Toronto is a dynamic city full of life and creativity. Not only is this urban playground the home of exciting bars, clubs, and restaurants, but it is also full of extremely talented people. This kind of landscape attracts artists from all different backgrounds, which makes it a hotspot for freelancers. As a student and a freelancer myself, I find this equal parts exciting and intimidating. Freelancing in its nature is very fast-paced and unpredictable, which makes it hard to navigate, especially as a student. That is why I sat down and interviewed some amazing local talent who know this game inside and out.
I first spoke with Julie Martinson, the creative director at Salt XC, an ad agency in Toronto. As creative director, Julie oversees many projects with several clients, and as a result, manages numerous freelancers. This gives her a valuable perspective when it comes to freelancing, making her someone that you definitely want to hear from.
What is the biggest challenge freelancers face?
“Location doesn’t matter right now, which means the market has opened completely”
Ever since COVID began, Julie has noticed a huge shift in the freelancing market. The most striking change being the shift to working online. Since location is no longer relevant, companies can hire people from anywhere and have freelancers finishing projects when they are asleep. This change is great for employers because it has doubled their options when it comes to freelancers. However, this change also makes the freelancing space a lot more competitive. Overcoming this new reality and adapting to the online world is the biggest challenge Julie believes freelancers face right now.
What do people look for in freelancers?
“Your job is to make their lives easier”
Oftentimes, when companies are hiring freelancers, tensions are high and things are running behind schedule. Therefore, Julie always looks for creatives who are highly organized, over-communicate, and meet deadlines. “If you are going to be five minutes late on a deadline, communicate that an hour before”. It is always better to over-communicate and let your team know where you are at constantly than have people guessing because that is when mistakes are made.
Do women experience freelancing differently?
“When hiring women I always make sure to empower them”
Since Julie has never freelanced herself, she can only speak on what she has seen among those she has worked with and hired. Julie explains how she notices a difference in how women negotiate and present their rates. “Men will bargain and women will apologize”. Unfortunately, she has seen that male freelancers are typically more stern when it comes to their rates and are less afraid to walk away from a client that won’t pay their exact rate. That is why she makes sure to uplift every woman she works with and makes sure that their talents are recognized. Julie ultimately wants to help build the confidence of women freelancers because confidence in the workplace will ultimately earn you respect.
What are some tips for young creatives looking for work?
“Ask to set up an information interview”.
Julie always finds Facebook a great place to network and find gigs. There are several grassroots groups on Facebook that are sorted by location and industry, where people will share networking and work opportunities. When you join these groups, Julie suggests that you make a post introducing yourself. After that, browse the group members for industry professionals working for companies you admire and ask to set up an “information interview”. These are great because they give the person a chance to talk about their company and their own work. This also allows you to window shop for potential workplaces.
I also got the chance to speak to Hamza Khan, a freelance public speaker, and the managing director at Student Life Network. Hamza’s perspective is unique because he has hands-on experience in both freelancing and hiring freelancers as well.
What’s your advice on settings rates?
“It’s all about the delicate balance between reputation and respecting yourself”.
Hamza worked as an intern at Sony, and actually ended up losing money. This is because it was an unpaid internship and there were expenses involved in getting to work every day. Despite this, he made sure to gain as much from this experience as he could. “I came out of that one-year internship with more experience than I would have gotten out of four years of academic experience”. All of that being said, it is important to take stock of your permission space when determining your rates, and whether or not you can afford an unpaid opportunity. Are you paying off school? Do you need to pay rent? All of this needs to be considered when determining your rates.
What is the biggest challenge freelancers face?
“Give them a hand and they will want your arm”
Hamza describes a phenomenon called “scope creep” as the biggest hurdle freelancers face. Scope creep is when clients ask for more than you originally agreed on after the project has already started. This is especially hard to deal with because of the power imbalance between the client and freelancer. That is why Hamza suggests to always confirm oral agreements over email, so you have a paper trail.
What should you do if you are feeling disrespected or used?
