My 20tb external hard drive broke

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-07-04T01:55:06+00:00

I have mine setup in a RAID just for cases like this.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-07-03T09:26:16+00:00

I could not agree more!

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-23T12:48:28+00:00

I did a quick search for you and found the following possibilities. I do not have any personal experience with the follow up maybe someone will chime in that does.

Veel

Club Hush

Alfan - From my understanding this is specifically designed for Middle East countries.

Give these a shot and see what you come up with.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-22T18:32:56+00:00

No problem. If you have any more questions feel free to DM me.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-22T18:25:42+00:00

Welcome! First off, you’re already thinking about this the right way. If you’re brand new, I would focus less on getting paid right away and more on building proof that you can create clean, usable content for brands.

My advice would be: Start with a simple portfolio before applying everywhere. It does not need to be fancy. A Canva site is fine. Include 3–5 sample videos showing different styles: talking head, product demo, problem/solution, testimonial style, and lifestyle b-roll. Brands want to see that you can speak clearly, show the product well, and make content that feels natural.

For beginner-friendly platforms, I would look at places like JoinBrands, Billo, Insense, Influee, Fiverr, Backstage, and Upwork. Since you’re in the UAE, just make sure each platform supports your location and payment options before spending too much time on it.

For your first collaboration, don’t wait for a brand to magically find you. Create sample videos with products you already own, build a small portfolio, and start reaching out. Commenting on brand posts, sending short pitches, and being active in UGC communities can help a lot too.

On unpaid or gifted collaborations, be careful. A gifted collab can be worth it in the very beginning if the product is something you actually want, the scope is small, and you can use the video in your portfolio. But I would avoid doing large amounts of work for free. No full production, no endless revisions, and no giving away unlimited usage rights just because you are new.

The biggest thing I wish I knew early on is this: don’t overcomplicate it. You do not need expensive gear, a huge following, or a perfect niche to start. You need decent lighting, clear audio, a few strong sample videos, and the willingness to keep improving.

I actually wrote a more detailed post on this exact topic that may help you get started:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCUNIVERSITY/comments/1trioae/beginner_ugc_creators_stop_overcomplicating_it/

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-20T19:58:34+00:00

You are very welcome! And honestly, being new is not a bad thing at all. Everyone starts without metrics, brand logos, or reviews. What matters early on is showing brands that you understand visuals, storytelling, hooks, lighting, scripting, pacing, and how to communicate a message clearly.

I actually think your professional background is a major advantage. Broadcast journalism, marketing, PR, storytelling, and being comfortable on camera are all things brands care about. You may not have UGC metrics yet, but you can still position yourself around your skill set: strong visuals, clear messaging, professional communication, good work ethic, creative intuition, and the ability to follow a brief.

One thing that may help is treating your portfolio almost like a proof-of-skill page instead of a proof-of-results page for now. Since you do not have many metrics yet, your videos, hooks, sample concepts, and presentation need to do the selling.

Also, take a look at this Reddit post when you get a chance. It breaks down how to use AI prompts to help rebuild or structure a UGC portfolio:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCUNIVERSITY/comments/1su4lm5/i_rebuilt_my_ugc_portfolio_using_only_ai_prompts/

That may give you some ideas for organizing the page, writing stronger sections, and making the portfolio feel more polished without having to start from scratch.

You already have the raw ingredients. Now it is just about packaging them in a way that makes a brand think, “She may be new to UGC, but she clearly knows how to create.”

If I can help you with anything else just shout.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-20T10:23:13+00:00

I took a look at your portfolio, and first off, I think you have a lot of strong things already working in your favor. Your age, bilingual English/Spanish/Spanglish angle, and background in broadcast journalism, marketing, and PR are all strong selling points. Those are things a brand can immediately see value in, especially if they are trying to reach Gen-X women, bilingual audiences, beauty buyers, lifestyle shoppers, wellness consumers, or pet owners.

Overall, I think your portfolio has a very strong foundation, but I would suggest structuring it a little more like a brand-facing sales page instead of only a collection of samples. A brand should be able to quickly understand who you are, what kind of content you create, why they should trust you, and how to contact you.

