Chapter 3: The Hammer Comes Down

The ongoing saga of creating a 19-video new employee orientation video for Major Retail Continues.

For those of you following along, it's been a drawn-out process of the client deciding how and when to proceed with the project.

In the interim, I, being a freelance writer/producer, took on many other projects. I have to work to get paid.

Now, all of a sudden, BigProdCo gets the green light from the client. BigProdCo immediately enters panic mode. They are pressing me for commitments to do the work. Now, I really want to produce this project. It's a major big deal, and a plum job for the resume.

But.

I don't care to be micromanaged. And I don't care to be bullied, pushed, or burdened with another's panicky angst.
I am here to serve the wants and needs of my clients, but there are limits.

BigProdCo floated out the idea of putting me on retainer. I rejected this. Why? Because nobody's ever happy in a retainer situation. The retained party often feels like they're working more than the agreed upon dollars cover. The retaining party never feels like they're getting their money's worth. So, I don't do retainers. Plus, it gives the client an unwelcome measure of control because they think if they're paying you, you should be working for them at all times. In reality, the retainer is just to keep you available for when there is work to be done.

Long story short, I committed to writing and producing the first of 19 videos, with every intention of writing and producing them all.

The Maven asked, "Well how do I know you're really committed. The stakes are very high." My response was something to the effect of, "I've been in this business for 12 years. I've completed on time every project to which I've ever committed."

Next, the Maven asks what I'm going to do if I get other project opportunities from any of my other clients. I said that I'd let BigProdCo know if anything came up. That's it. I'd let them know.

See, how it works is that it's first-come, first-served. I work projects in as time permits. And the nature of this big video project is that it will have periods of intense activity, and periods of intense quiet. In those quiet periods, I will take on other work. I have to.

But Maven spun this exchange off as me giving BigProdCo "right of first refusal." This is an outright lie. When I read this statement in an email, I became irate. I almost called up the Maven to let her have it. But, I managed to put a lid on my emotions. I decided not to address this inaccuracy right now. But, I did decide to document it here on the blog.

Right or wrong? I don't know. Bottom line, I did not grant BigProdCo right-of-first-refusal. So I don't owe it them.

The lesson here, be careful in your dealings. Document everything, especially when things get weird.

Parting shot, my title of the job is "Supervising Producer." Sadly, I'm rarely consulted on any supervisory decisions such as budgets, casting, crewing, scheduling. It's extremely disappointing and counter-productive. If my BigProdCo had any adept producers, it would be OK. I would trust them to make the right decisions. But they don't, and I don't.

Thanks for reading, if you've made it this far. I'll have more and better posts later.