Freelancers can learn to thrive in a rapidly changing work environment
by Roberta Staley
Frisia Donders, Caitlin Pearce, Chloe Waretini and Ashley Proctor
What is the future for freelance workers in Canada and around the world? The more cynical might ask: do freelancers even have a future?
The answer to that is an optimistic and unequivocal “yes,” according to an international panel of speakers who addressed about 150 attendees at the “The Future of Freelance” workshop at The Urban Worker Project’s second annual Skillshare, held at SFU Vancouver at Harbour Centre on March 1.
The one-day symposium was part of the 2018 Public Square Community Summit – Brave New Work conference held Feb. 26-March 7 in Vancouver. Brave New Work was comprised of a series of public meetings intended to provoke thinking and encourage solution-finding to the rapid and often-discombobulating technological, demographic, political, global and social changes underway that are altering the way people organize work.
The Urban Worker Project focused on how to give a stronger voice to the growing number of independent workers across Canada — now numbering 30 per cent of the work force — who do not receive the security benefits that traditional full-time employees receive, such as parental leave, health and dental benefits, income security and workplace protections.
With a general focus on building a better future for independent workers, panel participants addressed a wide range of issues, from the need to establish cooperative networks among independent workers, organizing co-worker spaces and advocating for a social safety net.
International panelists discuss solutions
Fighting for copyright
by Luigi Benetton
Have you ever had your copyright violated? How did you react?
I had this issue a few years ago. I didn’t take it well. My consternation drove me to waste time creating Google alerts for a bunch of my published articles. I’ve since deleted those alerts for reasons I’ll explain below, but I’ve been thinking that there has to be a better way.
Copyright infringement happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes organizations (or individuals) simply use whatever they want, copyright be damned. But I increasingly believe that ignorance of copyright contributes to infringement. So does the proliferation of content all over the Internet, accompanied by the “truthy” belief that information wants to be free.
I’ve been grappling with the issue for a second time over the past few weeks, but I still can’t find clear answers.
Copyright: a YouTube primer
Here’s a quick explanation of copyright, produced by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada:
My latest copyright violation
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 27-March 5
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Government prolongs the agony for newspapers… just a bit [J-Source]
- Budget media provisions disappointing, industry says [Globe and Mail]
- Andrew Cash: Public policy must create standards for independent workers [Vancouver Sun]
- Journalists must change with the times when covering disability issues, advocates urge [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Edit tests are out of control, say journalists in search of jobs [CJR]
- 13 Common, Clunky Sentence Structures That Weaken Your Writing [The Write Life]
- Freelancers win a victory with #EbonyOwes [Freelancers Union]
- When Do Freelance Writers Need to Think About Setting Up Their Own Website? [Freelance Writing Jobs]
- Canada pledges $50 million to local journalism. Will it help? [CJR]
- How photojournalism can survive the digital revolution (and your short attention span) [Nieman Lab]
- The Difficult Truth About Writing When You Have Kids [The Write Life]
- 4 Questions Freelancers Should Ask Before Accepting Their Next Gig [The Freelancer]
- NWU Reaches Final Settlement Agreement with Ebony [National Writers Union]
- Navigating Conflicts of Interest [The Open Notebook]
- On the Move: Tips for Freelancers Without a Permanent Workspace [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Thriving in the brave new world of work: “The future of work” has become a hot topic for lectures and conferences, the most recent of which is Brave New Work, Simon Fraser University’s 2018 community summit, currently underway in Vancouver…
- Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine: The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Thriving in the brave new world of work
Van Jones and Anne-Marie Slaughter at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Freelancers — with our flexible working hours, multiple income streams and oft-precarious employment status — probably understand better than most people how the world of work has changed over the past couple of decades.
But everyone else seems to be catching on these days, too. “The future of work” has become a hot topic for lectures and conferences, the most recent of which is Brave New Work, Simon Fraser University’s 2018 community summit, currently underway in Vancouver.
The summit keynote brought together two American public commentators this week, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Van Jones, to share their thoughts about the ways citizens and governments can come together to shape the future of work.
In fact, Slaughter pointed out right off the top that the new world of work has already arrived. “It’s not about abstract futures, but what’s happening right now and how we can develop for it, plan for it, and improve it to make sure that it is a brave new world and not a nightmare,” she said.
Automation poses a huge challenge. But Jones pointed out that while many jobs will certainly be taken over by robots, it’s hard to automate empathy, innovation and creativity. And despite the threat of automation, both Slaughter and Jones emphasized the value of technology as a tool to help us navigate the new world of work.
Read the rest of this post »
Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine
The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work.
The union reported today on its website that the settlement means 45 freelance writers, editors and designers will get paid the $80,000 they are collectively owed by the magazine.
The NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance writers, filed a lawsuit against the magazine in September on behalf of a group of freelancers, many of whom had been engaged in a social media campaign using the hashtag #EbonyOwes to try and get the magazine to pay their overdue invoices.
This is the second settlement the NWU has reached on behalf of freelancers this year. In January, the union settled a similar non-payment grievance with Nautilus magazine.
On the union’s website, President Larry Goldbetter said this settlement demonstrates once again that freelancers have more power when they work together. “A freelancer can turn to dust making endless calls and emails trying to get paid,” he said. “But 50 freelancers demanding $100,000 as a union, changes everything.”
