Am I the only one amazed by people still offering exposure as a currency to pay our bills and a way of getting ahead?
Replies39
- This is one of the best answers to this questionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fED
- There are collaborations and free work that can be worthwhile in certain situations.I just did one with someone here on The Dots and it was excellent. But, that was a passion project, not something I ever planned to make income from.It can also be useful for budding writers just starting out to get some clips, even if they don't get paid.What irks me is when companies with obvious money try to get people to do free work.Or the time a start-up wanted a regular blog writer and I asked if it was paid (since they often pass it off to interns, a whole other story). They assured me it was a paid position, so I took the time to complete the application, only to be told that they planned to pay $5 per 1500-word piece, which is almost worse than not paying at all.
- Let's keep the conversation going. Has exposure ever brought you subsequent paid work from the company, magazine or newspaper who promised you paid work after they used your work for free in the first place. Go!
- It's one of the oldest tricks in the book and it takes all kinds of different forms - it's always a good deal for them, not for you. If it were actually true and there were more work in it for us, or that exposure really did bring in more clients, it's still unacceptable - an accountant doesn't do work for exposure, and nor does a doctor.Commercial work is simple - your work brings *them* the exposure - not you - so if they like your work enough to want to use it, they like your work enough to pay you. In the meantime, it's up to our industry as a whole to put an end to this practice - challenge the people who ask you to work without pay, and challenge the people who perpetuate it by agreeing to it.I keep seeing brands and magazines actually putting statements on their websites - "we can't afford to pay for photography/writing/graphic design/art direction" - so why are you paying your CEO a six figure salary and how come you've got Rolex and BMW advertising in your magazine?
- No, you aren't.I think The Dots need to do something about this.Pandemic or not, creatives just shouldn't be asked to work for free.
- @Geoffrey Bunting Just read it, it's a great piece. My favourite thing (defo least fave) is when people choose to say "collaborating" -- it's not colaborating if you're bringing nothing to the table haha. Like you've said it's just changing the wording to sound more appealing.
- I'm amazed by it too. I think The Dots could lead a campaign against this practice - perhaps by insisting on pay details just like they do level, location and type in job ads. How about it @Pip Jamieson ?
- I recently wrote about this:https://link.medium.com/4LSIdi7OBfbOr rather, how clients are modulating their language beyond the concept of “exposure” to better manipulate us into buying into how they devalue us.
- No, you are not. I was just asked if someone can use a few of my illustrations for comercial use just for exposure. To even consider that, I asked about the traffic on the website and some extra info. Obviously I received no response.
- You're not alone. Its ridiculous. Very difficult to justify in an age when anyone can publish themselves!
- Yes I completely agree with this and have really felt that impact since joining The Dots. I think there should be something in place that says whether the job is paid/expenses/or unpaid.There is a lot of work out there but a lot if you’re willing to work for free, which I’m not.I don’t want exposure, I want to be paid for my hard work! Thank you for raising this x
- Creatives should stop working for free! Exposure dos not mean anything and does not value the work on the contrary it undervalues all of us.
- It is an unfortunate reality that people will always try and put pressure on creative people to work for nothing for some perceived benefit from "exposure". At a time when clients could be taking a more realistic view of the situation and perhaps not quibiling over small amounts of money that will help keep their freelance suppliers heads above water. All you can do is say "no thanks" there are so many ways of getting your work out there nowdays that that kind of exposure is of little value. In my 30+ years of experience paid work is often not the sort of thing you want to use to premote yourself anyway.
- Noup Carine. You are definitely not alone. The situation is awful and the worst thing is there are a lot of photographers willing to work for free without understanind that they are devaluating the whole industry.
- Noo you're not alone in feeling this!!I feel like it's become even more common since the pandemic, which is the worst time to be asking people to work for free! :(I truly wish landlords would start accepting exposure as rent though haha!
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