Tag Archives: Freelance

A case for being let go

I’ve been laid off (or straight up fired) four FIVE times. It’s always worked out for the best.


The first time I was fired I was 22 years old. I had recently graduated from college on the east coast and moved out to the Bay Area for big adventure and a change of scenery. I pretty quickly landed a job as an assistant to the executive director of Pocket Opera – a tiny non-profit theater company in San Francisco. My job was to answer phones, order supplies, maintain various databases, stuff envelopes, and, my favorite task, organize the costume closet. (I’m being 100% serious. I love organizing. I even made a side business for professional organizing back in the day.)

I remember one assignment that had me especially jazzed. I was to create a program for an upcoming performance using software I had never used before. I don’t remember if I admitted I had never used it before, but I do remember forging ahead, relishing in the opportunity to do something creative. I’m certain the program was awful. And I’m also pretty certain I was slacking on my other duties while getting lost in this much more interesting creative pursuit. 

The details here are a bit fuzzy, but around this time, the executive director called me into her office and told me to pack up my stuff and get out – immediately. She must have said some other stuff to me about why she was letting me go, but all I really remember is her saying that my final check would come in the mail within two weeks. There was no real discussion, no severance. Just LEAVE. As my dad would say –

“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.” 

I was shocked and pretty devastated. I had always been a good student, even a teacher’s pet. I wasn’t someone who could get FIRED!? I gathered my things and left – and ran to call my parents (on a pay phone – ha!) to tell them about the injustice that had just been done to me. They were supportive, as they always are in a crisis, and assured me this was not the last job I would ever have. They told me it just wasn’t a good fit and that I would be ok. 

What followed was a year or so of temp work at various San Francisco offices until I landed a waitressing job at a new Italian restaurant in the Castro. I had never waitressed before, but I cobbled together a (mostly fake) resume saying that stocking shelves and helping out in the bakery at my parents’ fancy hometown supermarket was, in fact, a waitressing gig. They bought it. And after just a couple days of training, the restaurant opened and I took my first shifts. 

loved this job. It was social, the days (and nights) flew by, the schedule suited my night-owl tendencies. The chef cooked tasty family meals for the waitstaff before our shifts, the tips were great, and I adored my colleagues. And despite my lack of experience, I actually turned out to be a pretty good waitress. 

BUT, what I didn’t know at 23 years old was how volatile the restaurant industry is. The flood of excitement around the new restaurant started to wear off and patronage dwindled. The executive chef turned his attention to another restaurant he was opening and left the sous chefs to execute his dishes in his absence. (They weren’t as good.) The wait staff was let go one by one, until the only one left was the cousin of the owner. And that was not me. 

The difficulty of losing this job was different from the last time because it wasn’t only my bank account that was taking a hit – it was my social life. My colleagues had become good friends and we hung out together almost every night. But the only thing we really had in common was this job, so we quickly lost touch. I was sad and lonely, and I hadn’t saved up much money at all (mostly just wads of cash tips I stored in my dresser.) 

I went back to temping and eventually decided to apply to grad school, which provided a long stretch of stability (and a whole lot of debt.) 


The third time I was let go was in 2006. After getting my master’s degree and then struggling to find a foothold in public radio (I’ll share that story another time), I took a full-time job as an audio producer on the creative team at a Silicon Valley start up called Tellme Networks. It wasn’t journalistic by any means, but it paid well ($60K/year which to me was a fortune) and, like I said, I had a lot of debt. The first couple years were great. I saved a ton of money, paid off my debts, made a lot of new work friends, learned a whole new industry, got really fast at Pro-tools, and generally enjoyed getting to know this strange world of Silicon Valley startups. (Read this if you want to get a sense of what it was like.) But as time passed, I started to get antsy. 

Due to ongoing restructuring, my manager changed three times in a year – from the best boss I ever had, to a boss who didn’t want to be a boss, to a boss I straight up clashed with. (I get along with most people so this was notable.) I got tired of the CEO’s constant promises to go public and make us all rich, and the constant pivoting as the industry shifted, causing the powers-that-be to change their priorities. (Sound familiar?) I got tired of making products I didn’t use and didn’t care about. But how could I walk away from such a good salary? Instead I started to be a bad direct report.

I did my job, but I complained too much, I stopped being a team player, and I was, essentially, insubordinate with my manager. He would try (poorly) to communicate with me and get to the bottom of my dissatisfaction. He tried to find assignments for me that would both help the bottom line and hold my interest. None of it worked, and after three and half years, he fired me. 

