Patrick Ortman
2
COW Coins
Forum Replies Created
-
Exactly! Although didn’t Ben Franklin have a strategy where he got people to do him a small favor, thus entrapping them into feeling a responsibility to help him out on a bigger need later because they feel invested?
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
On Lawsuits…
Man you are so right. I’m in LA, but the same thing you talk about applies to Canada- we had a “music producer” who ripped us off bigtime up there and then turned around and sued us! It was bizarre, he was involved in all sorts of unsavory activities, stalking young women, drugs, and so forth. He screwed up by messing with us, though. We did eventually win in court rather than settle with him, and our PR skills got the thug on the cover of the Toronto Star looking like a felon. Even though we won and he owes us a lot of money he’s vowed to never pay. Enforcement is a bitch. Still, seeing his mugshot on a national newspaper was priceless.———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Thanks, guys- yeah, actually it ended up kinda going down ala Bob’s scenario this afternoon, except via email. Maybe I should have called him on the phone, though. Anyway, no reply. That’s OK by me.
Contracts: I like having a simple one, in most cases, just to let everyone know what’s expected, but yeah the good ones don’t really need it and the bad ones will be bad regardless.
I have one client who’s not on contract right now- he and I have an understanding that we’ll do great work and make his marketing rock, and he’ll pay us every two weeks. Sometimes he needs estimates, and sometimes I need deposits. But mainly, we trust each other. The rest, even if they’re friends, get contracts.
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Craig Said >>
Basically undercharging is the business equivalent of hanging an albatross around your business’s neck.<< So very true. And those birds BITE. While I'm all for giving clients the best price possible for a project, it does neither the client or prodco any good to not charge enough to cover expenses and make a decent profit on a job, because the prodco will go out of business. Also, if you are the director on a job, and your hard costs for this job came to $8K, for instance, and you charged the client $10K, you did NOT just make a $2K profit. Remember to pay yourself. I only bring this up because I used to make this mistake a lot. Otherwise, you may as well work at McDonald's. Finally, while I do appreciate the folks who are very day rate oriented, I hope that you guys are including the planning and administrative costs of doing a project like this in your day rate, somehow. Projects like this one are absolutely not run-and-gun, I'd probably spend a week or so in prepro on a gig like this, and that's time you should be paid for. --------------------- http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Another general thing: I wouldn’t tell them you have their footage safe and secure. Some people are sue-happy, and hard drives fail, get sticky, etc.
Now, in practice, what we do is spin ’em up every now and then, and we’ve never thrown out footage- that’s a part of exceeding client expectations- but at the same time, and maybe it’s living in LA that’s jaded me, but I could certainly see somebody holding you liable for their footage if you say you’re keeping it safe.
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Wow, just wow.
It’s pretty amazing what some people will do.
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Agreed, Mark- but please be careful to make the distinction that being in SAG or AFTRA doesn’t necessarily make one a professional. There’s over 30,000 union actors in LA, and frankly a lot of them are pretty bad (of course, many are very good).
One can find excellent actors in SAG or AFTRA, and one can find excellent actors who are non-Union. But whoever one hires, I do strongly suggest that they take their craft seriously and have training (including on-camera) training under their belts.
Also, Taft-Hartleying a performer who isn’t a union member to work on a union shoot isn’t as big a deal as some people make it out to be. Finding the right performer for the role is the tough part.
Finally, just a thought- the agency is the signatory, not you. So, wouldn’t they handle all of the paperwork and payment, etc.? In my limited experience with advertising agencies, that’s how it worked.
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Rob,
I can’t emphasize the need for your friend to get active online with his own pages, from Facebook to Twitter, and many many others. There’s at least 20 sites where he can start building up his good reputation.
As a potential employer, if the ONLY thing I found online about a person was a crime thing I would probably not want to work with that person. But, like Mads said, if I found a dozen or two good things, then I’d be a lot more likely to at least talk with the guy. And maybe I wouldn’t even see the silly article in question.
My brother had a similar situation, with the website Rip Off Report a few years back. The reality was my brother worked with a local TV station to expose a scam artist (a guy who had been ripping people off for 30 years). The scam artist fought back by making up stuff and posting it on Rip Off Report.
Until the local TV station video and reports came out, Google had that Rip Off Report as the #1 result when people googled him. It really hurt his business, even after he responded to the site.
Not fun, I feel for your friend.
P
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
I agree. And, don’t necessarily take this as a data point, but I’ve read some stuff on (other site) about how compact flash cards are indeed very reliable at least in the short term (hundreds of read/write cycles, thousands of cards, no problems).
I just couldn’t accept the backup time…
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
Thanks, guys! I wish they’d realize that the informercial they cut using my web video outtakes is rather embarrassing to them.
From now on, I think we’ll have a clause in the contract…
P
———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design