Greetings, freelancers! Here’s what’s going on in SPJ’s Freelance Community in the next few months.
We hope you’ll join us in our Chat Room this Wednesday, April 26, for a discussion of rights clauses in freelance journalists’ contracts. We’ll have some sample contract clauses to share, and look forward to hearing about your recent experiences. We’ll be online from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday – go to www.spj.org/freelance.asp and click on the Chat Room graphic to enter. You don’t need to log on – just give yourself a nickname for the chat and click the green Start button.
On the local level, three SPJ chapters will hold freelance events in May.
- SPJ Cincinnati is teaming up with the Graydon law firm to host a luncheon on May 3 to discuss “Legal Issues Around Being a Freelancer.” More information is at http://cincyspj.blogspot.com/2017/04/attention-freelancers-quarterly.html.
- On May 6, SPJ Georgia will sponsor a Freelance Fair, with publications from Metro Atlanta that are looking for writers, photographers, and other talented journalists. Sign up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/608151289368959/.
- The D.C. Pro chapter’s monthly freelancers’ lunch will be held May 16 at the National Press Club. RSVP to Stephenie Overman, saoverman@gmail.com.
Not in Cincy, Atlanta, or D.C. but wishing you could attend a freelance event? Let us know, and we’ll help you set one up!
Several SPJ freelancers will be attending the Collaborative Journalism Summit sponsored by Montclair (N.J.) State University May 4-5. If you are also planning to be there, please let me know so we can connect. I’ll report next month on what I learn there.
Registration is now open for Excellence in Journalism (EIJ17), the big journalism conference that will be held in Anaheim, Calif., September 7-9. Joining SPJ this year for EIJ are the Radio Television Digital News Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and Native American Journalists Association. For more information, go to http://excellenceinjournalism.org/.
Are you listed in the SPJ Freelancer Directory? If so, when was the last time you refreshed your listing? Due to some new programming on the SPJ website, it’s a good idea to review your profile and make sure the information is up to date. While you’re at it, add some new clips! Some of us created our Directory profiles many years ago and haven’t edited them since. Stale work samples can turn prospective clients off, so see if you can find something fresh to link to.
If you have topics to discuss with other freelancers, feel free to join our Facebook group, where we now have 565 members. And, watch for our updates on Twitter @SPJFreelance. Finally, let me know if you have something on your mind that you don’t want to share in those places.
Happy freelancing!
