Most efficient places to find freelance work at DVinfo.net

Mike Hammond · October 14th, 2014, 02:46 PM

Hi all. Wondering if anyone would be willing to share their avenues for finding freelance work. I'm looking to complement my own corporate and wedding work with some freelancing. I'm well-versed in video production from shooting to editing, good at AE, and OK-ish with photography.

I'm located in the NY/NJ/PA/CT area and am aware of Production Hub and a few others but would like to pinpoint the ones that seem to work best for others. You know, time is money so I want to maximize the search.

Any help would be appreciated.

Shaun Roemich · October 15th, 2014, 07:57 AM

In my experience there is a single way that works for finding work - your real world network.

Not craigslist, not production hub, not Facebook but real people you have made connections with who know what you can do and will either hire you or refer you.

No shortcuts here.

Don Bloom · October 15th, 2014, 10:28 AM

+1 for Shaun. In all my years the BEST thing I found to do was a stack of business cards and a face to face with a handshake. At one time I belonged to a couple of different networking groups and the few hours a month I spent pressin' the flesh at their functions returned rewards over the years that were worth many many many thousands of dollars. Big companies, small companies didn't matter. The money was all the same. Green!
Go knock on some doors, join a civic business group, local chamber of commerce whatever and talk to peole. They can't hire you if they don't know about you, Just et them know who you are, what you do and that you'd be happy to get together to see how you might be able to help them out...Remember, people don't know what they don't know until you tell 'em!

Mike Hammond · October 15th, 2014, 12:01 PM

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually do a fair amount of networking. Just looking for avenues to supplement that.

Mike Watson · November 2nd, 2014, 06:47 PM

To expand on what Don said, I do a lot of that stuff, and sometimes it takes years to pay off. I get a call once or twice a year from somebody telling me I gave them a card at some C of C event three years ago and they're ready to move forward.

I take business I already have and market to that sector. We do a local theatre company, and at one point I called every theatre in the region and offered my services. You can't do this with direct competitors, but sometimes in neighboring sectors or regions.

I have also put a LOT of weight into social media lately, and it's all about interesting content, EVERY DAY, all the time to keep you top of mind with clients.

Luckily I'm in a business where one gig can be thousands of dollars, so it's not hard to burn through a thousand business cards a year, or spend $500 on social media strategy, because even if you only get one gig from all that, it eclipses your time and cost.

October 14th, 2014, 02:46 PM	#1
Mike Hammond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: West Orange, NJ, U.S. Posts: 163	Most efficient places to find freelance work Hi all. Wondering if anyone would be willing to share their avenues for finding freelance work. I'm looking to complement my own corporate and wedding work with some freelancing. I'm well-versed in video production from shooting to editing, good at AE, and OK-ish with photography. I'm located in the NY/NJ/PA/CT area and am aware of Production Hub and a few others but would like to pinpoint the ones that seem to work best for others. You know, time is money so I want to maximize the search. Any help would be appreciated. __________________ Mike Hammond http://www.yourcinematicwedding.com \| http://www.storyboardgroup.com

October 15th, 2014, 07:57 AM	#2
Shaun Roemich Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (formerly Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada Posts: 4,088	Re: Most efficient places to find freelance work In my experience there is a single way that works for finding work - your real world network. Not craigslist, not production hub, not Facebook but real people you have made connections with who know what you can do and will either hire you or refer you. No shortcuts here. __________________ Shaun C. Roemich Road Dog Media - Vancouver, BC - Videographer - Webcaster www.roaddogmedia.ca Blog: http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/

October 15th, 2014, 10:28 AM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Most efficient places to find freelance work +1 for Shaun. In all my years the BEST thing I found to do was a stack of business cards and a face to face with a handshake. At one time I belonged to a couple of different networking groups and the few hours a month I spent pressin' the flesh at their functions returned rewards over the years that were worth many many many thousands of dollars. Big companies, small companies didn't matter. The money was all the same. Green! Go knock on some doors, join a civic business group, local chamber of commerce whatever and talk to peole. They can't hire you if they don't know about you, Just et them know who you are, what you do and that you'd be happy to get together to see how you might be able to help them out...Remember, people don't know what they don't know until you tell 'em! __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

October 15th, 2014, 12:01 PM	#4
Mike Hammond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: West Orange, NJ, U.S. Posts: 163	Re: Most efficient places to find freelance work Thanks for the replies guys. I actually do a fair amount of networking. Just looking for avenues to supplement that. __________________ Mike Hammond http://www.yourcinematicwedding.com \| http://www.storyboardgroup.com

November 2nd, 2014, 06:47 PM	#5
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: Most efficient places to find freelance work To expand on what Don said, I do a lot of that stuff, and sometimes it takes years to pay off. I get a call once or twice a year from somebody telling me I gave them a card at some C of C event three years ago and they're ready to move forward. I take business I already have and market to that sector. We do a local theatre company, and at one point I called every theatre in the region and offered my services. You can't do this with direct competitors, but sometimes in neighboring sectors or regions. I have also put a LOT of weight into social media lately, and it's all about interesting content, EVERY DAY, all the time to keep you top of mind with clients. Luckily I'm in a business where one gig can be thousands of dollars, so it's not hard to burn through a thousand business cards a year, or spend $500 on social media strategy, because even if you only get one gig from all that, it eclipses your time and cost.