State of freelance work in LA
- Started
- Last post
- 16 Responses
- isakosmo
So, after 11 years in London I'm thinking of moving to LA. Got a US passport and been on a reccie in Jan, got told there's quite a bit of work around but wanted to hear from people in the industry - what's the work situation like over there, especially for freelancing? Is it looking up?
Got a pretty cushty situation here in England in terms of the amount of work i'm getting but ready to move on - just want to have a realistic idea of what it's like... Appreciate anyone's input.
And, if you know any good recruitment agencies for freelance placements would appreciate a link..
Thanks
- marychain0
I cannot ....for the life of me....understand why someone would want to go from London...to the plastic living hell that is LA.
But good luck
- one has sun, other doesn'tmoldero
- We have one, maybe two, days of sunshinegoldieboy
- many reasons broseph... horses for courses and all that.isakosmo
- including what goldieboy saidisakosmo
- He has a Brotish accent and will clean up with the birds... Isn't that why we all move to the US?nylon
- i'm a she ;)isakosmo
- YOu can come to NY. There's always work. They love Brits too. Can't say much for the weather though.CyBrainX
- ahli0
..he'd rather get shot than stabbed?
- fredddddd0
What kind of work do you do? LA doesn't have much I don't think. SF has more. NY for sure.
- LA doesn't have much work? 90% of my work comes from there and I'm on another cityMiguex
- I was there for holidays and got offered freelance work without asking. So, that's what i based my impression on.isakosmo
- tons of work in LAarthur
- Yeah TONS... it's the 2nd largest city in the U.S.SigDesign
- maybe fredddd is the only one not getting any.pango
- Miguex0
Freelancing is different for everyone, so I think it's hard for you to find a single true answer. One example is the comment above by fredddd, his experience looks like the exact opposite of mine.
I think there is only one way to find out, and that is on your own.
My advice is go out and shake as many hands as possible, start now making contacts, freelance is a tough road for most people the first couple of years, good luck.The desire of changing environment is only natural, no matter where you are, the grass will always look greener on the other side!
- isakosmo0
Sweet, thanks all. Got a few of my own clients I can take wherever I go really, but was interested to hear people's experience on working there. Could always go for a perm job just kind of attached to freelance now.
Got surprise with people's positive outlook for work when i was there in Jan, but figured it might just be a positive attitude so wanted to hear more opinions
I'd be interested to hear how you guys got along if anyone has a more detailed account.
Thanks
- nylon0
isakosmo
I was a designer for 13 years before relocating to NY 18 months ago.
I run my own agency here in NY and struggle BIG TIME to find freelancers. The standard I have seen is terrible. Firstly, no offence to anyone but if you disagree, send me your stuff - i have work coming out of my ears and no one to give it to...
I too got a positive response when I was going back and forth but that was with real clients as opposed to freelance gigs.
My London office is still ticking over but do not underestimate the power of an 8 hour time difference. I struggle with 5 hours.
I wake up at 5am EVERYDAY to check emails for UK clients wanting to get in touch with me...
I would be more than happy to chat to you further - mail me...
- qoob0
Wouldn't it be difficult to move to a new country based on freelance? Is it possible to get a visa or work permit with no full time job?
- nocomply0
My experience doesn't relate directly to LA, though I do live in Southern California. But right now almost all of the local freelancers I know are really busy. I'm seeing that span across different skill sets/industries from copywriters to designers to motion graphics to web dev, etc... Not sure if I'm ready to call it a trend, but things seem to be looking up for 2013.
But that being said it's a hard road like Miguex said, and a lot of it comes down to who you know. The longer you've been around the easier it becomes to get work thrown at you without even trying.
- instrmntl0
all the agencies are in santa monica and venice. you will probably get a lot of work there, plus its really nice there.
- Manitoba0
Does anyone know of any particular agencies to work with, in regard to freelance placement in Los Angeles?
- fadein110
London... LA... Where next? Milan? Seriously - go San Fran or NYC, not LA.
- Noggin0
The answer is San Francisco.
- ArmandoEstrada0
Freelancing in LA for 13 years.... Film industry and Web Dev....
- hektor9110
I really want to move to Cali, but more for the cycling scene...