Sports Media Exchange

Dan, playthough and Jay,

By George you got it!! ;D

These are precisely our biggest selling points and why we have gotten some very positive feedback from newspapers and other outlets.

In a very short period of time, about six weeks now, we have picked up a big head of steam as many others are seeing the benefits of our model and our mission.

Again, feel free to PM me or e-mail us at sportsmediaexchange@gmail.com with any questions.

AK

 

Not sure how this is a win for me. I'm an established freelancer with tons of contacts and a good reputation. I already work pretty much every home game of the local NFL team as well as some NBA, MLB and college events in the area.

So how does it help me to have someone taking a cut of the freelance fee I was probably going to get anyway?

 

Da man,

I completely understand your position as I too have established myself down here and have been able to get my fair share of work. However, I also have had my fair share of headaches from the standpoint of chasing down paychecks and resubmitting W-9s and signed freelance agreements for papers, magazines and Web sites of all different shapes and sizes.

At the same time, I had been hearing from various SEs concerns over whether or not an easier way to do all of this on both ends could be found, and that's what got the wheels spinning in my head about an operation such as the one we have started up.

Through our research and planning we have figured out a way to make this work to where the writers aren't necessarily giving up a significant cut of the freelance fee, but rather the "service charge" for lack of better words is being picked up mostly by the outlets. The minute amount that may be absorbed by the writers is mere pennies compared to the savings the writers are enjoying by not having to deal with the paperwork and invoice hassels and the peace of mind of being able to get steady work without having to break a sweat on the search front.

I wish I could go into more detail about some of the developments currently brewing but at this point in time I just can't. What I can say is that hopefully within the next few weeks we will be able to provide a much better illustration as to why this is something to be excited about.

AK

 

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't link myself with this new venture. If you already have everything locked up in your area, then you are already set and don't need to be part of this.

But it sounds like a great idea for those towns where papers don't know who to turn to when they need someone. So as long as these folks don't siphon too much of the stringers' cash (what percentage are they taking?) this could turn out to be a win-win-win once it gets established.

 

gutenberg,

As I pointed out in my last post, our intention is for the writers to not have to deal with any real siphoning per se as the client is the one with more to gain from our service and thus is more inclined to accepting the "service fee" that is being attached. But like I pointed out, there are some benefits to the writers from a paperwork (W-9s, freelance agreements, invoices) standpoint and work load inventory that warrant a small contribution to cover our overhead, etc.

Da man does sound like he's in a comfortable position and might not necessarily need our network to land assignments, but if the ability to continue those relationships as well as bring in extra business while not having to chase down payments and deal with all the other paperwork involved with being a freelancer sounds appealing, he really doesn't have much of anything to lose. He would keep all of his contacts, many of which will likely be using us anyway for other NFL, NBA, MLB and college cities, and when those contacts let us know about an assignment in his city and their relationship with him we would simply check him off as that client's preferred writer every time. There's always creative ways of handling the books in those cases and again, da man could then focus solely on his writing with the peace of mind that he is getting a check from one place without having to chase down multiple outlets. And trust me, as minor as that might sound, having done it now full-time for a little more than two years, I can tell you it can be a real pain in the ass. Dan Hickling can definitely speak more to that end as he has beeen at this for 15 years.

 

I'm about to send out "Fourth Notice" invoices for about a grand's worth of work (not all the same client) ... I'll do what I have to do to keep working, but I don't like the awkwardness of playing good cop/bad cop ... Everybody's had to, at some point (and I guess just by sheer longevity, I have more than most) ... Sports Media Exchange may not be for everybody, but then again, who says it has to be? For da man and others who have a steady and decent paying clientele, that's great and you no doubt have worked hard to solicit, service and maintain them ... I know what that takes, too ... but I see a shifting landscape for freelancers, and for freelance needs ... I'm not driving a Model T anymore, nor am I cranking up my Victrola ...

 

You'd have to be one lazy sports editor — with money to burn — for this service to be worth it. SME finds freelancers in each city for you? Whoopdedoo. If you don't want to pay their rate, just call the sports editor of the local paper, who can always hook you up with freelancers. Not sure why SME thinks newspapers would be in position to pay a broker fee (to avoid 10 minutes' work, max) when everyone's budget is shrinking.

 

Speaking as a lazy sports editor, I have called plenty of sports editors at local papers who sometimes are very helpful and sometimes don't have anyone they can or will recommend who isn't working for them.

And if you don't know the sports editor making the recommendation, you don't really have any idea of the stringer is any good.

Most of the time things work out OK, though.

 

Ace,

Never thought I'd see the day a lazy sports editor would actually admit he's a lazy sports editor on such a public forum.

But the points you make coincide with what we have heard from other SEs when it comes to consistency in their searches, which is why we think our service can help to that end because we have vetted everybody in our database.

 

Ace could so be the SE at the PD

 

It should happen ASAP.

 

APSE loser sums it up nicely. Nobody is going to lay out extra cash for this service because there's too much pressure to save money and the service is of modest value. The choice for most sports editors, unfortunately, isn't whether to send a staff writer or hire this service. There often will be no choice. The sports editor won't send anyone and won't hire anyone, either.