Worried about my present situation

[hamsterhouse]

I posted something related to this topic about a month ago, but this is really an expanded followup. Getting straight to the point, I just don't know what to do anymore regarding my job. I haven't worked for a couple of months now and I'm beginning to get very nervous about my future.

 

Without revealing too much, I'm a freelance video editor. I've been in this business for close to a decade now but spent most of my time at one company. Over the last couple of years I've been networking more and branching out to other companies. Last year was big for networking, and I was projecting a pretty great 2018 for myself. Unfortunately (at the moment at least) it's been the complete opposite. Last fall I moved to another city that I'm trying to break into, and I bounce around dividing my time between the two cities. I haven't fully committed to that new city because frankly I can't get steady and stable work there yet.

 

Here's a list of my setbacks so far. Around Christmastime I received an email from a new potential client asking what my availability for January would be, to which I enthusiastically replied. He responded confirming my availability, and I asked if he would like to get together to speak more about his opportunities. I never heard back from him. A month later I emailed again, then later called him. No reply. Another potential client reached out to me around the same time with the same availability request, but he stopped responding as well. The couple times I reached out to him he said the projects kept being pushed back. Fair enough. Another company which had the fortune to work for a bit last year offered me a little bit of work but it was taken away due to financing issues. I LOVE this company and would love to work more for them, which I explained to the person in charge of booking. She told me that they'd love to have me and I should reach out again soon. They have short windows for booking freelancers (only a couple of weeks), so I've been reaching out casually every 2-3 weeks checking to see if they have work. At first I was told no, but the past few times I've reached out (emails and one phone call) I've been ghosted.

 

Aside from this, I've had a couple jobs offered here and there that I lost to other people. Other contacts of mine are slow and have nothing for me at the moment but "will reach out if anything comes through" which is a common response that I'm used to hearing.

 

I'm not new to this game. I'm professional and experienced with references and a solid body of work to show new clients. I smile on the job, make eye contact, shake hands. I keep my opinions to myself and chew with my mouth closed. I say "good morning" and "have a good night, see you tomorrow." I make friends and invite coworkers to grab a coffee. People like me. At the one company I've been trying hard to get back into, I was told "we adore you." All this said, I don't know what the problem is or where I could be going wrong. Am I a victim of circumstance? Low on the totem pole? Why am I not being back and considered for more jobs? I feel that I'm no different than other freelancers I've encountered and believe I'm just as qualified, yet they're more stable with work.

 

At this point, every ignored email or phone call is a major blow. I feel it's unprofessional to encourage me to reach out but ignore me when I do.

 

Right now I do have a couple possible new opportunities on the horizon and I'm trying to stay optimistic. Slow periods are expected in the freelance biz, but I've never ever been this slow before, and now I'm starting to bite my nails as I watch my savings account dwindle. Not sure what to do anymore.

Edited March 5, 2018 by hamsterhouse

[preraph]

My guess is new town and maybe it runs mainly on references or something. Be sure your fees are in line with this new town. What you charge in one town could be totally different in another town. Is your video editing entertainment or legal?

[lovely81]

I freelance, too. Last year was a little weak for me, and I couldn't figure out why. I ended up asking people who hadn't moved forward with me, and did get a lot of useful info (a lot of people cited my rate)--plus one of those people hired me!

 

I also think freelance can be really hard to predict. I'm busy right now after a long dry spell, and I couldn't figure out anything I'd done differently to get busy. I do know that, as usual, I wish I had spent less time worrying and more time working on the internal aspects of the business that are hard to get to when completing projects.

 

Oh, I also started applying to full-time jobs at one point--that also kept me from worrying too much.

[hamsterhouse]

My job is in video entertainment, not legal. I'm pretty sure it has more to do with climbing the totem pole than my fees or references. I recently met a new potential client (which seems promising), and he told me that my rate is average. I actually moved to a richer city than before. I had to work my way up to charge my rate, of course, but in that city people were definitely willing to pay it.

 

So now I'm in a big city, but the network is still fairly small, so I'm trying to make my way around without being a pest. Just today I got my lease renewal paperwork and I'm having a serious discussion with myself about it, because if things are still going as-is it would be unwise to stay. However, with the looming spring I'm hearing a lot of buzz bout work coming down the pipe. It's still only March, and at this point if I can slam a solid 5-6 months of work this year still I'll be just fine.

[d0nnivain]

What are you doing to network? Do all of your contacts from your old location know you moved? Have you asked them for introductions to anyone they may know in your new place?

 

 

Are you open to adding legal to your mix of skills for the short term to get some cash? Videotaping deposition is a rising market that pays very well for 4+ hours of work plus travel. It's not exactly editing but check out this group: https://agcv.com/

 

 

Happy job hunting.