Here we are several weeks into the coronavirus pandemic and many cities and states have gone into some form of lockdown. From shelter in place to safer at home these directives have shut down much of the video and television production and post-production industries. With those shutdowns, many incomes have been shut down as well. Since this industry is made up of many freelance workers that means we don’t have options for paid vacations we are forced to take, reduced salaries during a furlough or even options to move work to home. Many have seen their income drastically reduced or cut to zero quite literally overnight.
ProVideo Coalition and our sister site Filmtools would like to try to do a little bit to help. We are seeking paid writers to contribute to ProVideo Coalition over the coming weeks. We have allocated a portion of our monthly budget for new contributors to be paid out for filmmakers and video professionals who have found themselves out of work with a lot of extra time on their hands. We are looking to pay contributors between $100 and $300 per article depending on the topic published, the length of the content as well as the number of submissions we receive from different writers. There could also be the opportunity to continue as a regular contributor once we all go back to work after this crisis ends.
What kind of content are we looking for?
Product or software reviews, tips, tricks and techniques for cameras and on-set gear are always a hit. career advice and industry analysis are a few of the things that readers enjoy especially if you have a unique opinion to share. We’re especially looking for Filmtools customers and stories of how you use the gear you’ve purchased via Filmtools. We would also like to highlight content about some of the unseen heroes of the film set and how they perform their jobs and what tools they use. If you have an idea of your own please pitch it to us.
How long does it have to be?
One thing that makes PVC unique is that a writer’s content is their own and we’ve never had word count restrictions or content limitations on our contributors. This holds true for new contributors as well. We ask that you use enough words to create an informative article and get the topic across in a well-written manner. We would like several images (with captions when appropriate) to accompany an article as people like pictures! New writers will be able to work with PVC editors if need be to flesh out ideas and finalize a piece for publishing.
When will I get paid?
All published writers will be required to submit a W9 for payment. Payment should happen within 15 days of submitting the W9 after the writer has been published. Depending on the number of articles published by a writer (there is the possibility of publishing more than one article) the amount of money paid could fall below the IRS threshold for tax reporting but a W9 is still required for accounting.
Can I submit a video?
ProVideo Coalition is a written article-based site so we don’t really have a mechanism for publishing video, besides that’s what YouTube is for. But feel free to embed a video within an article if need be.
Can I publish my article on another website?
We ask that published content be exclusive to ProVideo Coalition.
Can I promote my published content with social media?
We hope you would!
How do I get in touch with you to pitch my idea, submit my article or ask a question?
Please send us an email (social@provideocoalition.com) or get in touch with us on Twitter.
We know this isn’t a lot of money but we hope every bit can help during these trying times. If it can pay a utility bill, cover a trip to the grocery store or fill a tank of gas we hope it will be worth your time.