Laurie Bailey specialises in the audio and music fields of the creative industries with over six years experience, focusing on soundtrack creation and radio hosting. Here are his thoughts on freelancing.
1. Introduce yourself and what you do
Hi! I’m Laurie Bailey. At present, I split my time between lecturing part-time at Oxford Brookes, composing soundtracks and creating sound effects for video games as a freelancer, and running ‘radio academies’ for schools around Oxfordshire with an ex-colleague. I also do ad-hoc audio production, presenting, and voiceover jobs. Earlier in my career, I worked as a freelance marketing consultant, film critic and BBC Radio presenter.
2. How and why did you start freelancing?
The short version: I wanted to be paid for my work, not for my time! The long version: I was about to become a dad and realised if I wanted to pursue any of my subconscious ‘dream job’ ideas, it was now or never. When kids arrive, choices about money and life feel a bit different, and I didn’t think I’d have the courage to quit a regular decent salary with a tiny baby at home.
As a dad, I wanted to be around a lot too, a way to make my time more flexible and work from home a bit would be great. Part of me also wanted to prove to my future kids they could pursue a career or lifestyle that generally seems out of reach, and actually achieve it (or something similar) with perseverance and self-belief.
I didn’t have connections in media or music, or a pile of money to sit on, so there was definitely a fair chunk of self-belief required! That said, it made a big difference that I’d forged good relationships through marketing positions, enabling me to launch with some freelance work more or less already on the table.
Things turned out really well straight away unexpectedly, as I was able to take time out as needed to support my wife through a tricky birth process. I was able to set my own paternity leave schedule and work as our new family needed, within a few limitations. Although thoughts of crashing and burning within a month or two were never too far from my mind, things started looking up enough I decided to fully commit to freelancing.
3. Where do you find your clients and new projects?
Generally through connections made on projects and previous work positions.
People remember friendliness and work ethic; if they hear you’re now freelancing or available for work, they come your way or recommend you more often than you’d imagine. Delivering results matters – how you come across and conduct yourself matters more. You don’t need to be a stellar comedian or ball of extroverted energy – listening to feedback, being polite and showing initiative go a long way.
More specifically, I’ve made different approaches based on the kind of work I’m looking for.
With radio, I just called BBC Oxford to tell them how my film podcast was doing (pretty high on the Apple UK Film New & Noteworthy charts at the time), fishing for an interview, but was offered a film spot on a show. I jumped at the chance! I did my absolute best to stay in contact and say yes to almost everything; even catching an early flight back from a family holiday to fill a spot on the air. This eventually led to other stations and producers calling me up to contribute, and I was in the right spot, at the right time, making the right noises, plus doing the right work to be offered my own show.
I sent emails and contacted producers along the way, always using a hook so it wasn’t a classic cold call. Doing research to find the right contact is essential – get to the right person and avoid general inboxes and phone lines whenever possible. Things sometimes get missed otherwise because people are busy – not because they don’t want you!
With music, I’ve got decent work via Twitter – with just 46 followers! Twitter’s no different than other mediums, except it’s easier to find the right person and share media. My first music contract, I saw a clip from an indie video game that looked great, downloaded the video, and composed my soundtrack to go along with it. I tweeted this, tagged the developer, who got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to score the game’s trailer. I said yes, did it, and got offered the soundtrack contract – which led to a sound design contract. Not once did anyone say ‘why don’t you have more followers?’!
I also got attention/employment via YouTube, where I’ve posted tongue-in-cheek music covers for several years. I enjoy this as a hobby, using it to experiment and develop my composing/production skillset in the public eye, with a surprise semi-viral hit (over 2 million views).
So it’s a combination of two elements – creating things that showcase my abilities (really trying to be original, and actually putting them out there!), plus utilising contacts I’ve made, or want to make.
On the flip side, I’ve had little success posting profiles on freelance portals, and my website is only used as a point of contact and reference – not as a SEO’d work magnet.
4. How do you know what to charge?
One of the hardest questions, especially in a volatile economy and with increasing global competition. It’s tough out there!
First, understand the difference between value and money. Many people say ‘never work for free’; I think there are two reasons.
- Recognising your own value and skills, and not allowing yourself to be exploited. Good people may nearly exploit you accidentally. And plenty of bad people will know exactly what they’re doing!
- Competitors in creative fields working for free/very little at their own expense. Example: someone wants to get paid to review films; if others are out there doing it for free, why would anyone pay them?
Long-term results of 2 are seen everywhere; people expected to work exhausting hours for little pay, ultimately devaluing entire industries at the expense of those earning a living in them.
That said, most people in highly competitive fields accept there is sometimes great value in unpaid work. People denying this are/were likely extremely lucky or have super connections!
Rather than thinking ‘what to charge’, I recommend ‘what is this worth to me?’. Sometimes ‘exposure’ really is valuable; it’s how I worked my way into the BBC. But in most other situations, what it’s worth to you is a solid paycheck. In which case, there are a few things to look at.
