Has anyone ever bailed once you’ve already started a freelance gig?

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Once. Recruiter gave me vague promise of 2-3 weeks of work below my rate. My copywriter had to handle most of what we were assigned and I just sat there or looked for photos for another AD. Then a different agency who’d used me a lot that year called with a much better day rate. I knew it’d be a lot longer than 2-3 weeks and there was a potential full time job in the offing. Recruiter at first agency was pissed but I left which was the right decision—I worked several months and made a ton of money at the other gig. I’ll never understand how agencies think they can kick you to the curb with 15 min notice and then are shocked, SHOCKED, when you look after your own interests.

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I faked a family situation to get out of a Droga pitch after the first 20-straight-hour run (for a single day-rate). This was 2 weeks before the pitch.

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I make posters. Once I really disliked the aesthetics of what they asked so I designed something in 30 mins and sent it to them. Told them this is not really my style and that they are free to use it without paying me. They still paid half.

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Once in 5 years of freelance. A miserable gig at icrossing where everyday we had to produce 5 pixel perfect Facebook canvas units for a full team review first thing each AM. the budget was 5 dollars each. After the 4th day in a row of having these very simple pieces torn apart and being sent to another late night of starting over and comping I walked into the recruiters office and said “this is unhealthy way to treat a freelancer. Not sure I can handle another week of this and you don’t need someone of my seniority level.” She agreed, told me she understood and we shook hands. I walked out and never came back

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Yeah, I was working about 1/3 rate cause it was a non-profit doc. The org was funded by a corporation and I got more and more annoyed at the branding going into the piece. And they kept making bad changes. They had already payed me half but I offered to give it back if they wanted. They said keep it and I handed off the drive.

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I never have and think it’s really bad form unless there is something like a family death or mental breakdown I would advise sucking it up. There is always an end to the painful ones and you’re that much wiser for it and thought of as reliable. Industry is really small. Just yesterday a team told me a producer bailed on a job at their last agency and now the new agency they work at won’t hire that person either. We communicate and move around too much to get bad press anywhere

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Yeah, I’ve had to do it twice in 6 years. Once because the agency cancelled bookings at the last minute three times (2 hr notice the last time). The second time was because the agency owner agreed to a process/proposal and then decided he wanted to do it completely differently and demanded over the double the amount of time we agreed on for the same $.

Also, he was an unprofessional and totally epic dick.

There are red flags to watch out for to avoid lousy clients and you gotta read (and understand) your contracts.

Most contracts are open ended for both sides these days. Obviously you might leave them in a slight bind, so really if you're fine with burning that particular bridge, do what you need to do.

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