A New Collaboration & On-Demand Management Service for Animators & Illustrators
WORKING NOT WORKING
The administrative responsibilities involved in a creative career are often seen as a double-edged sword. They can become a major distraction from actually doing the creative work, especially when you factor in the lack of education around becoming your own manager. And at the same time, being hands-on in running your business can offer a ton of insight toward optimizing your daily approach and your career trajectory. The Working Not Working community was split down the middle between feeling like admin tasks help versus hinder their careers. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem so we came up with a flexible solution.
During the summer, we launched Repping Not Repping, an on-demand service offering payment tracking, project management, client calls, initial discovery, estimates, vendor paperwork, contract review, oversight, invoicing, and budget negotiations. There are no exclusivity contracts attached. It’s just another way for us to help artists focus on their craft, without growing out of touch with their career goals.
“Over the years, we’ve had artists approach us and ask ‘Can you rep me?’” says WNW Co-Founder Justin Gignac. “There’s a lot of value in having representation but the majority of WNW members aren’t able to secure a full-time rep. We knew that we shouldn’t only rep the 50 people who think to ask when we have a community of almost 100,000. So we figured out a way to offer this at scale and have it be flexible.”
“There’s a lot of value in having representation but the majority of WNW members aren’t able to secure a full-time rep. We knew that we shouldn’t only rep the 50 people who think to ask when we have a community of almost 100,000. So we figured out a way to offer this at scale and have it be flexible.”
To help spearhead this initiative, we’ve brought in Matthew LeBaron and his over 15 years of experience in the business of career management. After cutting his teeth at Bernstein & Andruilli, one of the larger more traditional repping firms in New York, he eventually had his Jerry Maguire moment and opened his own creative shop. Matthew’s resume and passion for a more connected and attentive relationship with artists are well-aligned with the ethos of Working Not Working. His experience and approach collectively address one of the biggest concerns when considering career management: trust. Being a professional in this industry means tying your passions, artistry, and individuality to external factors like success, financial gains, and acceptance. Given the vulnerable position you opt into day in and day out, it’s hard to give up control of your business. It feels a lot like giving up control of your identity.
“There's always this trepidation,” Matthew says. “Trust is built through the process itself, especially when it comes to helping artists manage projects because their own process is so precious to them. Having a respect for that process is key. They get that with me on the first call with a client, making sure that the client knows that the artist’s time is just as important and to be respected as the client’s time and money. You sometimes get this vibe from clients of ‘We're paying you for this. You should do whatever we want.’ That’s not how we roll. This is a collaboration.”
Repping Not Repping is here when you need it and standing by when you don’t. That ensures flexibility to try out the service without a long-term commitment. “As a career manager, I always start with what I call the dating phase,” Matthew explains. “You would never get married right away. You go on a date. You have to take your time and catch a vibe. You don’t just jump right into it. When artists are signed to rosters after a phone call and given this exclusive contract, I liken it to meeting somebody at the bar and then just going right to the altar. It doesn't make sense. That trust has to be built and it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.”
What have we been hearing so far? A lot of artists are looking for support with project management specifically. They’re finding that their time is too often wasted. In Matthew’s experience, an average of almost 8 out of 10 jobs aren’t even jobs ready to go forward. It’s clients just looking for pricing so they can put a deck together for a pitch. “They’ll reach out to 5 artists and then go with the cheapest one that gets back to them. Artists want support for that initial inquiry, so they don’t have to disrupt their flow with multiple calls and emails just to suss out whether a job is real or not.”
Many artists also have a hard time asking for what they're worth. Justin credits a lack of transparency. “Whether it’s full-time people negotiating their salary or artists repping themselves with licensing, we don’t even know that we’re undervaluing ourselves.” It’s become even more difficult to navigate in a creative economy that’s in turmoil. Artists are afraid things will dry up, so they hesitate to go in at their normal prices. You can always go down, but you can't go up. Matthew advises, “There's a way to approach clients and say, ‘Hey, this is my standard rate, but if you have another number in mind, let me know, because we can always tailor the project to fit your budget or vice versa.’ This strategy keeps artists from low-balling themselves or being too scared to ask for what they normally would charge.”
The advent of Instagram as a way to promote your practice has changed the game. Artists can market themselves quite simply and pretty easily create a voice and brand for themselves. There’s a level of autonomy that empowers creatives in this way. But what Matthew has found is that most artists don’t like having to deal with the next phase. “They don't like negotiating. They don't want to have to explain why their service costs X. They don't want to deal with these massive contracts with dizzying language no matter how many times you read it. There's also client management. Having another screen open just to make sure you're staying on top of fielding emails can be pretty daunting while you’re trying to focus on your art.”
We’re excited to offer this service to Working Not Working members, starting with Animators and Illustrators. Our Head of Talent, Manda Wilks explains how it works; “Say you’re securing a job estimated at $5,000 or over, and you ideally need a project manager or creative consultant to work with you. You can hit us up and chat with Matthew to see how we can best get involved. Maybe you’d like us to handle your illustration project from A-Z, bringing us in to handle initial discovery, taking care of the money conversations, delivery and all the paper-work fun stuff that can obstruct from making your masterpiece. Or maybe all you need is support negotiating with a client for an animation project. Either way, we got you.”