Evolution

I haven't been posting much because I haven't had anything new to comment on. The freelance situation here on the "Gold Coast" remains pretty much the same as it did in the beginning of the year. As we all know, when money is tight at an agency one of the first ways to cut spending is by eliminating, or cutting back on freelance help. The standard procedure implemented by the Bean Counters is to make the staff employees pick up any slack in the work flow. When that inevitably fails, the Bean Counters then create a sea of paperwork and red tape that needs to be navigated before a freelancer can even be called. The intention here is to make the bureaucratic process so difficult that the creative staff won't make the effort. They'll just work around the clock themselves rather than go through the hassle of bringing in a freelancer. After all, they're lucky to have a job in the first place.

After the creative staff proves they need help, and properly fills out all the paperwork, then it's time to beat up the freelancer on his/her hourly rate. After a few episodes of this nonsense it's no wonder the phone doesn't ring. I had to go through this when I was on staff, and have been put through it as a freelancer at several agencies to date. As one Creative Director recently said to me, "Long gone are the days of just picking up the phone, and calling in a freelancer to come in for however long." It's my understanding that this type of policy has been adopted by at least four of the bigger agencies in the area, if not more. The important thing to note here is that once an agency implements this type of policy for bringing in freelancers it rarely, if ever, changes.

The first post I made to this blog was titled "The Death Of Freelance As We Know It" where I outlined how freelancing at the larger agencies, who issue W-2s instead of 1099s, is not financially advantageous. Combine this with the implementation of strict policies regarding bringing in freelance help, forcing freelancers to lower their hourly rates, withholding payments until agencies get paid by clients, and the writing on the wall seems pretty clear - at least to me.

In a response to a previous post, fellow freelancer Joe Criscuolo said "Lowering rates, not getting calls, etc. is just the sign that this industry is changing and may never return to the way it used to be. Different, yes. But not the same." I agree. Yes, the way the entire promotional industry is doing business is changing on a large scale. Unfortunately, I feel that many of these changes will have a permanent and negative impact every freelancer in the business.  

So now what? I think the answer is pretty simple. Evolve. The industry is changing pretty quickly, and if you want to remain a profitable freelancer then you better start thinking about changing/evolving as well. I think how you evolve depends on the individual, but I believe they're are many ways to do this. Obviously having a skill set that is both unique and in demand is the best way to keep busy. Web designers have always been in higher demand than print designers so maybe learning Flash or Dreamweaver would be the way to go. Of course, working for agencies who haven't adopted strict freelance policies and who issue 1099s is key. And then there is finding work outside of the promotions industry. Capitalizing on the down economy by offering to promote and market small businesses who need help can be an option as well.

Our industry is changing, and it's not the first or last time this will happen. Evolution never comes easy, but we all know what happens to things that don't evolve on this planet now don't we?