Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Mar 12-18
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- How Doug Ford is endangering local news ecosystems [J-Source]
- Deadline approaching for CBC New Indigenous Voices media training course [CBC]
- Working as the newsroom’s “Diversity Hire” [The Tyee]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Network like it’s 1999: Why writers need to pound the pavement [Freelancers Union]
- How to stay productive during dry spells [Working Not Working]
- ‘This could ruin us’: A class-action suit imperils California freelancers [CJR]
- How to Schedule Your Day When You Freelance or Work From Home [Lifehacker]
- How journalism got so out of touch with the people it covers [CJR]
- 9 ways freelance women can help each other get ahead [Freelancers Union]
- The Staff Of Gimlet Media Is Unionizing [BuzzFeed]
- Forget time management, focus on energy management [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer’s Q&A with “Light Writer” Maggie MacPherson: As a word person (primarily) I’ve always been fascinated by those skilled in the visual arts. Maggie MacPherson is a Vancouver-based freelance photographer whose work I admire greatly. A lifelong hobbyist, she turned professional about five years ago…
- PWAC Toronto editing seminar March 25: “Polishing Your Work: From Expert Tips to Editorial Workflows” is presented by PWAC Toronto Chapter and Magazines Canada on Monday, March 25 from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre…
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’s Q&A with “Light Writer” Maggie MacPherson
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.
As a word person (primarily) I’ve always been fascinated by those skilled in the visual arts. Maggie MacPherson is a Vancouver-based freelance photographer whose work I admire greatly. A lifelong hobbyist, she turned professional about five years ago.
The Born Freelancer: So, Maggie, what motivated you to “go pro”?
Maggie MacPherson: I remember the day I nervously took a big breath, and proudly proclaimed “I’ve decided to become a photographer”. My partner looked back at me with confusion and said “… but you already are a photographer.”
I had already been doing headshots and creative photoshoots for years but it was properly charging for my work that made me consider myself a professional photographer.
It’s tempting to keep doing free work so you can just treat your work like art all the time and can therefore never fail. To me, being a professional artist means being good enough at your craft that you can collaborate with clients to get them what they need (regardless of what you might feel inspired to create in that moment).
TBF: Did you need specialized training to become a pro?
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PWAC Toronto editing seminar March 25
Toronto-area writers, there’s an evening seminar coming up that will teach you how to do a better job of editing your own work.
“Polishing Your Work: From Expert Tips to Editorial Workflows” is presented by PWAC Toronto Chapter and Magazines Canada on Monday, March 25 from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.
At this evening seminar, three editors from different areas of publishing (consumer, freelance and agency) will share their best tips for freelance writers on how to polish their work, keep clients happy and get repeat business. We’ll talk about preparing your work for submission, editing, proofreading, style guides and more.
The speaker panel consists of:
Liann Bobechko is the Deputy Editor at Cottage Life, where she handles feature profiles, service and how-to pieces, articles on science and the environment, issues pieces, personal essays, recipes, and building projects for the magazine and online. After more than 15 years in the business, she still gets a thrill from seeing an idea become real on the pages of a magazine.
Franklin Carter is a self-employed editor and certified proofreader who works in Toronto on non-fiction books, magazines, reports and occasionally websites. In recent years, he has edited and proofread military books, multi-author medical reports, accounting journals, agricultural magazines and an annual review of censorship in Canada. He founded Franklin Carter Editorial Services in September 1996.
Kat Tancock is cofounder of custom content agency Tavanberg. She has worked as an editor at Reader’s Digest, Best Health, Canadian Living and Food & Drink and her writing on travel, food, health and other topics has appeared in titles such as Westjet Magazine, enRoute, the San Francisco Chronicle and The Globe and Mail.
COST: PWAC Toronto Chapter evening seminars are free for PWAC members and full-time students. The fee is $15 for non-members who register online, and $10 for members of partner organizations (Association of Registered Graphic Designers, CMG Freelance and Editors Canada) who register online. Fees are subject to service charges. Online registrations close at midnight the day before the event. If you do not register online, the cost is $20 at the door (cash only). Receipts are available.
