Freelancers report delayed payments from Venture Publishing
** Update Dec 17/13: Chris Turner has reported that he received his overdue cheque from Venture Publishing this week. Some of the other freelancers that Story Board contacted are still waiting for payment. ** Venture Publishing has told at least one freelancer that it is behind in payments to its contributors, blaming poor summer ad […]
Freelance contracts: what to look for
There was a commotion on Twitter last week. A graphic designer named Juan Luis Garcia claimed he was asked to design some posters for Spike Lee’s new movie, Oldboy. After spending weeks on his designs, he says, the agency that hired him offered an “insultingly low rate” for the use of his posters. He was […]
Canadian Intern Association holds first Vancouver meeting
The Canadian Intern Association is holding its first Vancouver meeting tonight at the Firehall Branch of the public library. The Association was founded last year by University of Ottawa law student Claire Seaborn, who noticed a dearth of advocacy groups to address the growing problem of illegal unpaid internships. Over the past year, the group has launched a Claim Back […]
Start-ups focus on getting freelance writers paid
Last week we told you about Contently, a company that matches freelancers with brands and publishers who need writers. One of their tools allows writers to collect their fee instantly, as soon as their work has been approved. We had a comment from a Story Board reader confirming that the system works. Instant payment. No waiting […]
Contently and the Rise of Content Marketing
Prospects seem rather gloomy for freelance writers these days. With dying weeklies, draconian magazine contracts, and endless cutbacks at daily papers and the CBC, it’s sometimes hard to see how freelancing can possibly remain a viable career path. But amid all the journalistic despair there is one area of growth for freelance writers. It’s called […]
Who Pays Writers (and Photographers)?
In an era when so many writers are being asked to work for free, frank talk about writing rates is desperately needed. Maybe that’s why it’s such a thrill to see freelance fees being discussed openly online lately. Who Pays Writers started up late last year and has been going strong ever since, posting anonymous user-submitted […]
Should I Work For Free?
There’s been a lot of talk this month about whether — and under what circumstances — a freelancer should agree to work for free. The online debate was sparked by journalist Nate Thayer’s blog post about being asked to repurpose a previously-published article for use by the Atlantic… without any compensation. It seemed as though everyone was […]
Taking the “free” out of freelancing
by Suzanne Bowness How many people here are thinking about going the freelance route at some point in your writing careers? My first question is met with a few raised hands, maybe a third of the room. I’m speaking on a panel called “Taking the ‘free’ out of freelancing,” organized by CWA Canada and Canadian […]
Straight talk about unpaid internships
Last month’s Will Work For Exposure conference at Ryerson University may have been the first time a public conversation was held in Canada about unpaid internships. The panel on internships included this presentation from Andrew Langille, a Toronto-based lawyer and graduate student. Langille is responsible for Youth and Work, a website that provides information for young people […]
Experience or exploitation? Conference ramps up debate on unpaid internships
By Anqi Shen The culture sector, long known for its precarious working conditions, is shaping up to be more arduous for its workers. On October 19, a mix of students, professionals, artists and union leaders converged in Toronto to talk labour injustice at the ‘Will Work for Exposure’ conference at Ryerson University. Organized by Ryerson’s Centre […]
