CMG Freelance compiling a freelance contract tips sheet
When it comes to contracts, if you’re not sure what they mean, ask for help. Ask your colleagues. Ask the CMG. Use the ‘Lancer email list or the Story Board Facebook group to ask around for someone who has signed (or read but not signed) a contract for the place you’re hoping to work for.
Let’s work together to find out where the good, bad, and ugly contracts are. The Canadian Media Guild is embarking on a new mission to do just this.
So, bring us your contracts! Send them to CMG Freelance branch president Don Genova at freelance@cmg.ca. Your name and identifying details will be redacted, and your contributions will help the CMG develop a tip sheet for members so that we’re all better informed about indemnity clauses and contract literacy. Watch this space for more details.
Events for freelancers in Halifax May 3
Halifax freelancers, students and media workers, mark your calendars for a couple of great networking and professional development events planned for Wednesday, May 3.
First of all, you’re invited to a free information session and lunch from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Dalhousie University Club Great Hall (1 Alumni Crescent). Speakers at the event include journalist Sandra Phinney, who will talk about expanding your portfolio and increasing your income, and journalist and Canadian Media Guild Freelance Branch president Don Genova, who will talk about the increasing need to know your contracts and know your worth. This event is free to attend and lunch will be provided. Please register for a spot at this Eventbrite page.
Later that same day, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., there’s a free media mixer planned at The Auction House (1726 Argyle Street) that will give you the opportunity to network with colleagues and meet mentors.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer April 19-24
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:
- Union, Postmedia, strike deal to mitigate job losses at Vancouver Sun and Province [J-Source]
- Postmedia, union reach deal saving 21 out of 54 jobs to be cut at Vancouver Sun and Province [Financial Post]
- More than 200 finalist nominees for National Magazine Awards announced [Canadian Magazines]
- What happened when a B.C. student newspaper went toe-to-toe with access to information laws [J-Source]
- Finding cyber security in the Trump era [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 5 Out-Of-The-Box Ways to Beat Writer’s Block [The Write Life]
- How to land higher paying assignments [Mediabistro]
- The pros and cons of working from home [Freelancers Union]
- In many communities, best local journalism is not coming from print [Poynter]
- Online privacy for journalists, a PDF guide [Freelance Cafe]
- Pricing Q&A: Should I charge by the hour? Or by project? [Devon Smiley]
- Flying Under The Radar: How to Use LinkedIn to Find Writing Jobs [LinkedIn]
Recently on Story Board:
- Urban Worker Skillshare April 29 in Toronto: If you’re in the Toronto area, come and join CMG Freelance and the Urban Worker Project for a day-long workshop and after party for freelance and contract workers…
- Media Mixer in Toronto April 25: Toronto freelancers, students and media workers, come out for an evening of networking to talk about myths, facts and tips for navigating the media industry…
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.
Urban Worker Skillshare April 29 in Toronto
If you’re in the Toronto area, come and join CMG Freelance and the Urban Worker Project for a day-long workshop and after party for freelance and contract workers.
It’s happening on Saturday, April 29th from 9:30 to 6 p.m. at Story Arts Centre, Centennial College (951 Carlaw Avenue). It’s an opportunity for freelancers to get together, network and share resources.
There will be lawyers, accountants and other experts leading sessions on the business side of self-employment, including seminars on taxes, setting rates, writing contracts, invoicing, getting paid on time and more.
There will also be some discussion of the big picture issues we’re facing – like access to affordable housing, benefits, childcare and income security and what we can do to make change.
Participants will leave with a package that includes contract templates, resources useful to freelancers and swag from partnering organizations.
Tickets to the daytime event are being offered on a sliding scale: $20, $50 or pay-what-you-can. For details and to register for the event check out this Eventbrite page.
CMG Freelance has a limited number of free tickets to give away for this event. If you’d like one of them, you can email Don Genova at freelance@cmg.ca for a promo code. Priority will be given to CMG Freelance and CWA Canada Associate Members. Please include your CMG Freelance membership number in your email.
