Tony Greenway is a freelance journalist, editor and copywriter. He writes features for national and regional magazines, newspapers and websites. His speciality is lifestyle and business features.
I've been a freelancer for 17 years and 2009 was the hardest year I can remember. Thanks to advertising falling off a cliff, some of the magazines I regularly contributed to either folded or took work back ‘in-house’ to cut costs. So my wish for 2010 is that it's going to be nothing like 2009!
I think there are already signs that things are improving, which is encouraging. Freelance budgets are beginning to creep up again, in some markets at least. But as complacency is the enemy of a freelancer, especially in the current climate, as a priority, I'm trying to be more pro-active and break into new territories.
Charlie Bluett is a freelance special effects artist, specialising in animatronics, model making, conceptual art, make-up and 3D Design. He has produced special effects for television, film, music videos and theme parks.
Having spent the last year in Asia, and avoiding most of the recession, my return home to London was a big shock for me in terms of my career as a freelancer.
Being out of the country for so long I made the mistake of losing contact with many of my clients. I have also noticed many production companies have disappeared or restricted if not altogether stopped many projects.
For the first time in 10 years as a truly independent freelancer, I am now signing up with a talent agency in the hope of finding a new, wider range of clients. Being freelance it is always very important to have more than one skill because, at times, my primary skill has taken a second place to whatever project brings in the money. With this in mind, I am planning to train in other skills and mediums, am keeping my options open and hope to widen my potential market.
Jim Callender is a freelance Web designer and developer, specialising in Web architecture, strategy, branding and promotion. He also trains individuals and teams in Web design, coding and applications.
Here at Callender Creates, we are looking at ‘white-labelling’ in 2010 in order to highlight to prospective clients our most popular product offerings from last year. We plan to bid for contracts for the London Olympic Games in 2012, and will continue to pitch to local authorities.
Among our priorities is keeping costs low – one of the main benefits of being a small Web design and development agency. This ties in with our vision for 2010 – to move and respond quickly to clients’ needs and requirements, while embracing new technology.
Client companies can, in the main, no longer keep up with the pace of new products, services and how their customers are now searching for information on the web. It's our job to bring the important aspects that matter to a client to the table, and aim to always meet the needs and requirements of their customers when using their web sites. Increased sharing of important information with clients will also be a key issue in 2010.
Barbara Chandler is a freelance writer on design and interiors for regional newspapers and national magazines. She is also an award-winning photographer.
In 2010, I want to see an upping in the number of home and property adverts so that my section ‘Homes & Property’ in the Evening Standard can gently swell again, creating more editorial pages for my subject.
A more professional payment system from some magazines is also long overdue. Personally, I have invested in a new computer and a laptop, both of which will be instrumental for an electronic filing system for my extensive portfolio of photographs.
Which brings me to my next priority – a book of my London photographs, which is also aimed at letting me showcase my work more quickly.
Feb 4, 2010
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