“Walk away, trust me, you dodged a bullet”
When you are in a situation where the client is disrespecting you in any way, Hamza suggests leaving the situation as soon as possible. “Giving up your soul isn’t worth it”. This, of course, can be hard when working with big names, because you think this opportunity is going to make your career, however, staying in these situations is more likely to set your career back and cause damage that will take forever to recover from.
What are some negotiation tips for young people?
“I just want to make sure I am being fairly compensated because I am going to give this project my one hundred percent”.
These are Hamza’s magic words that are perfect to use when discussing rates with clients. Also, never be afraid to ask if the internship is paid or not. If the opportunity is not paid and it is being offered by a larger company, you can always ask if there is a possibility for an honorarium to cover expenses you will incur.
Iris Kim is a freelancing director who regularly directs music videos for Toronto artists. Iris is also a recent graduate from Ryerson’s Media Production program. Iris’s end goal is to create and direct films but is focusing on music videos right now to build her career and share her projects with a wider audience. Her experience and perspective is very unique because of her focus in directing in the creative space. This is what she had to say about freelancing in Toronto.
What is different about freelancing as a director?
“You are your own advertiser”
Iris explains how using your social media as a platform to promote yourself and the content you produce is highly important and something that will get you noticed, especially in the directing space. She also explains how getting directing work is based on who you know, and word of mouth. Iris gets most of her work through production companies that trust her because of her track record. Therefore, it’s always important to be super passionate about the work you do, and most importantly meet deadlines.
How is Toronto different for creative freelancers?
“People in Toronto want to see you win”
Iris describes the Toronto community as being very supportive and uplifting to their fellow creators. People in Toronto want to see local artists succeed, which makes it a great place to start your career and network.
What is the biggest challenge freelancers face?
“People rarely get fully paid for the work they do”
Downsizing your pay is the challenge that stands out to Iris the most as a freelancer. She sees this with her experiencing creating music videos because it is a hard way to make money. Because of this, there is usually a struggle between budget and vision, which makes it extremely difficult to create the project you want at the price you deserve. Iris explains how directors normally make 10% of the project’s budget, but if she were to do that every time, there would have to be cuts in the equipment, wardrobe, location etc. This makes it hard for passionate artists to charge their full industry standard rates.
What’s your advice on making rates?
“You never have to tell people you are a student”.
For Iris, introducing yourself as a student is unnecessary and could be a hurdle in the negotiation process. It is better for your experience and work to speak for you when it comes to entering into a conversation with a client. She also suggests having your priorities straight when it comes to your needs and willingness to sacrifice pay for art. Iris tends to look at it in terms of these three factors: the project is something she is passionate about, the crew are great people to work with, and the pay is good. If there are at least two of those things, she is more likely to slightly lower her rates, however, if you are lowering your rates because you believe in the project, it is important to communicate that. If you tell the client your normal rate and why you are lowering it, it can open the door for potentially higher-paying gigs in the future when budget constraints are a non-issue.
Do women experience freelancing differently?
“I see a lot more men on sets than I do women”.
When working on sets for paid projects such as commercials, Iris has found herself in very intimidating and uncomfortable environments where she was surrounded by very unapproachable men. After having these experiences, Iris decided that she was going to make an active effort to work on projects with as many women and POC as possible. She finds these environments to be a lot more comfortable and welcoming.
What are some tips for young creatives looking for work?
“You never know when people are going to ask to see your work”.
This is why Iris suggests having a website to showcase all of your work and experience. That way no matter the situation, you will be able to quickly show someone who you are and what you do. It will also help you stand out in a crowded industry, especially as a student. Iris also encourages you to reach out to people you look up to online! She has found great success doing this on Instagram because many are open to having conversations with people in their industry.
After speaking with these amazingly talented individuals, I walked away with an incredible wealth of information and more importantly, a strong sense of community. My favourite part about working in the creative industries, and especially in Toronto, is the passionate people I work with. I hope these tips and insights help you in your journey to freelancing in Toronto! Yes, freelancing can be stressful but the experiences and people you meet along the way are priceless. To me, it’s all worth it when you step back and look at the incredible work you have created with equally incredible people.