The sixth annual IAN conference, run by the Centre for Entrepreneurs and hosted, took place this June at Sheffield Hallam University. This flagship annual event convened incubator managers from across the UK for best-practice sharing, networking and collaboration. The Founder of Freelancer Club, Matt Dowling, was invited to provide insights into the freelance journey and share some data on the challenges faced by students and universities. Among the distinguished presenters was James Ker-Reid, co-founder of Revenue Academy. Following the presentations, Matt and James struck up a conversation over a cup of coffee, wherein they discovered a shared vision for nurturing the upcoming generation of entrepreneurs as well as a sense of frustration regarding the challenges faced by founders and freelancers in their pursuit of success. Recognising the potential significance of their chat, they made a decision to convene, unpack these issues, and record their conversation in order to offer their insights to universities, students, and stakeholders alike.
CREATORS' RIGHTS ALLIANCE RELEASE STATEMENT TO GOVERNMENT'S AI PAPER...NOW WHAT?
In a recent statement from the Creators' Rights Alliance (CRA), a united voice for creators made up of organisations representing creators in the U.K, passionately explained that we need to be careful about the potential damage and risk this new era of AI could cause to our creative industries.
MEET MIKE HOGAN, A MEMBER LANDING REGULAR JOBS ON FREELANCER CLUB
Certain individuals become members of the club to learn more about running a freelance business. Others find value in showcasing their portfolio and making industry connections. Additionally, there are members who join the Freelancer Club specifically to secure new clients. While offering general advice on best practices when applying for work is always useful, we decided to ask one of the more successful members of the club who appears to have mastered the art of landing the job!
RISE, FREELANCER - THE REVOLUTION IS HERE
I still remember my first ever client meeting like it was yesterday. It was right before Christmas, 2017. With a project start date immediately upon return from the holiday break. And this wasn’t just any client, this was an American tech startup led by a woman who had run a department at the Rio 2016 Games. She’s the type of anxiety inducing high-flyer who budgets every minute of her time. The kind of client who will look at her watch the second you start to bore her.
COMPLETE THE BRIEF - NORTHERN LIGHTS
Our latest Complete the Brief campaign saw Fashion Stylist Jacki Clark take the reigns on a studio shoot in London. Jackie teamed up with Francois Boutemy, Fashion Photographer, and founder of Simulacra Studio, Makeup Artist, Nike Johnston and model, Francesca Quici to produce a shoot around the theme 'Northern Lights'. We sent our camera crew down to meet the team, check out the studio, and capture some behind the scenes footage on set.
CHASING UNICORNS
Why are universities always chasing the next unicorn? Now, I don’t mean a unicorn as in the mythical horn-headed creature featured in thousands of years of European art and literature. Nor do I mean that “special someone” that hapless romantics fantasise about meeting in a magical way just like they do in the movies.
"CONTRACT-FOR-HIRE" IS THE CORPORATE BUZZWORD TO LURE US BACK
Here we go again… The power shift. The pendulum swing. The force of hand. Just when the dust was starting to settle in this new post-pandemic era, someone comes along to rain on our parade all over again. Just when you thought you were finally in control, the rug is swept from right underneath you. The new buzzword, “Contract-for-hire,” is the culprit. And it’s very clever. Perhaps a little sneaky. Hey, maybe downright manipulative.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN & NON-BINARY TALENT IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY
This International Women’s Day, the Freelancer Club is in conversation with Ladies, Wine & Design (Vienna, Bristol and New York) to discuss the role of female and non-binary talent in the creative fields.