I don’t remember the details of the conversation we had about it. I think he technically called it a layoff because I never had a bad review and I was the only female producer on the team and they wanted to avoid any hint of wrongdoing. I was given two weeks to clear out and two months of severance. I was a little surprised that they actually let me go, but I couldn’t really blame them under the circumstances. And once I had a chance to process what had happened, I recognized that they had released me from my golden handcuffs. 


The last time I was laid off was in 2018. I was part of a story you might have heard bits and pieces of in the hilarious (and true) podcast, Shameless Acquisition Target. Here’s the short version. The podcast company I was working for somewhat suddenly decided they no longer wanted to make podcasts. Instead they wanted to focus on podcast distribution and ad sales. So they laid off me and about 15 of my content-focused colleagues. There had been a lot of speculation after many business pivots and a general lack of clarity around the direction of the company. But it was still a shock. Again I don’t remember the details of our exit (this seems to be a pattern with me). I do remember very quickly being offered a new opportunity with what was to become Pushkin, and starting the whole process all over again. Another ride on the podcast industry roller coaster.


I admit that willingly exiting that Pushkin ride about six months ago was in part a desire to control my own destiny. I didn’t want my future to be determined by any boss other than myself, or to be at the whim of other people’s business decisions. But I also saw the writing on the wall. Not that I knew the layoffs would happen – I truly didn’t think they would. But I could see a repeating pattern, both at the company (a lack of clarity of vision, shifting and conflicting priorities, lots of closed-door meetings) and in myself (an awareness that I wasn’t doing my best work, an antsy feeling, a sense of exhaustion and ongoing frustration with things as they are, and a hopelessness that they’ll ever improve.) I felt a classic case of burnout. So I left, before they asked me to leave. 

Note: I left with the privilege of being on my husband’s health insurance… not to mention the privilege of being white and middle class.

Now, as I reflect on all the jobs I’ve left – or been asked to leave – I realize I don’t have a single regret. Each of these jobs served a specific purpose at a specific place and time. Each of them taught me something (often something about what I didn’t want). And each of them came to an end at exactly the right time, even if I didn’t realize it then. 

Of course I don’t want to make light of the very real and very scary loss of income and stability and health insurance and camaraderie and so many other things that come with losing a job, especially not by choice. I just want to offer up the possibility that in the grand scheme of things, it’s for the best. Businesses that do layoffs (especially big layoffs) have made big mistakes. They reek of tension and stress that permeates to the whole staff. If you’ve been laid off or fired, that organization doesn’t know how to use your talents. It’s Not. A. Good. Fit. And while I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights after losing a job when I felt like I’d never work again, that I’d somehow failed at my last great opportunity, I know in my heart that isn’t true. So I offer you this:

Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next week – but you will, eventually, find a position where you are more valued, more respected, more appreciated, more included, possibly better paid, better treated, and ultimately happier. 

And in the meantime, hang in there. Take a walk. Call a friend. Make some cookies. Read for fun. I’m here if you want to chat. 

Leave a comment


More FC business. I’m working through figuring out the best channels to share various things. 

Substack feels best for essays and overly-long missives. I’ll try to make them useful. 

Twitter (ugh) feels best for sharing new opportunities and resources, mainly in the form of retweets but I’ll try to dig up some original material. 

The FC website mainly feels like an archive, though I’ll continue to log these posts there as well, and I’m thinking about how to organize a more static set of freelance/public media resources.

I haven’t yet touched the FC Facebook page… is anyone even still over there?

LinkedIn feels like a good place to engage, but I haven’t quite figured out how yet, beyond just sharing the existence of FC. I’ll keep working on it. 

As always I’m eager for your comments and feedback, and of course any resources or job opportunities you’d like to share. The Cafe only works if we’re in it together. ☕️

Grand Re-opening of Freelance Cafe

Well hello FC. It’s been a minute. It’s been nearly three years since I announced I was shutting down the newsletter. It’s been four + years since I posted here with any regularity. And it’s been nearly eight years since I last freelanced. A lot has changed since then.

There are two notable events that inspired me to get back into your feeds.

First, about six months ago, I left my full time job. I intended to freelance for short time and then go on a year-long fellowship. I was very confident in this plan… so confident, in fact, that after lining up one steady freelance gig and turning in my fellowship application, I didn’t pursue any other contracts or clients. I made it all the way to the last round of the fellowship process, and was ultimately rejected. Heartbreaker.