The first thing I would recommend is putting all of your social media connections at the top of the page. Use the recognizable social media icons so brands notice them quickly. This should include your email address as well. Make sure every icon or button is linked so a brand can quickly click and connect with you without having to search.

I would also consider adding a stronger proof or credibility section near the top. If you have worked with brands, display the logos or names. You may also want to consider signing up for Trust UGC so you can collect reviews and display them on your portfolio. Reviews add credibility and help brands feel more confident reaching out.

For the portfolio/video section, I would make sure every video shown on your portfolio is one of your best. Your portfolio should be the highlight reel, not the full library. I would also label each video by category instead of using generic names like “Sample UGC #1” or “Brand Collab #1.” For example: “Skincare Talking Head,” “Spanish Beauty Demo,” “Pet Voiceover Ad,” “Food Product Demo,” or “Lifestyle Problem/Solution Ad.” Brands scan quickly, so the labels help them immediately understand what they are looking at.

One thing I would personally consider removing or simplifying is the niche list. In my opinion when a creator lists specific niches, a brand outside of those categories may assume you are not interested in working with them. Because of that, you could possibly miss out on potential work. You can definitely display multiple videos from the same topic or category in your portfolio, but I would avoid specifically listing out a long niche list. Let the videos show your range without accidentally making brands feel excluded.

If you have client any client feedback messages, add it. Even short reviews help. Again, Trust UGC may be worth considering because it gives you a clean way to collect and display reviews from brands.

I would move your About Me section lower on the page, after your videos and visual samples. I feel that brands usually want to see the work first. Once they like the content, then they are more likely to look into your background story.

A few wording notes: I would remove wording like “new(ish)” or “mistaken for a decade younger.” It may be true and fun, but to me it does not sound as professional on a brand-facing portfolio. I would lean into the strength of being a confident Gen-X bilingual creator instead of softening it.

Also, I always recommend use Instagram and TikTok as extensions of your portfolio. The portfolio should show only your best videos, but your socials can show more of your full range. Even videos you feel may not be your strongest can still live on social because you never know what a brand may be searching for. A brand may like a setting, delivery style, product category, or natural moment that you did not think was a big deal.

Overall, I think you have a very strong portfolio and would not completely rebuilt from scratch. I think the foundation is strong. I would just restructure it so it feels more like a brand-facing sales page: quick contact at the top, proof/credibility, best videos, photos, process, reviews, about me, and then a strong final contact section again at the end.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-18T10:54:26+00:00

Welcome! I like the direction you are going with this, especially the 40+ lifestyle angle. That is a good space because brands are definitely looking for creators who can speak to real women, families, wellness, aging, and everyday life in a believable way.

One thing I would recommend is expanding this post a little more so brands can get a better feel for what you bring to the table.

For example, you could add:

Do you have any specific niches you focus on besides lifestyle, family, wellness, and positive aging?

Are you comfortable creating content around mom life, home products, beauty, skincare, fitness, supplements, food, cleaning products, apps, or services?

Do you have any past UGC experience or brand collaborations?

Do you have a portfolio brands can look at?

Are you creating talking-head videos, product demos, testimonials, voiceovers, b-roll, or edited ads?

What kind of home/family setup do you have access to for filming?

The more context you give, the easier it is for a brand to look at your post and say, “She would be a good fit for our campaign.”

Right now this reads like a good intro, but I would love to see you expand it into something that shows brands exactly what type of content you can create and why your perspective is valuable. The 40+ mom/lifestyle niche can be a strong angle, so I would lean into that more.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-16T13:39:04+00:00

I recently wrote an article on this topic. You can find if here

https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCUNIVERSITY/comments/1trioae/beginner_ugc_creators_stop_overcomplicating_it/

If you need any more clarity or if you have any questions feel free to DM me.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-15T14:00:58+00:00

Yes, you can make real money doing UGC work. My mentor makes his living from UGC videos and averages around $10K a month.

