The Social Freelancer: Media, Music, TV & Film

I had a horrible dream last night.
Riding in the very back seat of a passenger van on a two lane blacktop highway at night, I looked up to see that I was the only one in the van. No driver, no other passengers and the van was starting to veer off of the road. I struggled to unstrap myself from the seat so that I could somehow climb over all the seats, get behind the wheel and save myself from certain disaster. I woke up sweating. When I told my wife about the dream she pointed out how symbolic it was for my life at this time. Strange, I couldn’t even see the symbolism until she pointed it out to me.
The rest of the story >>> Read more…

It’s a busy week here and I have had several requests to see this post again so here we go, reminding you to:

KEEP THE SOCIAL IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Hope you find this helpful. I look forward to your comments and criticism, it’s all good. Won’t you post something in comments below? Many thanks, Trace

Freelance Media Professional Tracy Ready discusses the analogy of social media for freelancers as going to series of parties and outlines the relationship between social networks, a blog and small business websites.

“Have fun at the party but don’t be a jerk!”

See the rest of the story>>> Read more…

“Sittin’ on the corner of Prosperity Street, wonderin’ where my next meal’s coming from, Yesterday I was rakin’ in the coin, today I’m just a poor old bum.” – Augie Meyers, from “Prosperity Street”

A lyric so timely for the economic conditions of 2011, who would guess it was written in 1975?

Trace Relations debut with their arrangement of “Prosperity Street” with special guests Augie Meyers and The West Side Horns:

This track available for download now > Trace Relations Official Site

About Prosperity Street
READ ON, GROOVE ON>>> Read more…

Is your head spinning trying to make an impact for your small business through social media?
Join the club.

On the bright side, prior to this “revolution”, advertising your business even through local radio, TV or print campaigns was an expensive proposition. Now, you have the ability to spread your word for free across the Internet. It’s working for big business, and it can work for small ones, but going it alone makes it tough.
In this video, I try to put it in perspective. My suggestion? Build your own team and help each other. It costs nothing but time, and if you are not working enough (which is the case for many freelancers these days), time is something you have to work with.
Check out this short video for an example of my suggestion>> Read more…

Having worked in “traditional” media (television) for more than 20 years, I have been astounded at the growth of social media and it’s impact on how we do business as freelance media professionals. It’s also apparent to me that many of my colleagues in television and music production are not taking part in this revolution, often because of a lack of understanding of how it all works.

Social media is about people sharing information and learning from each other, not directly pitching products.

READ ON and see 3 concise videos that lay out the basic concepts. >>> Read more…

The life of a freelance video professional is a strange one, no doubt. It’s “feast or famine” as the old saying goes. Financially, it was a dreadful ending to 2010 and a sluggish awakening of the business starting this year. Now, at last, things are starting to look up (fingers crossed it continues).

Hong Kong Night - Image courtesy TravelGent

Last week I was shooting a health education PR piece on the west side of San Antonio, Texas. This week I am traveling to Hong Kong with my good friend and colleague in the business, Max Warren of Imagemax Productions.

An international trip opportunity doesn’t pop up in my world very often, so it’s quite exciting. Thanks Max!
Read more…

Last year I had an idea to produce some videos describing my experiences with social media. I did so with the help of some fine friends (watch video #4 to see who they are) and began posting this site:
The Social Freelancer ™.
Since then I have been gratified by the response to these posts. I have also had requests to put multiple videos in one post. So here you go!

Trace says "thanks for tuning in!"

What I Have Learned
A sound business strategy in today’s market should be a mix of “traditional” media, done sensibly and “new” media. There are more ways to economically promote your business than ever before IF you have the knowledge and experience necessary to use both old media (television, radio, print) and new media (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc.) to your best advantage.

Who I Am Learning From
It’s astounding, the amount of good information in this “new media” age available for free online for anyone who cares to seek it out. There are many sources out there; I want to share my favorite five with you.
READ ON and visit the Top 5 >>> Read more…

It’s been a long time comin’… – David Crosby

Trace Relations - The Band, logo design by Clay Meyers, cdmgrafx

Greetings,
While I keep The Social Freelancer ™ updated on a variety of topics related to Music, Media, TV and Film, 99% of them NOT a self promotion, I hope you’ll indulge me here for 2 minutes (!) to show off a bit. This video is a new demo of our HD stock footage offerings from CityB-roll.com, edited to a short instrumental track from my band project Trace Relations ™. The song is an advance track from our upcoming debut studio CD release.
Check out the video and the MUSIC>> Read more…

This is a guest post from David Cleaves, co-owner of Ten Eighty Media a fine, full service production rental house based in Dallas – Ft. Worth, Texas. I included David’s article here as it pertains well to the production market and the message transcends to any business, large or small. As freelance professionals we should think hard about who we refer as vendors and what we are offering to our clients through our own advertising efforts. I hope you find this helpful and look forward to your comments. Thanks, Trace
Read the rest of the story >>> Read more…

Broadcast television as I have known it for the last 20+ years has changed. The business as we knew it is mostly gone.

“Money’s tight, times are hard, here’s your damn birthday card…”

Trace - Promo for Trace Relations CD ~ Photo by Stephan R. Lewis, all rights reserved

That’s a bit rude but it makes me laugh. I like the sentiment because it’s reality based. The fact is you might think you’re “special” but most times very few others do. I find that it pays to be original and re-invent yourself and what you do every ten years or so.

I am striving to re-invent myself business wise to being more active as a writer, producer, speaker, documentary filmmaker, vocalist and songwriter in addition to keeping the video production business going.

So What’s Up?
That doesn’t mean I am not working as a Director of Photography – I am. It is my primary source of revenue. I love shooting and producing for good clients who appreciate the skills I bring to the table for their video projects. But the long term business reality is that lower quality and cheaper rates are what syndicated TV shows and corporations are wanting and, in fact, demanding. There will only be downward pressure on day rates for freelance media professionals as I see it right now.
Why? Check out the rest of this post from The Social Freelancer ™>>> Read more…

Top 20 Signs you’ve been in television (or film production) business too long…

20. Your dining room is set up for 3-point lighting.
19. Your date says to pick her up in 45 minutes and you wonder if she meant drop-frame or non-drop-frame
18. You replaced your trusty hemostat with a lavaliere clip.
17. Your family videos are preceded by :30 bars and tone.
16. You run into a guy who says he’s gonna shoot the Governor and you remind him to get some good B-roll.
15. The photography on the 6:00 news makes you laugh.
Read more…