Media Mixer in Toronto April 25th
Toronto freelancers, students and media workers, come out for an evening of networking and information on April 25th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Watson’s (388 Richmond St W).
This is a free event hosted by CMG Freelance, CWA Canada Associate Members and the Fairness in Factual TV campaign to explore the subject “Freelancer or Employee? Myths, Facts and Tips for Navigating the Media Industry.”
Speakers will include Denise O’Connell, a Toronto-based journalist, writer and producer and Tassia Poynter, an employment and labour lawyer. They will share their experience and expert advice on how to navigate the media industry as both freelancers and employees. There will be a Q&A session and plenty of time for conversation and networking.
Free snacks and drinks will be provided. Freelancers, Factual TV workers, digital media workers, students, and aspiring journalists are all welcome.
Please RSVP for the event at this Eventbrite page.
This venue is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral washrooms.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer April 11-18
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:
- What the sale of 27 newspapers to the Chronicle Herald will mean for Atlantic Canada [J-Source]
- It’s past time to protect the ‘precariat’ [Toronto Star]
- Newspaper jobs to be saved through deal with Postmedia, union says [CTV]
- Transcontinental sells 27 newspapers in Atlantic Canada to Halifax Herald [Montreal Gazette]
- Chronicle Herald purchase proof that financial strain claim was a ‘fabrication’: Union [Vancouver Metro]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Great local reporting stands between you and wrongdoing. And it needs saving. [Washington Post]
- Snapshots of 4 journalism co-operatives from around the world [Journalism.co.uk]
- Do Writers Have ‘Moral Rights’? [National Writers Union]
- ‘Freelance Isn’t Free’ Act becomes law in New York City on May 15 [Freelancers Union]
- 10 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Writing Career [Mediabistro]
Recently on Story Board:
- Freelance Skillshare and community building opportunities: Considering the freelance route, jumping from the nine-to-five into the freedom of midnight keyboard sessions in your PJs? Terrified but excited, and not sure where to go for information? While there are a lot of resources out there, they’re mostly online with very little of the personal touch…
- Access Copyright Payback claim period open until May 31: The 2017 Access Copyright Payback claim period is open from April 1st to May 31. If you’re a writer or visual artist who was affiliated with Access Copyright as of December 31, 2016, now is the time to submit a claim for this year’s payment…
- Media Mixer in Ottawa April 20: Ottawa media workers, students and freelancers: mark your calendars for an exciting evening of mentorship and networking. You’re invited to a media mixer on April 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Clocktower Brew Pub…
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.
Freelance Skillshare and Community Building Opportunities
by Amanda Maxwell
Urban Worker Project co-founder Andrew Cash speaks at the Vancouver Skillshare event. Photo by Don Genova
Considering the freelance route, jumping from the nine-to-five into the freedom of midnight keyboard sessions in your PJs? Terrified but excited, and not sure where to go for information?
While there are a lot of resources out there, they’re mostly online with very little of the personal touch.
If you don’t know many freelancers, events such as the recent Urban Worker Project Skillshare workshop in Vancouver at Creative Coworkers co-working space in Railtown can give you a taste of what freelancing is really like.
In addition to sessions on taxation, financing and software tools, attendees also learned about insurance options for self-employed workers and the networking potential in co-working spaces for collaborative projects. Small group roundtable sessions with industry experts ensured that everybody had a voice. This was definitely the place to ask those burning questions.
How do I choose project management, financial and CRM (customer relationship management) tools for a freelance life?
At the start, it’s easy to rush headlong into a disorganized mess. Rachel Flood from Alignment Ops recommends using tools that streamline data management into a one-time entry that propagates through different cloud-based tools. You can save time on project management, time tracking, invoicing and client wrangling by choosing platforms that talk to each other.
