The Freelance Life...My Dos and Don'ts
I've been back in the freelance game for three months now. Here's how it's going.
When I check in with friends, colleagues and family these days, I can count on being asked about how things are going overall about this not-so-new life I’m living in Bangkok, Thailand these days. (I won’t repeat the story of how I got here with my husband, Boyd, but you can read about it in my inaugural Substack post). Inevitably the subject of work also comes up and it made me think about how that journey has been going since I went from a comfy staff job to freelancing at the start of 2024.
Thinking about that had some interesting timing since I recently posted a survey asking you, the Coffee, TV & Me reader, what was working for you with the content I’ve been posting and maybe what hasn’t been working. One consistent message I heard is that readers are liking my personal observations about my career and this new chapter in my life. So, after a few weeks of interview posts (you saw my Top Chef Kristen Kish interview, right? And the breaking news about our new travel YouTube page, Travel with Jim and Boyd) I thought I’d open a window into how life as a freelance television journalist has been going and how I’ve been keeping the work flow, well, flowing thus far.
In terms of life overall, the short answer is that it’s going very well. I’m getting used to the hot weather since it’s now officially summer in Thailand (which means a place that’s already hot and humid much of the time is just hotter and more humid). I’ve got a good fitness routine down with my morning time in the gym or swimming in our condo building. Boyd and I still do yoga three nights a week, which is something we started during the pandemic and never stopped. We have a plethora of historic temples to visit and (yes!) food to eat. I’m also planning to get started with Thai language classes so I can speak more than a few words though one phrase imbedded in my head is saying “mai pet” when ordering food anywhere. (Mai pet means “not spicy.”)
And how’s life as a freelance journalist? I was glad to find that the hustle that I brought to work when I first began writing for entertainment outlets in the late 2000s was not gone completely and I quickly got back in the groove of finding work. Again, timing has been interesting since it seems just about every outlet (print or online) has seen their staffs cut with more journalists than ever pounding the pavement looking for work and rates for paying freelancers has diminished. It’s just sad and unfortunate all around and I honestly didn’t know how things would go.
I began by remembering advice I’ve given over the years to anyone who was freelancing and seeking work. For me, there are a lot of dos and don’ts so I thought I’d share some of them here since sticking to them has helped me because, yes, I’ve been getting work but since there’s no guarantee that will continue, there are certain things I need to keep doing daily. (Note: since I don’t think photos of me at my laptop are that interesting, here are some of my ‘freelance greatest hits’ from my career).
The first thing (and possibly the toughest for some) is to turn off that shy side that hates asking for things because unless you’re super lucky, work isn’t going to just fall in your lap. As soon as I knew my staff job was ending, I started emailing people to let them know I was going to be freelancing moving forward. I hit up people I knew and some I didn’t via email, LinkedIn, Facebook and I boldly asked friends in the business if they had any inside information about any outlets needing help. Soon, I was exchanging ideas and pitching editors and I had a few assignments right off the bat. I did give a sigh of relief but I knew that was just the beginning since digital outreach wasn’t enough.
So in February, I ventured from Bangkok to Pasadena, CA for the Television Critics Association winter press tour, where networks and studios bring their new and returning shows along with producers and talents to talk to a roomful of journalists and hopefully get a lot of press attention. This year was 10 days of panels, interviews, the occasional cocktail parties and, most importantly for me, a chance to get face time with publicists, network/studio execs and other journalists who could all lead to work. Need an interview done? Press notes for an upcoming series or movie? Internal commissioned reviews of projects? Moderate that zoom panel? FYC writing? I’m your guy.
And if you ever wonder if face time is that important in the overall scheme of things, my answer is always going to be YES. Sure, an email or having a zoom meeting saves some time but nothing beats standing in the same space talking over a drink or just randomly bumping into someone in a hallway at the Langham Hotel (where press tour was held) and catching up to what I’ve been up to and letting people know I’m looking for work.
A few more dos and don’ts I adhere to since I have also been reaching out to outlets and editors I haven’t worked with before via cold emails:
Know the outlet. Check to see what the outlet is covering, what they aren’t covering and their overall approach (more viewer driven? more industry-focused?) in their content.
Pitch. Pitch. Pitch. Once you know an outlet well, pitch them what you think they’ll be interested in. And when you do send in a pitch or pitches, be sure to ask the editor if you’re on the right track with what they’re wanting. They’re getting to know you just as much as you’re getting to know them so the sooner you know how you can help, the better your pitches will be and, surprise, they may start coming to you directly, too.
Rates. Everyone pays different these days and its easy to feel like you’re being underpaid given the amount of work that often goes into writing 300 words on a particular show. So don’t be afraid to ask for more in your per word or a flat rate. But know that budgets are real so sometimes there just isn’t any wiggle room and you’ll get a NO. But then there are times when an editor may see your value and say yes when you ask for more. But if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Also, it’s amazing how much better you’ll feel if you take the chance to ask for more and you get a YES. (It happened for me recently and my mood and enthusiasm for the project grew immediately!)
Deadlines. This is an easy one. Stick to the deadlines an editor gives you. And if that deadline isn’t going to be possible (maybe the interview subject has been tough to schedule, which happens), let them know ASAP. Sometimes there’s time to extend a deadline while other times there isn’t so a plan B or C may have to be figured out but the sooner someone knows that, the better. But respect the deadline always. Period.
As you can guess by now, there’s no perfect method to getting that freelance work. I wish there was. Sometimes it just comes down to timing. I’ve checked in with editors to see if they needed help with any stories, was told ‘not right now’ but then the next day that same editor would suddenly reach out and ask if I watched a particular show they suddenly needed covered and, boom, I had an assignment. (This literally happened to me last week!)
I’m also a big fan of being flexible. I mean, I’m living on the other side of the world so while I can try to get interviews to happen at a particular time so it’s either my morning or evening in Thailand, I’m not going to say no when I have to do an interview at 3 a.m. my time. By the way, that interview happened to be with Carol Burnett to talk about her new AppleTV+ series Palm Royale for a TV Guide Magazine story so I set my alarm for 2:45 a.m., splashed some water on my face and had no regrets since, come on, it’s Carol Burnett and she was an awesome interview. (It was a phone call, not a zoom, so Carol didn’t have to see my bed head or bags under my eyes!)
One thing I always knew as a freelancer in the past (and remains true in the present) is that like most things, you get out of something what you put in. I continue to put the time in sending pitch emails, setting up zoom calls to get caught up with publicists and editors I haven’t talked with in awhile and paying attention to what’s getting coverage out there. And if I haven’t touched base with someone in awhile, I’ll do a check-in every few weeks to make sure they know I’m still here and happy to help. Sometimes there just isn’t anything at the moment while other times, like this morning, I woke up to an email asking me to do two more assignments for an outlet I’ve just started working with. The word grateful doesn’t begin to describe how I feel when that happens!
Did any of my suggestions ring true for you? Do you have any tried and true methods for making sure you’re getting work? Any unforeseen roadblocks? Share your story in the comments or feel free to email me direct.
Love the Buckley photo!
I love your perseverance and energy and so much more. You are so inspiring. If I only had that energy and drive.