So, I was on Facebook yesterday and someone, who shall remain nameless, was looking for a interview researcher. I thought this looked interesting so, I contacted them.
They explained what the duties were and I thought this would be a cakewalk as I also interview celebrities.
I asked about pay.
Big mistake.
See, I write for places that pay by hits. They pay by sending me flicks that I watch and then sell online. In a way they all pay.
This person said that no sites pay.
I corrected them.
They said it was all about the networking.
While that is partly true, it is not the end all and be all of writing.
Then they thought they would show me their mad skills and credentials by saying they have been doing this for the last five years.
I've been doing this since 1988.
They seemed to cop an attitude so, I politely ended the conversation and removed them from my friends list.
The last thing I thought was funny is that they Googled me while we were in mid chat and said they couldn't find me.
Funny, I can Google me and there are multiple hits for me on the first page.
I think Harlan Ellison said it best when he said you have to keep track of everything you write. It's yours and you did the work. Yes, I do write for free and on spec, but I rarely do it for some anonymous face on Facebook.
I think I need some coffee.
You did the right thing. I recently refused a commercial magazine who shall remain nameless that wanted me to write about Hammer for free. Don't mind writing for free for friends, buddies and fanzines. Not for commercial ventures.
ReplyDeleteMind you, I have yet to see big (or even: mediocre) money from any film related writing. The only gigs that had the decency to pay really well were all non-film related, primarily mock exams for German junior and leaving certs.
Incidentally, don't trust the Google results. I google myself, I get lots of me. A friend who googled me, got lots of anything else but me. Google changes the results depending on who you are and what you generally search for. No single person gets exactly the same Google results as anyone else.