14 days to 40k
Well I think I have some news so this will now be a weekly update, possibly more. I’d like to talk about this early in hopes that one, writing helps manifests it and two, documenting this process shares what I learn or at the very least it’s an entertaining read as I crash and burn in real time. Also wanted to note with any freelance opportunity there’s a chance this project gets canceled or shelved.
Now let us manifest: “I want to bid on this project and win it.”
First some back story. I haven’t been on set since October. I’ve had a few remote editing jobs which helped me stay afloat but I need to hit Q1 hard. I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection during this time and talking to people to get their advice. I’ve learned quite a lot through writing and these conversations. Also from just listening in rooms on Clubhouse as well. That said there is still a long to-do list of things I’ve put off while spending time with my family. I also procrastinated on sending cold emails which sucks because now everyone is on vacation and its unlikely I’ll get to speak to anyone.
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Ok - actually while writing this I sent an email out that I’ve been procrastinating on for weeks. The person replied. He and his company work on projects starting at ~200k, (mentioning this # will make sense later). And we’re speaking tomorrow. Wild. Shoot your shot people!
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Yesterday I didn’t have anything lined up for January. I’ve been thinking about when to start the self promo asking for work and perhaps I’ve waited too long. I think in general work conversations might be put on hold until January. That makes me nervous. Did everyone book their first two weeks of January already? What am I doing watching The Flight Attendant in one sitting? Is there a good time to reach out to my clients for referrals? What am I going to do? Then I remembered over the last few weeks while not working I still did get hit up for jobs here and there. I should have faith they will continue in January. Also I have to remember getting work requires me to be active. Can’t just wait for opportunities to come my way.
That said, today I was given a heads up about a commercial project. By far the biggest budget I’ve worked with - $40k. That might sound like a lot of money, and it is, but it’s not just for me. I’m hoping to win this bid as a production partner not just as a director. This means I will be responsible (along with a great producer) for allocating the budget properly to bring this project to life. A small portion of the budget will go to my company and a portion will go to me depending on what role I play and the rest will be allocated throughout the roles I need to hire. One great lesson I’ve learned this year is you need to charge on top of your cost of goods sold otherwise you won’t be in business very long. Cost of goods sold can include the crew like a camera operator, gaffer, art director, assistant director, talent, etc. It also includes my time in pre production and any editors or post production folks I’ll need to hire.
Money is not the only reason I want to win this project. It is more complex and requires leading a group of people to a singular goal in a short period of time. Most of my projects last year were 1-3 people max. Now I’ll be working with crew of 4-5 and some talent. Generally I’ve worked directly with clients. Now I’ll be working with the client by proxy through an agency. This is experience I really want to get because this is how it generally works in the industry for large projects. And finally the deliverables and case study will help set me up for more work throughout the year.
So far I have minimal details but I generally know the timeline and the 5th or the 6th is when they’d decide who to award the business. There’s a few things I think I’ll need to do:
Put together a reel of this year’s work (was working on this anyway)
Set up a landing page for my company that’s separate from my personal page (was in the works but speeding it up and paring it down so it’s ready sooner)
Start talking to potential crew members (unsure about this one but want to gauge availability sooner)
Prepare a bid / deck / proposal / treatment
I’ve gone through these steps with smaller numbers and less people. I want to over prepare because this feels like a level up opportunity. Completing this project and doing it well will help me establish a strong team, a good working relationship with a client, and help me learn how to be a better leader.
Anyway that’s all for now. I’ll share more as this develops and I prepare, probably on Monday evenings.