Second, the layoffs that have been happening across media hit very close to home this week. Pushkin Industries, a company I helped build, announced they were laying off 13 people – about 20% of the company. Many of them are people I recruited and worked with very closely. This is in addition to the six people who were laid off in January. It’s brutal. I had the luxury of leaving by choice, on my own terms. These colleagues didn’t, and my heart aches for them. They enter a shitty job market where so much of the public media industry is in turmoil. I want to support them. I don’t think any of them even know about this newsletter, but way back in 2007 when I started this, it served as a lifeline for me. It was a way to learn about potential opportunities and resources and share them with others… and a means to feel just a little bit more connected to the freelance community. I sincerely hope these colleagues find full time work as soon as humanly possible. I know many of them need health insurance and the other securities that come with traditional employment. And if you are a hiring manager and someone from Pushkin applies for your position. HIRE THEM, without hesitation. But in the meantime, I want to do my small part to help them and the many others who’ve lost their jobs recently, and I want to reengage with the many of you who’ve chosen the freelance life on purpose. I’ve missed you! I run into you from time to time and I always love reminiscing about the meetups at Pacific Coast Brewery in Oakland back in the day. And I’m again grateful for the loose online community that was my lifeline during those many years of contract work. I’m very happy to be back in touch.

A few bits of business to kick things off.

First, my website is a mess. When I tried to send this message earlier this week, I found the site completely corrupted and unusable. My dear freelancing friend Joey got it up and running for me. 🙏🙏 But the plugins and everything else about it are woefully out of date. I’m not even sure how/if this post will reach you without a direct link. (It used to automatically post to Twitter, Facebook, and email. There was no substack back then and I’m pretty sure that’s all broken now. I’ll work on it.)

Second, there are so many new (and not so new) brilliant resources for public media freelancers and I will do my best to boost those. My two favorites for audio have not changed: Airmedia.org and Transom.org. One new resource which consistently blows me away is this monthly newsletter created by London-based audio producer Talia Augustidis. It’s an amazing compilation and you should subscribe immediately.

Finally, I’m planning a media makers meet up in the Hudson Valley the first week in July and I’d love to see you if you’re in this area and would like to join. Reach out directly for details.

That’s it for now, FC. Stay tuned for website cleanup and other updates. If you’ve been laid off, I’m so very sorry for what you’re going through. If you know me and want to talk, I’m here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you know someone who could benefit from this newsletter, please share it. I’m happy to be back in your feeds.

Knight Fellowships Freelance Conference at Stanford

Could there BE a more appropriate conference for FC? Check it out! -mia

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Dear Journalist, I’m writing because I think you may be interested in attending a special workshop at Stanford on June 18-19. It’s a two day conference called The Future of Freelancing: Redefining Journalism, Reinventing Yourself, produced by the John S. Knight Fellowships program.

General registration opens this Friday, April 16. This is a one-of-a-kind conference, open to just 100 experienced journalists. Editors from the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Esquire, Mother Jones, AOL, the Bay Area News Project and many other traditional and online outlets will talk about their publications, freelance opportunities and the evolution of the craft. The first 40 writers to register will have the chance to meet one-on-one with an editor.

I’ve organized this as part of my Knight Fellowship and am happy to answer any questions you may have. I’ve put more information below.

Thanks so much for your time.

Christine Larson Knight Fellow 2009-2010 Conference Director, The Future of Freelancing Email: freelance@lists.stanford.edu Twitter: LarsonWrites

The Future of Freelancing: Redefining Journalism. Reinventing Yourself. June 18-19, 2010 Stanford University

Independent journalists are taking on a more vital and visible role in informing the public and reinvigorating the profession. The Future of Freelancing conference helps experienced journalists explore their evolving careers and stay inspired to do their best work. Registration Opens

April 9: Members of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, or the Society for Professional Journalists.

April 16: Other experienced journalists To register, visit http://freelance.stanford.edu/

Keynote speaker David Granger will discuss the future of magazines, the media and what it means for writers.

Other speakers include: Daniel Zalewski, features editor, The New Yorker Sydney Trent, editor, Washington Post Mark Robinson, senior editor, Wired Clara Jeffery, editor, Mother Jones Jonathan Weber, editor-in-chief, Bay Area News Project Marcia Parker, West Coast Director, AOL’s Patch.com

The first 40 writers to register will qualify for a one-on-one meeting with an editor, assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration opens April 9 for ASJA members, SPJ Northern California members, and current or former Knight fellows; April 16 for the general public.

Sponsored by the John S. Knight Fellowships for Professional Journalists, the American Society for Journalists and Authors (ASJA), ASJA Northern California, and The Society for Professional Journalists Northern California Chapter.

For more information, visit http://freelance.stanford.edu/ or e-mail freelance@lists.stanford.edu.

