Selling Multimedia Journalism?

Good questions James, been wondering myself. I’ve also been trying to “converg” but like you said, is there a freelance market for it and who’s buying?.

Exactly, which has been one of the points I have been trying to make here and on my blogs. Compensation for our work. This is the key issue for those of us who wish to maintain an independent stance. You can easily master the software, the techniques, the new practices like soundrecording, video, etc — but how do we determine proper fees and succeed in imposing that pay scale on the institutions that employ us (not just media but govts, NGOs, etc. — actually I find that some of the better NGOs, like the Open Society, are very fair, even generous with their contracts, whereas the media are stingy as hell!)

Part of the problem is that we dont have any type of union or means of coming together and imposing our will on the system. This is a severe disability. Agencies were meant to perform this function in the past, but as more and more of us opt for a truly independent practice, we are confronted with a very serious problem here — how to protect our economic rights?

Maybe we can use this forum to start organizing some kind of unified response. . . . .

J,
I’m sure you’re familiar with MediaStorm, but if not, check them out. Brian and his team do some incredible work. I’m sure you could ask him about his sales model and thoughts on the topic. Cheers,
Roger

Yeah, that and Magnum in Motion are the two leading multimedia factories presently — but neither will discuss such internal matters, so far as I know.

I did speak to Brian Storm at a seminar a couple years ago and he seemed to take an “if we build it, they will come” attitude and seemed very savvy about finding many different avenues to generate the revenue. Media Storm is producing fantastic work. I’m sure there is something to be learned from their approach, but I’m trying to figure out how to apply it to a solo visual journalist out there trying to make a buck day in and out. I guess I was hoping to hear that some of you were having success getting multi-media assignments from editorial sources or that agency XYZ are focusing their efforts on representing it??

I understand James, sorry, didnt mean to divert the thread, though the point I am raising is something we all need to explore.

As for my personal experience thus far in achieving the goals you set out, it can be broken down into two models: the better, or more professional looking as well as paying option is via the NGO: if they are media savvy and big enough to foot the bill, the work is definitely gratifying and well compensated — if you want particulars, email me. But these have been team efforts and thus I was responsible only for providing imagery. And frankly I was relieved, because I dont like working with sound and having to “multitask” too much if I aim to get good pix. The second option is via the established media, working for the papers: on these I am master of my own leaky vessel and i do it all: I write up the text, I record the sound, i shoot the pix. That independence and ability to pull it all together is tremendously satisfying, but it involves, as you well know, a lot of work and I am not sure that the compensation is at all adequate. It also involves lots of time because I like to work on the separate elements separately instead of simultaneously. I would personally prefer a model in which I take charge of imagery and text and another person takes charge of the sound.

As for Media Storm’s attitude about “if we build it they will come” — yes I am sure. And given what I have to say about the appeal of cinematic journalism on my blog (http://sparkofaccident.blogspot.com/2008/12/alices-in-wonderland-thoughts-on.html ), I would say that he is quite right. But remember that Media Storm is a collective of very capable and well trained people with all the right equipment and software and experience in marketing etc. We, as individuals, cannot hope to compete. Look at Jonas Bendikson’s wonderful site on the Places We Live. That is the result of another savvy media team — Jonas provides the elements but they put it together. Can the independent journalist, without such a team to back him or her, achieve this kind of sophisticated presentation and sell it?

A) “Politico and Reuters Forge a News Distribution Alliance”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/business/media/15politico.html?_r=2

“Politico is pitching its network to newspapers as an important new revenue stream, but it remains to be seen how well it can deliver on that promise. A paper can agree to use up to five Politico articles a week, and receive 50 percent of the ad revenue that Politico sells on those Web pages; or up to 10 articles a week, and receive 40 percent; or up to 15 articles, and receive 30 percent.

Newspapers fare best when they can sell their online ad space themselves, but they typically sell less than half that space. They turn the rest over to ad networks, which pay the papers a small fraction — often less than 5 percent — of what papers earn on their own.

Roy L. Schwartz, Politico’s vice president for business development and marketing, said it could get much higher rates than the networks by offering a specific, generally upscale audience, rather than the scattershot approach of the networks. Where a large paper might get $20 for every thousand readers for an ad, he said, “we’re targeting $10,” he said, with up to half that amount going to the paper. By comparison, the same paper might get $1 or less from an ad network."

B) “Innovation: How one labor union has become its own news organization”
http://www.nextnewsroom.com/profiles/blogs/innovation-how-one-labor-union

(hint hint)

Go over to Current TV and look at their tutorials. There are opportunities to earn well there if you have your shit together. It’s aimed at video journalism but it’s up to the contributor and how good your stuff is. Their tutorials are excellent.
http://current.com

Hopefully this will add to the outlets we have in the future.
http://www.globalnewsenterprises.com/mission.php

JI

Not exactly what you are asking, but if your project has already received some funding, see

http://media.gfem.org/

Welcome to the GFEM Media Database, a searchable database of media projects-in-progress. GFEM believes that media play a vital role in shaping, framing and catalyzing public discourse and culture. Our goal is to advance the field of media arts and public interest media funding. To this end, the GFEM Media Database serves as a hub where funders of all kinds can find a rich array of media-related projects that fit their funding priorities.

As for selling MM to publications… good luck with that one. If you are even lucky enough to get an audience and possible buyer (not likely as virtually all of it is done in house by staff), they will do 2 things that make it not worth it:

1. Want to edit your content in house, thereby destroying your control of your story.

2. Not pay you any more for it than if you had just done a normal couple days shoot, even though you did 3 times the newsgathering and 10 times the editing.

I sell MM to NGO’s, and have had a decent time of it. You dont hear much about freelance selling to publications because those that have the integrity to create powerful MM cant sell themselves out by bending to those 2 points listed above.

There are some amazing freelance MM producers out there, but, if they arent selling to NGO’s, they are simply doing it for the love of the story and their subjects, and often working on grant money.

Philosophical Money, Id like to hear a little more from you about this one, as you know the score on MM more than almost anybody I know on LS…

Where is the future of this MM thing going for freelancers? We all know the present is fucked up if you are trying to make a living on it…

Thanks for your responses guys. This is just the kind of conversation I hoped to generate. Unfortunately I don’t have any experience working with NGOs (aside from a brief volunteer trip to Haiti years ago) or applying for grants but these will be areas I will be exploring in the new year so if any of you have resources you’re willing to share, I would appreciate them. I suppose this is the age old question of how to support, or further, make a living from a largely creative endeavor and the answer seems to be that it is more difficult than ever. I will continue to probe away and hope we can share in the learning process.

There’s a whole media savvy generation out there that create multi media as a way of life, this is how they communicate etc, the older generation watches and responds these guys/gals do and react. Media storm and Magnum Motion can’t hold a candle to what they do on blogs etc

Making a multi media news item is no big deal these days, making money out of it is different ………………………………………………. it’s like asking to be paid to watch TV.