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 20-26
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Canadian authors respond to unprecedented legal attack from provincial education ministers and schools [TWUC]
- Ottawa to pledge $50 million for local journalism in budget [Toronto Star]
- HuffPost Canada keeps unpaid bloggers after U.S. counterpart moves to paid opinion sections [J-Source]
- Why the Toronto Star internship program was so unique [Toronto Star]
- 94 per cent of Canadians believe journalism is important to democracy, poll finds [Toronto Star]
- Canadian journalists see 17 percent jump in public trust [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Do you need to re-energize your 2018 Resolutions? [Freelancers Union]
- How much should I charge? Pricing tips from an experienced creative freelancer [Work Is Changing]
- How to quote prospective clients as a freelancer [Freelancers Union]
- Mic Editorial Employees Join the NewsGuild of New York [Newsguild of New York]
Recently on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer on Role Models – In Appreciation of Arthur Black: I believe the freelancer you evolve into as your career progresses will very much be influenced by those you encounter early in your professional life…
- Why should freelancers have a blog?: Should freelancers have a blog? Is there any value in blogging these days? These are the questions. We’ve all heard we should blog, but there isn’t a lot of talk about why we should or what we should blog about…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
The Born Freelancer on Role Models: In Appreciation of Arthur Black
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
I believe the freelancer you evolve into as your career progresses will very much be influenced by those you encounter early in your professional life.
Call it role modeling or maybe even a kind of subtle imprinting. Given there is no one clear-cut road to a successful career in freelancing, I think most of us subconsciously seek such guidance from those successful and further ahead in their careers.
I should explain the difference between a role model and a mentor. A mentor is almost always a role model as well but a role model is not always a mentor.
To clarify, with a mentor there is usually some continuing degree of give and take, some active exchange of information and viewpoints. I have already written on this site about one such mentor who helped encourage my early attempts at radio and television writing, the late Roger Abbott.
Role models, on the other hand, often have little or no direct contact but can still leave a lasting and profound impact, making a huge difference, never to be forgotten.
One such individual, for me, was Arthur Black.
Arthur Black
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 13-19
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Global News cuts staff across Canada as they undertake reorganization [J-Source]
- Torstar cuts jobs, internship programs; board chair says the company is fighting for survival [Globe and Mail]
- The Toronto Star is putting its internship programs on indefinite hiatus and cutting its freelance budget [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- The final, terrible voyage of the Nautilus [Wired]
- Just Say No to These 5 Freelance Writing Jobs [The Write Life]
- How to carve out time as a freelancer [Freelancers Union]
- Journalists At HuffPost UK Have Begun Talks On Unionising [BuzzFeed]
- 7 Things Managing Editors Want Freelancers to Know About Brand Writing [The Freelancer]
- 12 Traits Bad Writers and Toddlers Have in Common [The Write Life]
- Stop doing this one thing and become instantly more productive [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- 2018 Public Lending Rights Program registration open February 15 to May 1: The program is a Canada Council for the Arts program that distributes payments to Canadian creators in compensation for the lending out of their books through Canadian public libraries…
- Urban Worker Project Skillshare in Vancouver March 1: This day-long event will feature workshops and roundtables that will help independent workers develop the skills they need to build successful businesses and thrive in the changing world of work…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
2018 Public Lending Right Program registration open February 15 to May 1
Canadian authors, illustrators and photographers with published books should invest some time over the next few weeks to register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts program that distributes payments to Canadian creators in compensation for the lending out of their books through Canadian public libraries.
This year’s registration period runs from February 15 to May 1. In order to register, you’ll need to fill out and mail in a signed registration form along with photocopies of the title page, copyright page and table of contents of the book or books you’ve contributed to. It’s worth taking the time to do the paperwork — the average payment to authors last year was $563.
For details on eligibility criteria or the application process, see the Public Lending Right Program’s website.
Urban Worker Project Skillshare in Vancouver March 1
Vancouver freelancers and independent creative workers, mark your calendars for an Urban Worker Project Skillshare on March 1.
This day-long event will feature workshops and roundtables that will help independent workers develop the skills they need to build successful businesses and thrive in the changing world of work.
The Skillshare is scheduled for Thursday, March 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Room 1400 at SFU Harbour Centre (515 W Hastings St.).
Workshops will cover a wide variety of topics of interest to freelancers. Some of the practical sessions include a workshop on financial management for independent workers led by financial planner Liz Shieck from the New School of Finance. And Jessica Somers, an accountant with Cordova Street will also be speaking about tax planning, budgeting and personal finance.
Gilad Babchuk, co-founder of Vancouver’s alternative business school Groundswell Education Society and Humaira Hamid, Business Development Manager with Futurpreneur Canada
will lead a sessions on planning and launching a business.
Don Genova, president of CMG Freelance, will lead a workshop on rate setting, negotiation and contracts. And writer and documentary filmmaker Roberta Staley will talk international reporting, pitching, and multi-media journalism.
The event will also feature Caitlin Pearce, executive director of the Freelancers Union in the United States. Pearce will talk about the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, a bylaw enacted in New York City last year that establishes protections for freelance workers, specifically with regards to contracts and timely payment.
The Skillshare is a Pay-What-You-Can-Afford event. Tickets are by donation, with a suggested amount of $35. If finances are a barrier to attendance, freelancers are welcome to attend for free.
The Urban Worker Project is an initiative that aims to give a stronger voice to the growing numbers of independent workers across the country. CMG Freelance is one of the sponsors of this event, which is part of Simon Fraser University Public Square’s 2018 Community Summit, Brave New Work.
Full descriptions of the morning workshops and afternoon roundtable sessions are available right here.
To register for this event, go to this Eventbrite page.
