My Next Move

[Patrick Ortman]

Echo Mark- wife think. Important.

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PatrickOrtman, Inc.
Los Angeles Digital Agency and Video Production Company

[Bob Zelin]

Here is my 2 cents (yup, I found this thread !).

Keep your freelance jobs. This car dealer will ultimately get slow, ultimately find a kid cheaper than you, and ultimately FIRE YOU.
It is my opinion that you should BEG this car dealer to hire you as a CONTRACTOR – you can do all of his work that you were doing for your last job, for a FRACTION OF THE PRICE, and because he doesn’t have to have you as an employee, he doesn’t need to pay you vacation, benefits, etc. And on the other side of the coin, you get to charge him for PROJECT AFTER PROJECT. This way, when he works you to death, you are billing him for every thing that you are doing for him.

You must understand that there are no permanent jobs anymore, unless you are a school teacher, or policeman. You will continue to lose your job for the rest of your life, and have to find something else. This is especially hard if you work for a company for 20 years, do good work, and then they lay you off.

Being self employed is not easy, but we do not live in an easy economy. If you had found a job at the local TV station, that would be a more secure place to stay for a long time. But I don’t think anyone is going to have a 20 year video career at a car dealership.
Get them as a client, along with your other freelance clients, and this can be the start of your own personal business. Once you have them, you can get MORE car dealerships, and other clients as well.

As far as “I don’t like web” – what does that mean ? I dont’ like a lot of things – when I get done with an install, I throw out my garbage – I dont’ like to throw out the garbage, but I am getting paid to do this. You have to learn everything today – web, podcasting, streaming, teleconferencing, audio, graphics, etc, etc.
IF you say “I just want to edit” – then you should surely just get a job. Because just knowing one skill will not help you in our ever changing industry.

Bob Zelin

[Chris Tompkins]

I’ve done the the car dealership thing – it’s fleeting @ best.
Tell them your here for them if they need something and go for your own way.

Go freelance, build your own biz. If the dealership looses their in house guy, you’ll get some work from them while they scramble.

JMO.

Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta LLC

[Aaron Cadieux]

Bob,

Thanks for your input. I met with their in-house guy and shadowed him for the day. The job is 70% graphics for print, 10% web site updating, and 20% video. I am pretty much a video guy. I shoot video. I edit video. I do some video graphic stuff. But I’ve never considered myself a print graphic designer. I’m talking like print graphics for mailers and newspaper ads. So when I say “I don’t like” graphic design, I don’t mean in regards to video graphics. I have no interest in graphic design. I didn’t go to school for graphic design. If the job were 70% video, I might consider it. But, I agree with you, and think I would be better of freelancing.

Best,

Aaron

[Steve Martin]

Geeez! As much as we try to hide this stuff from Bob, he seems to always find it! :-0

Production is fun – but lets not forget: Nobody ever died on the video table!

[Neil Hurwitz]

I agree with Bob here. However you should be aware that as a Freelancer your Number One Job will always be selling yourself.
Freelance work (especially production) can dry up just as quick as getting laid off from any job. In addition you have the added work of accounting,collections,taxes, medical insurance, along with the fact that you have no benifits and most likly will never be able to qualify for unemployment insurance if things go south. One thing you don’t mention is what brand of Auto and in what market. A huge BMW or Mercedes dealership in a major market (Large Wealthy Area) is a lot more secure than a Chevy dealership in a smaller less wealthy area.

[Mike Cohen]

Take the full time job. It’s 2011 in case you forgot – you take the job if it is offered and there is nothing else on offer. It’s not for the rest of your life if you don’t want it to be.

You have freelance clients? Great. Is the freelance work enough to keep you in milk, bread, netflix and baby formula on a consistent basis? If not, take the full time job.

You’re a video guy? Great, then you must be a whiz at Photoshop which you can use to create print ads and website content. Go for it.

If you hate it, so be it. Do you like having a roof over your head and heat in the winter?

Sorry to sound like your father, but I do tend to talk like my father.

Good luck.

Mike Cohen

PS – Now your current and future employers know your story.

[Tom Sefton]

Take the money, take the money, take the money, take the money.

It is infinitely easier to find another job, be it a freelance contract, project you can tackle as a self employed person or a video production job WHILST YOU ARE EMPLOYED.

I agree that the car dealership sounds like the work will be fleeting and that you won’t be doing what you love for 100% of the time, but in this economy – take the money.

You can always work nights, weekends, holidays and all other hours under the sun to keep your freelance productions going.

Not to sound too whipped either, but ask the mrs too.

[Brad Spinoza]

I’m going to respectfully disagree with those who say the full-time job is “more secure” than freelancing. Stability at a car dealership?? Are you kidding? When times get even leaner and the co-op ad dollars get smaller, what overhead would be high on the cut list?

When you’re the house video guy anywhere, you’re overhead. Expendable. Your survival is tied to one company, one boss. Freelancing can be considerably more secure, particularly if you’re versatile. You can control your own future. Better to have a handful of customers who love you than a weekly paycheck that could vanish on a whim.

With all due respect to the “grow up and take the job” crowd… Being overhead is not secure. If you don’t sell cars or fix them, you are overhead in a car dealership.