostly in it to exploit them. Here’s why: they most likely could afford to pay the big buck to get whatever they need delivered by a seasoned professional. If they chose to employ a student at cut-throat rates, it means they don’t take the process seriously. They do not care about the results. They just want it done to have it checked off their to-do list. For example, many companies want video marketing material, not because it makes sense to have video as part of their marketing campaign — they just do it because everyone else has a video, so they want one, too.
Consequently, a company that doesn’t care about the result and who delivers them can’t even give you the exposure to people you are interested in. Here’s why: they are not working with professionals in the field! A quick example. A colleague of mine (who wants to remain anonymous) worked for a company that wanted an extensive Youtube campaign created for peanuts. At the time, she took the job because they seemed a hip firm to work for plus, if the campaign ever became successful, she would have been the creator of a cool Youtube channel and could add a star to her shoulder. Never mind the measly pay. After the videos were shot, but prior to release, she was fired and the videos went on Youtube disregarding the release strategy and schedule. Needless to say the campaign belly-flopped. This company, as my friend found out later, has a record of ripping of aspiring creatives and then dumping them. No exposure, just hard work, and an embarrassing paycheck.
This is what I do: I work for free on projects I like, for people I want to build a relationship with when I can afford to do so and I can take something from the project. These can be wildly rewarding and fun projects. They can also be stressful and demanding but by doing such work, I have acquired a network of over 50 people that already work in my target industry in various positions. These are colleagues, friends and finally leads that I am certain will make my way to a fulfilling job easier. I am glad to have been involved in these projects and would not exchange the fun times I’ve had for the cash I could have earned instead.
So, what do you think? Are we overworked, exploited and dumped or is there a feasible point to working without pay? I’m curious to hear from you. Drop me a line on Twitter or just comment here :)
Originally published at indiecolorgrading.com.