The Sad Ocurrence

News writers are in a helluva fix. Despite spanking brand new news websites, micro-local blogging and dedicated journalism programs trying to figure out how to attract and retain readers, the future is bleak for writers. For it is a future which includes diminishing career prospects.

The fundamental nature of the paid writing career is being turned upside down with these emerging business models. That’s because none of them effectively address the issue of paying writers a living wage. Almost non existent in most of these new programs is any opportunity for advancement within the company or organization.

The labor is cheap for news sites and organizations. The unions are weak and there are few pennies being thrown to writers.

For most writers the future is freelance. The future is without benefits. The future is pay based on how many people click your story. The future is you get your $50 per story, shoot art for that story, hyperlink like mad, and get happy.

The ongoing changes have been fast and furious for writers. Besides layoffs at newspapers, periodicals and other news organizations, writers have had to grapple with learning new technology all the while finding that there are fewer outlets for their work.

Back in the day, journalism was one of the few stable careers that paid writers. Once the work of the blue collar set, by the late 70s journalism had been embraced as a career choice for college graduates. By the late 90s, it was very rare to find a journalist who had not attended university.

And while the pay was always low, at many places there was a nurturing of talent, some advancement opportunity, and the pride of covering your community and feeling like you were part of something larger. It was a career and a community. If I met a reporter from Miami, or Iowa, or Bakersfield, I felt a kinship with that beat reporter or editor.

That’s all over. From my vantage point, you’d be a straight up and down psycho to want to get into news reporting if you’re a young pup. Where’s the payoff? Yeah you got 250 to read your story (if you’re lucky), but you’re still ass broke with huge college loans. What happens when you reach your 40s and you want to settle down and buy a house?

There will always be news organizations like the NY Times that can scrape up the cream young journalists and pay them a nice salary. But, the majority of original reporting is done at the local level and I can guarantee you that unless new programs invest and nurture their talent, there will soon be a steep decline in news quality.

Locally, the Bay Area News Project seems like it will pay a living wage and that is very good. But that project is very much the exception. Right now the Baby Boomers are retiring and the Gen Xers are fleeing journalism fast as they can.

Jennifer Inez Ward

oaklandscene.blogspot.com/

CPA Workshop, Tuesday, Jan 12, 6:30pm, SF

Hey folks. Back by popular demand, we’re holding our CPA workshop again this year. Details below. -mia

Please Join us for a workshop with Jason Stallcup, CPA. Jason specializes in tax help for small businesses and freelancers. In fact, he’s known as the “freelance CPA”. Jason was a big hit last year, and has generously agreed to answer all our tax questions once again this year!

What: A free talk presented by Jason Stallcup, CPA http://www.jasoncpa.com/

When: Tuesday, January 12th 6:30PM

Where: Sandbox Suites http://www.sandboxsuites.com/, 123 10th Street, San Francisco

Hope to see you there for some great tax advice!

FreelanceFolder is Looking For Writers

Hey folks. I’ve been reading this blog for awhile and it definitely speaks to me. Perhaps there’s some work in it for some of you writers? -Mia ______________________________

FreelanceFolder is Looking For Writers! via FreelanceFolder http://freelancefolder.com by Mason Hipp on 10/29/09

Are you an avid FreelanceFolder reader or someone who has always wanted to write for an audience of freelancers? Are you a top professional in your field with unique skills and the ability to write? Have you been freelancing for so long that you just have plenty of wisdom to share?

If any of that describes you, or if you just want to write for FreelanceFolder — then now is your chance. We are looking to expand our core FreelanceFolder team, and we are ready to hire two new paid writers on a long-term basis. Here’s what’s in it for you:

– Payment for every article written. – Exposure to an audience of over 20k subscribers. – Author by-line and photo on everything you write. – Become a part of our team and help a lot of freelancers.

If you’re interested in applying to write for us, you can find all of the requirements and instructions after the read more link. Job Requirements

So you’ve decided that you want to write for FreelanceFolder — that’s awesome.

Before you send us an application, though, make sure to check out the requirements below to see if you’re a good fit for the job. Here’s what we’re looking for in our new writers:

– *Excellent Spelling & Grammar.* We do edit all of the posts that get published, but you need to have really great spelling and grammar so that it’s not too difficult for our editors. – *Long-Term Commitment.* Some of our writers have been with us for over a year — and that’s how we like it. This could be a very stable income for you if the fit is right, so make sure you can write at least 4 articles per month and are committed to helping out over the long-term. – *Practical & Valuable Writing.* We want to provide the best possible content for freelancers, so we’re looking for authors who are comfortable writing practical, hands-on, concrete stuff. We’re looking for tutorials, how-tos, and other *really useful* articles. – *Basic HTML and Image Editing Skill.* Most of the posts you’ll be writing will require some basic HTML (like headlines, lists, etc…) and basic image editing skills. It will be really helpful if you have these already, though we can teach them pretty easily. – *Unique Ideas and Information.* A big part of having great content is coming up with great ideas for articles or content that aren’t written about everywhere. We’re looking for authors who can think ahead of the crowd and write articles that are new, unique, and exclusive to FreelanceFolder.

