Anyone ever moved to a city to freelance without guarantee a job?

[lead cds]

I'm miserable at my current position, want to move somewhere else, stay with a friend, and just try to freelance. How many folks have done this? Is it more feasible now than years before?

[ February 06, 2007, 09:06 AM: Message edited by: lead cds ]

[s'news]

I'd say that you need some connections before going there. You could build them over time, but that time could leave you busted.

[Roy Hobbs]

And broke.

Um s'news, you got a fiver?

[s'news]

Sure. You gonna eat all those fries?

[Lazlo Toth]

I did it once but it was because my wife had gotten a job there.

[sonorandesert]

Originally posted by lead cds:
I'm miserable at my current position, want to move somewhere else, stay with a friend, and just try to freelance. How many folks have done this? Is it more feasible now than years before?Why not freelance now at your current city?
Major freelance is far and between.
If you're looking for quick freelance, check out the major sports teams in the town of your choice.

Major being the sport of choice.
Towns with NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL generally have crews lined up.
Community College basketball, High School football...those are the towns or markets to start with.
There are exceptions to the rule.

Which field are you looking at to freelance?
Production or Engineering?

[ February 04, 2007, 12:40 AM: Message edited by: sonorandesert ]

[lead cds]

On-air

[Big Poppa Pump]

Yeah and you better have something lined up BEFORE you go. All that "follow your dream" and "I'm miserable here, it'll be better in (insert city here)" is all BS. You're getting a steady check now, save your $$ and get contacts now.

You'd better have savings for at least 6 months because it make take you that long to get a gig, meet the right people, or get ONE freelance opportunity. I did it and overestimated the need people would have and ended up almost homeless. I was really good at what I did and thought that people could use me, but I didn't think that I'd be on THEIR timetable, not my own.

Imagine the money running out, the phone doesn't ring, you start thinking it was "that bad" at your job and you're eating Wendy's .99 cent burgers daily.

And if you want your friend to remain your friend, don't move in with him/her. Always remember that the place is theirs and after a while, unless you all are in a relationship, you'll feel like you're in their way and they'll make you feel that way to.

Be smart, have a plan, make work it from where you are while you have a net. Good luck grasshoppa!

[ February 04, 2007, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: The Book ]

[Spike]

Originally posted by The Book:
You'd better have savings for at least 6 months because it make take you that long to get a gig, meet the right people, or get ONE freelance opportunity. I started out freelance (not on air), and I would go further and say you need to have enough money to be able to go at least a year without a job. That was the advice I got from other freelancers, and it rung true. It takes a while to get your name out there and circulating so that the people hiring know who you are and what you can do. You may get gigs sooner, but you may not.

Also, how well you do will depend in large part on where you go. Bigger cities generally have more opportunities, but they also generally have more competition. You have to go where the opportunity is and compete. DC, for example, is very competitive, but I was constantly amazed at the ability of some of the bottom dwellers to find paying work alongside people who knew what they were doing. There was simply that much work there.

And you have to go where you want to end up. If you think you'll freelance in a smaller town for a while to get some contacts, then "move up" to the bigger city, you'll be in for a nasty surprise when you finally do move to the bigger city and realize you're basically starting over from scratch because nobody knows you there. I have known people who became successful freelancers in their hometowns, then gotten the idea that if they were doing so well at home, they would also do well in LA. So they went west, only to come back a year later broke and broken because they had forgotten how hard it was to network starting out. And when they come back, it still takes them a while longer to get back onto everyone's crew lists around town to start getting hired again. Or they stayed out there working in an equipment rental facility, or worse, as a waiter or bartender.

A ran across one guy in NY who seemed to have the freelance thing down perfect. He was an actor. But he was also a graduate of Yale's law school. He worked a few months a year for a legal temp agency doing corporate work to make enough money to live. He spent the rest of the year hustling for movies and commercials. If he ran out of money along the way, he could always call the temp service and get back on their active roster. It sure beat bartending.

[TVMattNYC]

Which city are you hoping to move to?

Please don't say "New York".

[Fearmonger]

First, WILL WORK FOR FOOD post!
http://www.seykota.com/tribe/FAQ/2004_Sep/Sep_11/will-work-for-food.jpg

[cinehead]

Originally posted by lead cds:
I'm miserable at my current position, want to move somewhere else, stay with a friend, and just try to freelance. How many folks have done this? Is it more feasible now than years before?It all depends on the city and the job --- and your current station in life. I did it, but I was looking for a job in production in a city that had a lot of work. I was also single without any real debt.

I think that being an on-air talent would be tough, especially if you're moving to a larger market.

[Sultanosurf]

Yeah, you can do it. Stations are always looking for new freelancers to abuse. Get on the horn now and network your butt off, and it could be easier than cold calls when you hit town.

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by Fearmonger:
First, WILL WORK FOR FOOD post!
http://www.seykota.com/tribe/FAQ/2004_Sep/Sep_11/will-work-for-food.jpgShe's way too clean to be a real prostitute. She's probably a cop.

[cinehead]

Originally posted by News Is Broken:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Fearmonger:
First, WILL WORK FOR FOOD post!
http://www.seykota.com/tribe/FAQ/2004_Sep/Sep_11/will-work-for-food.jpgShe's way too clean to be a real prostitute. She's probably a cop.</font>[/QUOTE]A clean cop. Now, that's an oxymoron.

Thanks folks, I'll be here all weekend.

[aphia]

Where ever you go, register to substitute in the local school... best part-time flexible job ever.

[TAFKA wacowx]

Originally posted by aphia:
Where ever you go, register to substitute in the local school... best part-time flexible job ever.In some states, that requires a certificate that could take a couple of months to get.

[cinehead]

Originally posted by aphia:
Where ever you go, register to substitute in the local school... best part-time flexible job ever.Here's a better one. Bartender. One drawback; you will probably make more bartending then working than you're real gig and the you give up the biz all together. Oh wait, that's not really a drawback is it?

[Union Label]

If I were the person who started this thread, I'd place a higher priority on checking my spelling of words like "guarantee" before I started looking for freelance work.

[Fearmonger]

If you're on TV you need not worry about your crappy spelling! Teleprompters won't snitch you off. News directors can't spell anyway! :D :D