Firstly, when starting, find websites for established freelancers in the field, and review their statements about fees. They’ll often say to contact them for discussion, but I always find at least one person quoting a generic base fee. When you find one, balance this fee against their experience and credits, then use this when assessing where your skills and background fit. (Tip: Sometimes unions post sample contracts and agreements or suggest average fees. I wrote my own soundtrack contract with free samples and advice from www.musiciansunion.org.uk)
Second, consider your situation and available time. Things to consider.
- Will the project help you get more work?
- Will the project take a significant chunk of time? (Enough that you’ll be unable to make approaches for your next project when this one ends.)
- Is it payment for time worked on a regular basis, or a fee upon completion? (If the latter, can you negotiate an up-front percentage before starting?)
- Are exclusivity or NDA-type clauses involved? (Meaning you maybe couldn’t use it in portfolios, or can’t do similar work for a time.)
These are examples; there’s always more to consider. The fee is almost always negotiable, as long as you’re professional and friendly – it’s true you should ‘never accept the first offer’! If the client takes it badly, it’s probable they wouldn’t have been good to work with.
It won’t always be a nightmare to think it through. After a few projects, you begin to develop instincts for assessing the value of an offer – and for knowing the right questions to ask. But start thinking and asking seriously at the first opportunity!
From my perspective, I haven’t worked for under £50/hr (plus VAT) without an absolutely terrific reason. This really is the lowest. I always quote higher than this, as I know the value of my work, and, even more so, the value of my time. Sometimes I offer ‘discounts’ on bigger projects (per day/week rather than hour) if that works for me – but sometimes work offered on this kind of schedule needs to cost more, as it makes a larger demand on my availability. These contracts can also result in tax implications. (Look at IR35.)
In short – there’s no easy answer… unless you’re Gary Lineker!
5. What are your must-haves as a creative freelancer?
Motivation! Without the drive to create, try new ideas, learn, and show off new skills, I’d have run out of steam pretty quickly. It takes time for money to come in regularly and sufficiently, so perseverance and determination are absolutely key to success.
This also applies to asking questions! There’s rarely a downside to asking for advice or for a potential opportunity. There’s a great ‘pay it forward’ attitude in some spaces, where people acknowledge good fortune and want to offer something back to those starting out.
I also have a range of places to work. There’s a spare room/office at my house, but I’ve found cafes and workspaces within walking/cycling distance so I’m not stuck at home all the time. Variety is really important for generating ideas or working through concepts – and occasionally I need to be around the buzz of other people.
Being on your own and self-reliant for money, goals, etc. can be draining on energy and mental health – options to be in different places and around others when necessary is good. Likewise, having a reachable support network for peers and friends/family is really important. I try to ‘let people in’ to my projects when possible. (Prepare for pushback from those closest to you when discussing freelancing – for many, working without a monthly paycheck is – understandably – terrifying!)
The next biggest thing is knowing when to let things go. Balancing ambition with flexibility when goal-setting has enabled me to say yes to many opportunities and make lots of connections – but has also meant times when something has to be dropped. Having the courage to let go of things for the sake of pursuing better, more productive options is hard. It’s about perspective. Letting go doesn’t always mean dropping it forever; chasing a strong opportunity can lead you back to one you thought vanished. This applies more to some work than others, but the principle links back – think ‘what is this worth to me?’ and be honest with yourself!
More specifically, I would avoid spending big money on equipment until you really need it. I still use the £75 pencil condenser microphone I bought in 2012 to record podcasts, voiceovers, and sound design. I even used it to make pre-recorded radio shows for the BBC. I did work early to learn how most microphones can sound ok with audio processing (even with free tools like Audacity), so I know where to draw the line. But with music, I needed to spend £2000+ before even pitching for work (the buy-in to licence and use samples/software at base-level professional quality).
Lastly: doing creative work to get creative work. Numerous people come to me with hopes of working for the BBC – but when I ask what they’ve made, or for examples of their work and abilities, they often have nothing ready to show. The only reason I got BBC Oxford’s film critic role was because I’d been making and improving my own film podcast for about six months already. When they asked to hear it, I could send an episode released earlier that week showcasing the best of my abilities straight away. I could point to future episodes and other things I was doing. Look at media superhero Joe Wicks! He was already successful, presenting to cameras, winning support, motivating people on his own terms, totally ready to step into a podcast role.
It’s possible to apply for internships in big creative organisations, and enter ‘traditionally’ – but competition will be intense, and there are no guarantees.
In short: don’t wait for people and opportunities to appear. Start doing what you want to do, get great at it, and discover your motivation; you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, ready to hit the ground running!
To see more of Laurie’s work and freelance journey, check out the links below.
www.lauriebailey.co.uk
www.linkedin.com/in/lauriejbailey
Twitter: @JLaurenceMusic