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An inside look at being in business for yourself
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In September of 2025, my work is generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I'm being forced to shut down my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field. |
This video was posted on a forum I frequent. This is what life would be like if everything in the 'real world' went like a freelancer-potential client negotiation. Incredibly, about 80% of my potential client calls go something like this!
Watch this and all other Storm Highway videos in HD and 4K on the official Storm Highway Youtube Channel.
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I deal in 'extreme weather' stock footage and photography, most of which has a very high acquisition cost. I travel across the country, sleep in my vehicle for days and spend serious money to get just one shot, sometimes I have to make several repeat attempts. After all that, I'm frequently expected to sell the material for the same rates as footage of people walking in a park or flowers in a garden (IE, the 'filet' for the 'taco stand' price). If I gave in to the discount requests I was being asked of all the time, I'd end up operating in the red every year, subsidizing someone else's end product out of my own pockets and effort. It would be nice if videos like the one above make the rounds and give more producers and business owners a better perspective of what they're asking when they make calls like this! I'm not trying to get rich off of anyone, but I have to cover my costs and pay my bills.
/end of rant
It's just as fun when selling custom art or portraiture. Imagine investing upwards of 25-75 labor intensive hours (or more dependent upon size and detail) into a one of a kind creation. Factor in supplies, finishing materials and in many cases shipping as well as insurance and what is fair compensation (or at the very least equal to minimum wage) leaves many gasping for air. Suffice to say, few artists IMO are paid what they are worth. It's a sad irony too in that people will invest the same amount of money (or more) without hesitation into overpriced mass produced items that lose value over time and cost a fraction to manufacture. It is a significant reason I have fallen away from commercial art because there too, the game one has to play and the time wasted in haggling is barely worth it.
- Posted by Paul from Decatur, IL | |
You know, the hurricane video, it is just rain footage, just like the taco stand is beef...
- Posted by DougK | |
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