Saying A Big Shaming "Fuck You" To The Economy Of Free And Big Companies Trying To Hop On
There's a story in Adweek by David Griner, "Meet the Hero Designer Who Publicly Shamed Showtime for Asking Him to Work for Free -- How Dan Cassaro's tweet became a rallying cry."
Well, I think people are still lining up to work for free, but I do like that he did this.
Griner:
When Showtime invited Dan Cassaro to join a design "contest" he felt amounted to milking professionals for free work, he let the network--and the world--know how he felt about it.The offer, made to a number of designers, involved promoting the Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana boxing match on Sept. 13. Those who submitted designs for Showtime's use "could be eligible for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas and have your artwork displayed in the MGM Grand during fight week!," the network told Cassaro in an email.
After sending an email response slathered in sarcasm ("I know that boxing matches in Las Vegas are extremely low-budget affairs"), Cassaro then posted the exchange to Twitter.
It starts, "It is with great sadness that I must decline your enticing offer to work for you for free. I know that boxing matches in Las Vegas are extremely low-budget affairs..."
More from Griner:
In the week since, Cassaro's tweet has become a viral rallying cry for creatives who feel besieged by expectations of free work. It has more than 5,000 retweets and 5,600 favorites, and has become one of the topic's most electrifying moments since Mike Monteiro's "Fuck You Pay Me" speech in 2011.
Griner interviews Cassaro at the Adweek link about what he wrote. One bit:
Has Showtime responded directly to you?
They wrote me a short and very polite email. Honestly, it's less about Showtime and more about these hack crowdsourcing campaigns that certain agencies are selling to them. There are lots of folks doing very cool things with user-generated content, but to ask professionals to compete against each other for potential "exposure" is completely different. It's demeaning, and it lowers the value of everyone's work.
Good for him! If Showtime is following bad advice, then they've been schooled. It's just a next gen of the something for nothing mentality which has so many people working for years in unpaid internships, for the hopes of someday getting a paid position. If you are valued and they have money, they will pay you.
Samm at August 20, 2014 1:17 PM
LOVE this.
And lest anyone say, "Oh, they're just trying to promote their contest and inviting people to compete!" My designer friends get several (if not more) emails just like this (word for word) every day. Often, the subject lines say something like "Work opportunity" or "Want to work for [big name company]?" or something misleading to get them to open it.
When you're a freelancer/self-employed, checking emails is part of your job, and crap like this drains your time. Plus, even if you don't win, the company gets to keep what you submitted and use it for free (and they often do).
If a company wants to do a contest like this, fine, but advertize it on your website, Tweet about it, pay Facebook to advertise it, put it in your newsletter and send it to subscribers. Don't send targeted emails to working people in thinly-veiled attempts to get something for free or cheap.
sofar at August 20, 2014 1:26 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/saying-a-big-sh.html#comment-4959721">comment from sofarI just fucking love when people suggest I -- at 50, a newspaper columnist and publisher author -- write for the "exposure."
If I want "exposure," I'll tear off my bra and jog down Wilshire Boulevard.
Amy Alkon
at August 20, 2014 1:42 PM
Amy,
Just when and where please.
Bob
Bob in Texas at August 20, 2014 4:51 PM
If I want "exposure," I'll tear off my bra and jog down Wilshire Boulevard.
With purple feather boa flying along behind you no doubt!
Charles at August 20, 2014 5:04 PM
And now, of course, the NFL wants artists to PAY for the privilege of performing at halftime of the Super Bowl. And they will be lining up to do so.
Mike at August 21, 2014 7:49 AM
You know what's demeaning? getting people to pay you for the opportunity to perform.
See: NFL's Super Bowl half time show.
This reminds me of an old saying, it's morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money. No one takes advantage of you unless you let them. Or they drug you, or put a gun to your head. But that's generally a crime.
If I want "exposure," I'll tear off my bra and jog down Wilshire Boulevard.
I'll bring my camera and volunteer to take all the photos you want. For free.
Wut?
I R A Darth Aggie at August 21, 2014 7:56 AM
> And they will be lining up to do so.
Well, they've already had McCartney and Beyonce and every big name who's still alive. I mean...
I guess this is bragging like the snob that I am: Some years I watch it and most years I don't, but the name of the performer is almost always well-known during the week of the event itself...
And it means essentially nothing to my musical or entertainment fulfillment for the year. Have you ever been truly moved by anything on there?
At this point, they'd have to bring back Jimi Hendrix to accompany a new suite from Stravinsky, with Elvis as a warm-up.
Young kids don't care about music delivered through platforms like that anyway... Why not sell it to the highest bidder? What would anyone lose?
You want entertainment?
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 21, 2014 6:14 PM
Leave a comment