{"id":28018,"date":"2025-04-08T15:57:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T22:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/presskitchen.com\/?p=28018"},"modified":"2026-01-28T09:50:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:50:03","slug":"freelance-directing-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/press_kitchen_dev\/freelance-directing-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Departure Founder Luke Lashley on Everything Freelance Directors Should Know in 2025, on The Howler"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everything Freelance Directors Should Know in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Luke Lashley, Owner\/Executive Producer, Departure<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Commercial directors are having a moment of clarity. The allure of premium production company rosters isn’t what it used to be, and both established directors and emerging talents are increasingly choosing to go independent rather than seeking traditional representation. Yet despite this surge in freelance directing, there’s surprisingly little guidance out there on how to navigate these waters successfully.<\/p>\n

At Departure, we work exclusively with freelance directors and speak with dozens of independent artists weekly. Read on for what we’ve learned, and the thorough how-to\u2019s, about making it work in today’s industry:<\/p>\n

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  1. Make friends with EPs (genuinely)<\/li>\n
  2. Keep your portfolio current<\/li>\n
  3. Read briefs, clear yourself, and get submitted\u2026the right way<\/li>\n
  4. On that note, don\u2019t share boards<\/li>\n
  5. Clear your schedule<\/li>\n
  6. Make a deal memo<\/li>\n
  7. And avert our list of red flags<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Make Friends with EPs<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As a freelancer, you have the luxury of building relationships with a wide range of EPs, rather than being beholden to just a few at the company that signed you. It’s in your best interest to know many EPs and choose them strategically to cover different areas of the market, each providing you with unique board flow. Many of the directors I work closely with have strong relationships with more than a dozen EPs (me being one of them), who collectively provide them with steady board flow across a pretty diverse range of budget levels and sources. This gets them in on opportunities that are sometimes unique (like a direct-to-brand engagement that bypasses the wide director search process), as well as the large industry-wide “cattle calls” where seemingly every production company and their mother has the same board…and everything in between. This diversity of relationships is one of freelancing’s greatest advantages.<\/p>\n

    So, your first move as a freelancer is making friends with EPs. The best way to do it is to email them. But keep in mind EPs are busy, so make it super easy on them when you reach out. Don’t write a novella about your artistic journey or be so vague about your work that EPs can’t quickly understand your value. Your initial contact should be concise, specific, and tailored to the company you’re reaching out to. Here’s a solid example:<\/p>\n

    “Hey [EP NAME],<\/p>\n

    The frosty sequence in your recent Wendy’s spot caught my eye – really beautiful stuff. I\u2019m a tabletop director based in Seattle with national experience (Chick-fil-A, IHOP). Currently staying busy with productions in the $200k-ish range. Here’s my reel: [link].<\/p>\n

    Would you be open to a quick call next week? I’m freelance and respond quickly to all clearance requests.”<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s break down why this works. It opens by showing you\u2019ve looked at their work, lays out your relevant experience, sets clear expectations about the size of work you’ve seen success with, establishes your freelance status, and provides immediate access to your work. Most importantly, it’s brief while giving all the essential information an EP needs to decide if you might be a good fit for their projects. This is exactly the kind of email I love to receive.<\/p>\n

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    Keep Your Showreel Fresh & Accessible<\/strong><\/p>\n

    A small element that often gets overlooked (and it\u2019s a pet peeve that I would love to see freelancers get better at): please make sure your work is downloadable somewhere centralized. This isn’t just a convenience issue \u2013 it\u2019s a necessity. EPs need to be able to pull your spots quickly when pitching you. If your work is buried in a password-protected Vimeo account or spread across multiple platforms, you’re creating unnecessary friction in a process that needs to be seamless.<\/p>\n

    Also, don\u2019t assume any EP is regularly checking your site. You want EPs to be submitting you with your latest and greatest work, so anytime you have something new, add it to your centralized download link and let your EPs know it\u2019s there. A simple \u2018Hey, just added my new Nike spot to my reel link – proud of how it turned out\u2019 is all you need.<\/p>\n

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    Read Briefs, Run Clearances, Get Submitted<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Now, let\u2019s talk about clearing yourself and submitting on boards. This is where the rubber meets the road in freelance directing. The golden rule is simple: read the damn brief (if you can), and respond to clearance requests within 30 minutes whenever possible.<\/p>\n

    First, the brief. You won\u2019t always receive the brief (and that\u2019s okay). Many boards are bound by NDAs, and keeping sensitive information private is a good thing. So if an EP can\u2019t share the board with you, I\u2019d recommend taking them at their word. But you should try to gather as much information as you can about the assignment, and decide if you\u2019re a good fit.<\/p>\n