The seminar venue is fully accessible, including washrooms. Space is limited, and tickets are available online now. You can register for a ticket at this link.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Mar 5-11
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Applications now open for the 2019 EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship [J-Source]
- Facebook Canada announces $2.5 million investment in Canadian news industry [J-Source]
- CWA Canada part of global effort by municipalities to tackle precarity [CWA Canada]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- What can you do when your editor ghosts you? [The Freelancer]
- International Women’s Day: Time for more women to lead media and unions [IF]
- 5 strategies for freelance writing success [Freelancers Union]
- THE PITCH: Wired’s exec editor seeks stories that reveal all faces of technology [Nieman Storyboard]
- Amid mass layoffs in the media industry, what should freelancers do? [Freelancers Union]
- Committee to Protect Journalists Women’s Safety Survey 2019 [CPJ]
- Should freelancers enter their work for awards? Here’s 6 proven benefits (even if you don’t win!) [Being Freelance]
- Achieve cleaner copy with these proofreading pointers [Journalism.co.uk]
Recently on Story Board:
- Webinar: Tax time freelance finances: Tax time is coming up and a CMG Freelance free webinar is just what you need to start to learn how to run your sole-proprietorship finances…
- PWAC panel advises freelancers to ask for raises: Stagnant or low rates should motivate freelancers, not make them timid. That’s according to a panel of experienced freelancers who spoke recently at an event in Toronto called “Let’s Talk Rates: How to Ask for What You’re Worth and Get Paid On Time”…
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.
Webinar: Tax time freelance finances
Tax time is coming up and a CMG Freelance free webinar is just what you need to start to learn how to run your sole-proprietorship finances.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 26th at 12 noon ET (9am PT) for a financial “lunch-and-learn” (or “breakfast-and-learn” if you’re on the west coast) with the New School of Finance.
The webinar will answer questions such as:
– How do I know if something is a business expense or a personal expense?
– How much should I be saving for income taxes?
– What about HST – what is that?
The webinar will be presented by Liz Schieck, certified teacher & financial coach from the New School of Finance, an unbiased financial planning and financial coaching firm.
To register click on this link. When the form asks for your affiliation type Storyboard.
The live version of this webinar is free. We’ll be making a recorded version available to members of CMG Freelance after the event.
BONUS! CMG Freelance is also offering a limited number of free tuition spots in the New School of Finance’s online Sole Proprietor Course, a $400 value. Some of the places will be offered by lottery to members of CMG Freelance, and as a bonus perk to any new members signing on before the webinar on March 26th.
For more information about this offer please email Don Genova at freelance@cmg.ca.
PWAC panel advises freelancers to ask for raises
by Meagan Gillmore
Photo courtesy of PWAC Toronto Chapter
Stagnant or low rates should motivate freelancers, not make them timid. That’s according to a panel of experienced freelancers who spoke recently at an event in Toronto called “Let’s Talk Rates: How to Ask for What You’re Worth and Get Paid On Time.”
The event was hosted by the Toronto chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) on February 25 and featured writers and editors Diane Peters, Allan Britnell and Carol J. Anderson.
Peters said she disapproves of the mindset that sees cutting back on personal expenses as the best response to low rates. Instead, she said, freelancers should “push themselves” to earn more.
“Money is one of those things that motivates you as a freelancer” said Peters who, in addition to writing, teaches at Ryerson University. “You always have to hustle to get the work that you love and to make more money.”
All of the panelists said their careers have mainly been freelance, and they’ve all managed to earn comfortable incomes. It’s possible for freelancers to make between $75,000 and $95,000 a year, they said.
Anderson, who mainly works as an editor, said that, in her view, rates are always open to negotiation. “I think we’re often afraid to ask for more, and we shouldn’t be,” she said.