How To Apply

If you’re interested in applying, just send us a message using this contact form http://freelancefolder.com/contact/. In the subject line, put “Writer Application” and then in the body of your message include the following information:

1. Why do you want to write for FreelanceFolder? 2. Where can we see examples of your previous work? 3. Do you meet all of our above requirements? Why or why not? 4. How much do you charge for an 800-1200 word article with lots of usable information and detail? 5. Can you write How-Tos and Tutorials? 6. Do you have a specific topic or specialty you’d like to write about? 7. Any questions for us?

Apply to be a FreelanceFolder writer → http://freelancefolder.com/contact/

We’re all looking forward to expanding our team, and I’m really excited to start working with some of you. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will definitely be in touch shortly!

a question for print freelancers

Hey folks. This is from a colleague of mine in Philly. If any of you print folks have a minute to drop her a line, I would really appreciate it! Thx, Mia

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Hello print freelancers!

I have a favor to ask–I am a student in a master’s program at the J School at Temple University and am currently taking my Comm Law requirement. For one of my assignments I am reviewing and analyzing a freelance copyright case from 2001 (New York Times v. Tasini). I am looking to talk to someone who has an opinion about the impact of the Court’s decision–whether good or bad–and has been affected by the decision.

In short, believe it or not, Wikipedia sums the decision up pretty well: ” New York Times Co. v. Tasini , is a leading decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of copyright in the contents of a newspaper database. It held that The New York Times , in licensing back issues of the newspaper for inclusion in electronic databases such as LexisNexis, could not license the works of free-lance journalists contained in the newspapers.”

I’d be happy to talk to someone by e-mail or phone. My assignment is due next week, so if you’re interested, please contact me by next Tuesday, October 27, at the latest.

Thank you!

Tori Indivero
tori.indivero@gmail.com
610.316.0745

CPA workshop

We had our first official workshop Tuesday night – a tax presentation and Q & A with freelance CPA Jason Stallcup. It wasn’t a huge crowd – about 15 people – but I have to say I’m thrilled with how it went. Jason did a fantastic job of presenting tax information in an interesting, informative, and accessible way. The workshop attendees were totally engaged, asking lots of questions. And the location – Sandbox Suites (owned and run by another freelancer on the list) was perfect. But most importantly it was an example of the Freelance Cafe group working. It was a presentation for freelancers, by a freelancer, hosted at a co-working space owned by a freelancer. Love it. I hope this will be the first of many events like this one.

And if you need help with your taxes – call Jason!

Jason Stallcup, CPA
415-215-0639.
jason@jasoncpa.com

Also, if you’re looking for a workspace, check these guys out.

Sandbox Suites

123 10th Street, SF
info@sandboxsuites.com
p: 415-659-8197

it has a name…

So apparently my idea is called “co-working” and it’s not a unique idea by far.

Dave Gilson sent me this BusinessWeek.com article about “co-working facilities” popping up all over the place. I’ve logged some of them in previous posts, but there are a number of new ones that opened in 2006.

There’s even a coworking wiki to help coordinate people and coworking facilities across the country and abroad. But there’s still not one in Oakland.

Also check out this slide show of alternative work spaces connected with the article.

NYC Writer’s Room

Rob Gunnison put me in touch with Doug Merlino – a fellow j-school grad who is now working as a writer in NYC. He works out of a place called the Writer’s Room. It’s been around since 1978 and was founded to create an affordable workspace for writers of all kinds.

Here’s what Doug says about it.

“I love the place I work… Basically, you apply for membership and, assuming you are accepted (you send them a resume and some references), it costs $100 a month to work there. It’s basically a big room with cubicles and a separate kitchen and phone area. You keep your stuff in a locker and, when you come in, grab a place that’s free to work.”

He also told me about another similar place called The Paragraph. This place was founded by two women who wanted to create a work environment similar to what they had in grad school. YES! Their space is gorgeous – I need to find out how they funded it. They also do special events, round tables, etc.

And here’s yet ANOTHER one in Tribeca – The Village Quill. Apparently the waiting lists for these places get so long they have to keep opening new ones.

Finally – Doug pointed me to this NYT article that basically proves the value of these kinds of work spaces. So very encouraging.