Read the rest of this post »
Access Copyright Payback claim period open until May 31
The 2017 Access Copyright Payback claim period is open from April 1st to May 31. If you’re a writer or visual artist who was affiliated with Access Copyright as of December 31, 2016, now is the time to submit a claim for this year’s payment.
The eligible publication years for the 2017 Payback claim are 1996 to 2015. Written and visual work published during this period in books, magazines, journals and/or newspapers is eligible.
If you’re not yet registered with Access Copyright and you have written or visual work that fits the claim criteria, now might be a good time to register so that you’re ready for next year’s claim period.
For a comprehensive explanation of how Access Copyright and the Access Copyright Foundation could contribute to your income stream, check out this Story Board post.
And for more information or to submit a claim go to the Access Copyright website.
Media mixer in Ottawa on April 20
Ottawa media workers, students and freelancers: mark your calendars for an exciting evening of mentorship and networking. You’re invited to a media mixer on April 20th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Clocktower Brew Pub (200 Elgin Street).
CWA Canada associate members is hosting this event to give media workers a chance to make connections with peers and mentors, discuss career paths and the changing nature of media work and learn about some of the intern advocacy work being done at CWA Canada.
Mentors for the evening include Jon Wiling (Ottawa City Hall reporter for the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun), Michelle Zilio (parliamentary reporter for the Globe and Mail), Evan Przesiecki (Narcity Canada), Ryan Tumilty (Metro News Ottawa), JP Davidson (podcast producer and radio journalist), Vassy Kapelos (Global News and Global National Ottawa Bureau Chief), and Katie Simpson (CBC News).
Everyone’s welcome and snacks and drink tickets will be provided.
Entry to this event is completely free, though there will be a tip jar at the door to the venue to accept donations. Any and all contributions will be donated to the Halifax Typographical Union, a local of CWA Canada whose members at the Chronicle Herald have been on strike for over 400 days.
For full details about this event and to register for your ticket, check out this Eventbrite page.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer April 4-10
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:
- Toronto’s “gig economy” fueled by young workers starved for choice [Toronto Star]
- IAF calls on Canada to protect its cultural workers by repairing copyright [TWUC]
- An interview with Jude Isabella [Digital Publishing blog]
- A new database seeks to amplify women’s voices in the news media [J-Source]
- Postmedia’s problems piling up with print revenue declining [Globe and Mail]
- Inside the Ugly Unravelling at the Vancouver Sun and Province [The Tyee]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Is an MFA in Creative Writing Worthwhile? 7 Writers Weigh In [The Write Life]
- The Intercept Unionizes with the Writers Guild of America, East [WGA East]
- 4 ways to attract better paying clients [Freelancers Union]
- Facebook Is Now To Teach People To Spot Fake News [BuzzFeed]
- Generate Story Ideas Like an Improv Comedian [Mediabistro]
- Condé Nast: Freelancer contract change is not what you think [CJR]
- Questionable payment practices at Condé Nast cause alarm for New York City freelancers [Freelancers Union]
- A new European union is forming (of news orgs partnering to share their data tools and journalism) [Nieman Lab]
Recently on Story Board:
- Webinar: Cyber Security for Journalists: CMG Freelance is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, April 11. The webinar will focus on tangible and easy steps reporters can take to secure their everyday activities online and off. It will cover some of the best apps to use for communication, setting up PGP encryption, and other key operations security activities…
- Hey, CBC Freelancers, You’re Getting A Raise!: Journalists who contribute to the CBC on a freelance basis are now subject to new minimum rates as of April 1, 2017. The Canadian Media Guild and CBC have agreed to a 1.5% across-the-board increase in rates contained in the collective agreement…
- Indemnity clauses are the rickety bridges of freelancing: We’ve packed our backpack and made progress up the path by successfully researching and pitching the story. Yet we’ve invested all this time without knowing there is a rickety bridge — an unfavourable contract — to cross at the summit…
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.
