Freelance Corner

Introducing The Productive: A New Kind of Workspace

April 16, 2012
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Introducing The Productive: A New Kind of Workspace

With the rise of freelance in the workforce, has come a need for a new kind of workspace; a workspace that operates and can look like your typical office environment, but within which everyone works independently of one another.   These shared spaces are part of a new phenomenon called coworking.  The idea behind it is simple; Independent professionals need a place to work.  Now freelance professionals can work in a home office, rent office space, or become a member of a communal working space – aka the coworking studio. Coworking studios often offer many of the amenities you’d expect from a typical office environment: a desk to work on, a shared kitchen and bathroom, access to a printer and conference room, and access to the internet.  What they also offer is a chance to work around like-minded individuals, fostering growth and creativity by encouraging networking and collaboration between members.  It’s a chance to work away from the distractions that working at home can entail, and simply put – a way to be around people again.  Some also offer education classes and dedicated desks, as well as mail service and locker rental. Over the last five years, many coworking studios...

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Steven Zelin Talks Taxes

February 20, 2012
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Steven Zelin Talks Taxes

It’s not often you are treated to live music at an ASIFA-East event, and it makes it doubly special that our special guest was not only a talented song-writer but a fully certified CPA at that!  Introducing, Steven Zelin, the Singing CPA!  Steven has been speaking and singing at our annual Taxes for Artists for three years running now. Steven is a certified public accountant with a unique gift for creating compelling song parody on what is often a mundane topic. Opening the night with “If You Don’t Like Paying Taxes (Clap Your Hands)”, and  ”When You’re Filing”, Steven discussed deductions for freelancers, retirement planning, the importance of record keeping, estimated taxes, and the MCTMT tax.  One of those deductions is health insurance. The majority of freelancers and small business owners do purchase their own health insurance.  As a Sole Proprietor or a Single Member LLC, this is deductible as an adjustment to your adjusted gross income on your individual 1040 tax return.  Cobra payments count as well.  What else is deductible?  Specifically things that are business related.  Things like travel, phone/communication, accountant fees, professional dues and memberships (like ASIFA-East’s dues), business meals and entertainment, automobile expenses, office supplies,...

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Money Matters: On Invoicing

January 16, 2012
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I didn’t have to write my first invoice until 2005, when I was asked to do additional freelance work for promotional videos for a TV series production I was on at the time.  Of course, since I’d never written one before, I had no idea how.  My producer at the time was able to give me some tips, but most has come from practice over time.  Money’s not something often spoken about at university, but it’s an important topic that should be covered.  This first post will be on “invoicing”, and in a few weeks, I’ll add another on “getting paid”. There are many wonderful programs to use for invoicing.  I present a low-tech route here, because not everyone has access to or owns a program like QuickBooks.  Regardless of what method you use for invoicing, the basic information needed is the same.  You can create a folder called Invoices on your hard drive, with folders for every year.  Invoices can be stored here, labeled by company name and number.  Here is a basic template. 1/9/2012 Invoice to: Company Name Company Address From: Your Name or Company Name Your Address Your Phone Number Invoice #010912 Services: Animation Project:  X...

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Help The Productive Bring Coworking to the NYC Animation Community

January 4, 2012
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I love the concept of coworking studios.  Many have sprouted up throughout New York City over the last few years, but I’m very much looking forward to the opening of The Productive.  Coworking studios are places where freelancers can go to work on their projects, outside of their home environment, and amongst fellow freelancers.  They are great places for networking and collaboration with other artists and small business owners.  NYC Animator Susan Godfrey has founded The Productive, a coworking studio for digital artists.  She is running a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the studio. While New York City offers many studios for rent by traditional artists, writers, and musicians, it lacks a supportive space rentable to digital artists.  Please support The Productive coworking studio as it raises money to provide New York City digital artists (freelance, professional, and hobbyist animators, cartoonists, illustrators, graphic designers, as well as writers) in the NYC area with a collaborative workspace for the production of their art outside of their offices and homes. http://kck.st/tM7sGx

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Great Advice for the New Year

January 3, 2012
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Happy New Year, everyone!  Fellow business-woman Stephanie Yuhas has written a wonderful article chock full of advice on getting paid as an artist.  I think there’s something in there for all of us, and so I wanted to pass it along to you!  http://americangoulash.org/2012/01/how-to-get-paid-as-an-artist/

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I don’t have a Smart Phone… and other ways I save money as a freelancer.

November 21, 2011
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This is the second in a series of articles on freelancer issues.  I hope that by focusing on the life of a freelancer and the everyday challenges that entails, it will foster discussion and feedback that may in turn help all of us.  — Dayna Gonzalez Yes, I don’t have a smart phone.  And yes, I’m perfectly ok with that.  Really.  Am I afraid that if I get an iPhone I’ll never go back?  Oh most definitely.  But that’s not the reason I don’t have one.  You see, when you’re a freelancer, it’s not easy never knowing where the next paycheck may come from.  It’s a constant hustle.  Some months are really great, and others are not so great.  So it pays to be smart on how you handle your money, because that really great month will likely get you through any that aren’t so great.    This isn’t stuff they necessarily teach you in school either – and personal experience with money’s not a subject everyone likes talking about.  But in today’s economic climate, it can be an everyday concern.  So heck, as an experiment let’s just lay it out there – How do you, yes YOU, save money...

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Making it in a Freelance World

October 18, 2011
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This is the first in a series of articles on freelancer issues.  I hope that by focusing on the life of a freelancer and the everyday challenges that entails, it will foster discussion and feedback that may in turn help all of us.  — Dayna Gonzalez In 1998, I graduated from college and timidly took my first steps in the world as an aspiring animator.  It was slow and while I accepted work as a Web Designer, I kept the hope alive that I’d follow my dreams of being an Animator.   One day, at a Career Fair at NYU, I ran into my former classmate, Dave Palmer, who was there recruiting for a new show on Nick Jr.  He gave me his card and sent me an animation test.  At the time I did not know After Effects, but I sat there for hours and hours in the computer lab teaching myself After Effects, until I was able to complete the test and send it back.  But it took awhile, and by the time I sent it in, there were no desks.  I was heartbroken and thought perhaps my test just wasn’t good enough, but I kept in touch...

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