mediaville Montreal

This past weekend, eight young freelancers joined me for a workshop (my first!) on how to achieve success as a freelance media professional, in English, in Montreal. Yes, it is possible!

It’s also crucial to the vibrancy of Quebec’s anglophone community, not only to tell the world our unique stories, but because a healthy creative class is such a crucial part of the modern economy. Freelancers are free-thinkers and thought leaders. We matter. So, it’s plain to see how, collectively, many individual successes can add up to something far greater than the sum of our disparate, lone operations.

But I digress.

The key concepts covered in the workshop were:

• Start with the end in mind (proactivity)
• Freelancing is a business, not a pastime (professionalism)
• Do work that pays (“exposure” will kill you), but it isn’t just about money (balance)
• You may work independently, but you aren’t alone (collaboration)
• You are part of the wider community of English-language communicators (collectivism)
• Creative professionals are the voices of their community (creative potential)
• Part of being an effective communicator and a successful businessperson is being a thought leader (leadership)
• The best place to start writing is what you know, which naturally grows out of experiences with the people and places of your community (community awareness)
• Staying connected — and connecting others — with what’s happening at the community level (community engagement)

The eight participants had different backgrounds, were at different stages in life, and provided a range of services, from pharma communications to writing for the wedding industry to covering automotive sector. Some were in very technical fields and looking for creative outlets; others were creatives looking for high-paying corporate gigs. All wanted to know how to work independently while earning a living wage, without compromising their integrity or their quality of life. Most had their doubts about whether “having it all” was even possible.

Beyond business nitty-gritty — registering a company and sales tax numbers, basic accountancy, etc. — we delved into the importance of networking and tapping into the wisdom of crowds. In our case, the other freelancers in the room. Amid all the diversity, we discovered many shared interests — travel, social justice, music, etc., so each person was able to contribute insights that benefited the whole group.

For one of the activities, participants shared a topic they’d like to see published and the group provided suggestions on how to make it happen. It was amazing to see how quickly our tiny network could come up with creative solutions (“ghostblogging,” pitching to particular websites, and using lower-paying alternative publications as a stepping stone toward bigger, better clients) tailored to each participant’s needs.

The one area that wasn’t covered was time management — we ran out of time… Judging on how prevalent a problem this is among freelancers, perhaps an entire workshop dedicated to it would be appropriate.