    Whatever you do, never assume the sales rep or the EP selected you based on the script\u2019s specifics. Unfortunately, in my experience, a lot of the thought process that happens with some EPs and sales reps goes like this: \u201cOh! This is a comedy script! Let me submit Jill! She does comedy!\u201d Just because you do comedy, and the board is comedic, it doesn\u2019t make you a good fit. It\u2019s on you as a freelancer to filter out jobs on which you\u2019re not a good fit. If you\u2019re not right for the job, or think the budget is unrealistic, be direct about it. Here\u2019s how that might look:<\/p>\n

    “Hey, thanks for thinking of me. I think this is too VFX-heavy for my reel to compete well. I’m going to pass. Next time!”<\/p>\n

    “Hey, love this script but I can’t pull this off for $90k. I think they’re being a little ambitious. Bummed, but I’m going to have to pass. Thanks!”<\/p>\n

    This kind of honesty saves everyone time and, more importantly, builds trust. Any time you\u2019re submitted on something for which you\u2019re not a good fit, you\u2019re diluting the value of your name.<\/p>\n

    Once you decide you are a good fit, clear yourself, and quickly. \u2018Clearing\u2019 simply means giving a production company permission to send you in. Remember, you\u2019re freelance now\u2014NOBODY has permission to submit you unless you grant it to them. Generally speaking, clear yourself in under 30 minutes. This isn\u2019t about being overly eager; it\u2019s about respecting a process that needs to move very quickly and not introducing unnecessary slowdowns to the system. A simple email or text to the EP saying \u201call clear, thanks for thinking of me\u201d is sufficient.<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve cleared yourself, have a system to track what you\u2019re up for, who submitted you, and when. This is mostly about avoiding double submissions. If you\u2019re submitted by two companies on the same job, everyone looks bad\u2014you, the production companies, and any reps involved. Here\u2019s a common mistake by novice freelancers: A director notes only the client name in their records, not the agency name. Then they receive a clearance request that only mentions the agency and accidentally clear themselves twice.<\/p>\n

    This isn\u2019t just about avoiding double submissions\u2014it\u2019s about managing your potential pipeline and making informed decisions about your availability. I know directors who track this with spreadsheets, phone notes, pen and paper, or who engage a freelance manager to handle it. Whatever works for you is fine. Just have a system.<\/p>\n

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    Don’t Share Boards<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This note warrants its own section. So much of the hesitation from independent sales reps when it comes to freelancers is about board privacy and confidentiality. Please, if you\u2019re a freelancer reading this, never share a board or a lead.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re on the roster at a production company but not exclusive, and that company is requiring you to send them boards so they can have a \u201cfirst look\u201d and chase down the lead, stop doing that. It might seem harmless, but every time a lead is shared, it hurts all of our collective reputation. Protecting board privacy isn\u2019t just about ethics. It\u2019s about maintaining trust, keeping doors open, and ensuring that freelancers are taken seriously in the industry.<\/p>\n

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    Check Your Schedule Before Committing<\/strong><\/p>\n

    After you\u2019ve been submitted, if the agency likes your reel, they\u2019ll ask the production company to confirm your availability before finalizing the bid pool. If an EP is reaching out to check your schedule post-submission, that\u2019s a great sign, because it means you\u2019re close to being bid. But this is also the moment to take scheduling details seriously.<\/p>\n

    If you have conflicts or hesitations about working with the production company that submitted you, this is the time to withdraw. If you back out before the bid pool is finalized, you do not look bad, and neither does the production company. Do what you need to do to make sure you\u2019re one hundred percent all-in on the job. That might mean talking with the production company to ensure they\u2019ll give you the treatment support you need, making sure your calendar is open enough to take on the job, or rearranging prior commitments.<\/p>\n

    Whatever you do, never withdraw after the bid pool has been formed. This is the fastest way to damage your reputation, hurt the production company that\u2019s bidding on you, and make it harder for all freelancers to be taken seriously. I\u2019ve had directors drop out after the bid pool was finalized because their schedules changed, and I\u2019ll never work with those freelancers again.<\/p>\n

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    Get a Deal Memo in Place<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you win the job, congrats. Winning is brutal in this industry and insanely hard. Any win, no matter how small, is something to be proud of. But before you go any further, get a deal memo in place with the production company. Never do a handshake deal.<\/p>\n

    A deal memo doesn\u2019t need to be complicated. Any written agreement is considered binding, as long as it includes:<\/p>\n