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Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 26-Mar 4
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- CBC Tentative Agreement – Information Package [CMG]
- Torstar reported $3.1-million Q4 loss, revenue down from year ago [J-Source]
- Remaining staff struggle to cope after layoffs at Ottawa Citizen, Canadian Press [CWA Canada]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Tip: Develop new interview techniques [Journalism.co.uk]
- Daily habits of productive freelancers [Freelancers Union]
- Contently’s New Service Fee Draws a Backlash [Managing Editor]
- LinkedIn: here is what journalism students need to know [Journalism.co.uk]
- Contently Shoots Itself in the Foot with a Charge for Freelancers to Get Paid [Inc.]
- How Freelance Labor Became the Unsung Casualty of Media Layoffs [Observer]
- Freelancers claim they haven’t been paid for contributions to Out magazine [NY Daily News]
- How to live your most productive freelance life [Journo Resources]
- Out Magazine: Pay the Freelancers! [National Writers Union]
- Out Magazine’s Fresh Start Overpowered by Bitter Money Dispute [New York Times]
Recently on Story Board:
- The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #40 — Kalli Anderson: Award-winning freelance audio producer, filmmaker and journalist Kalli Anderson spoke with Story Board recently about the value of working in a variety of media, the ways in which teaching complements her journalism, and the importance of sharing information among freelancers…
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 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #40 — Kalli Anderson
In this regular feature, Story Board asks Canadian freelancers to share a few details about their work habits and their strategies for navigating the ups and downs of freelance life.
Photo by Jenna Wakani
Kalli Anderson is an award-winning freelance audio producer, filmmaker and journalist based in Toronto.
She has produced radio documentaries, news reports and current affairs segments for CBC Radio. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Walrus, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and The Globe and Mail. Her short films have screened in festivals across North America.
Kalli also teaches multimedia reporting. documentary production and feature writing at Ryerson University School of Journalism.
She spoke with Story Board recently about the value of working in a variety of media, the ways in which teaching complements her journalism, and the importance of sharing information among freelancers.
You work in a lot of different media — print, audio, film. What are the challenges of balancing all of those various skills?
I see it differently than it being a challenge. I’ve always consciously tried to be able to be skilled in different media because I think that helps me get different kinds of work, which has practical implications.
But also a journalist and as a documentary maker, I really like to be able to think “what medium would be best for this story or for this material?” I think it helps me do different kinds of work creatively if I have the ability to do it in these different media — because I don’t think all stories fit super well as a magazine piece.
Read the rest of this post »
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 20-25
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- What layoffs at Elle Canada, Style at Home and Canadian Living mean for the future of print [J-Source]
- Alberta Views short fiction contest open [Alberta Views]
- CBC and CMG Reach a Tentative Deal [CMG]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Rookie mistakes freelancers make when they launch a business [Creative Boom]
- What to look for before writing a story about an academic study [CJR]
- Four tips for building your professional brand [Freelancers Union]
- These 4 questions might be preventing you from starting a side hustle [Inc]
- Bounce back from burnout with these three simple steps [Freelancers Union]
- How to work at peak productivity–and know when to take a break [Fast Company]
Recently on Story Board:
- Freelancer-related highlights of the CMG’s tentative agreement with CBC: The proposed agreement will provide more clarity to distinguish between the various types of freelance engagements. The CMG will have access to additional contact information for freelancers to improve communication about their rights. As well, we negotiated freelance rate increases in line with the across-the-board wage increases for other members…
- Public Lending Right program’s 2019 registration period now open: If you’re a Canadian author, illustrator or photographer with one or more published books, it’s time to register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts initiative that sends payments every year to creators whose books are in Canadian public libraries…
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.
Freelancer-related highlights of the CMG’s tentative agreement with CBC
The Canadian Media Guild’s bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the CBC earlier this month. Highlights of the tentative agreement as it relates to freelancers are as follows:
The proposed agreement will provide more clarity to distinguish between the various types of freelance engagements. The CMG will have access to additional contact information for freelancers to improve communication about their rights. As well, we negotiated freelance rate increases in line with the across-the-board wage increases for other members.
You can find more information about the CMG’s tentative agreement with CBC on the CMG website.
If you have any questions about the contracts you’ve been given for your freelance work at CBC, you can email CMG Freelance president Don Genova anytime at freelance@cmg.ca.