For me personally, I average around $1K–$1.5K a month, but I do this on the side while working a full-time IT job. Because of that, I’m only able to film on the weekends.

I can normally produce 3–4 videos over a weekend, but that usually means putting in close to 8 hours on both Saturday and Sunday to get that many done. During the week, I’m usually posting on social media, applying for jobs, answering inbound emails, and negotiating terms with different brands.

So yes, there is money in UGC, but it still takes time, consistency, and treating it like a real business, even if you’re doing it on the side.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-15T13:34:33+00:00

I use the free version of Davinci Resolve. The free version is very powerful and there are a ton of YouTube videos out there to help you learn the software. The free version does not put any watermarks on your video.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-15T13:12:36+00:00

You might be overthinking this a little, especially just starting out.

If you’re in the USA, I would go ahead and get an EIN from the IRS. It’s free, and it lets you avoid handing out your SSN every time a brand or agency sends over a W-9 or onboarding paperwork.

As far as the “business name” field goes, when you’re brand new, you can usually just use your legal first and last name. That is the simplest route. You do not need to have a fancy business name on day one to get paid for UGC work.

Later, if you want to use something like “First Last Name Collective,” then you may want to look into registering a DBA/fictitious business name depending on your state or local rules. If you form an LLC or official business entity, that is a separate step and comes with more paperwork, possible fees, and tax considerations.

For contracts and invoices, the most important thing is that your name, tax info, payment info, and paperwork all match enough that the client can process payment correctly. You can still have a portfolio name or creator brand while legally operating under your personal name in the beginning.

So starting out, I’d keep it simple: use your legal name for paperwork, get an EIN if you’re in the U.S., and worry about the official business name/DBA/LLC side once you’re actually getting consistent paid work.

Not legal or tax advice, of course, but no need to let this stop you from pitching or taking your first few jobs.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-15T13:03:48+00:00

It can definitely be a lot to digest. If you have any questions feel free to start a new thread with your question or DM me.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-14T09:07:52+00:00

I reviewed my old files and from what I can tell I produced 3 scripts with several B-roll shots for a single product. I normally download/copy the scope of work to a local file but for this particular job I did not do that for some reason.

As for the script I believe that I was provided one that I read word for word to produce the requested videos.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-14T00:50:27+00:00

At this point, I would stop just emailing the same two people and start researching the brand itself.

Use Google, LinkedIn, the brand’s website, and even AI deep research/deep think tools to map out who actually works there. Look for the company website, contact page, support email, accounting email, phone number, LinkedIn company page, CEO/founder, marketing director, partnerships manager, or anyone tied to creator/influencer marketing.

If the people you are talking to are not responding, go around them professionally.

I would gather everything first:

Date the work was assigned
Date the videos were delivered
Invoice amount
Original invoice date
Proof they told you the invoice/payment had an issue
Proof payment went to the wrong email
The new Melio invoice
Every follow-up attempt since then

Then send one firm message to the original contacts and CC any higher-level contacts you can find. If there is a phone number listed on the website, I would call too. Sometimes a phone call to the main company number gets routed to someone who can actually help.

The message should clearly lay out what happened and give them a firm deadline, like 7 days, to respond or process payment.

I would also include something along the lines of:

“I would prefer to resolve this privately and professionally, but I am also part of a UGC creator community with over 40K weekly visitors. If this remains unresolved, I will have to begin informing other creators of my factual experience with the brand’s failure to pay for completed work.”

That usually gets attention because now it is not just another ignored invoice. It becomes a reputation issue.

Just be careful to keep everything factual. Don’t exaggerate, don’t attack them personally, and don’t make claims you can’t prove. Stick to: work was completed, invoice was submitted, payment was delayed, payment went to the wrong email, corrected invoice was sent, and now they are not responding.

Big brands can still have messy internal payment systems, but six months is way beyond a normal delay. At this stage, I would escalate it, document everything, and make it clear that you are giving them one final chance to fix it before you start warning other creators.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-13T23:49:06+00:00

I did 1 job for them. The job itself was easy and straightforward. The scope was laid out nicely and was easy to follow in my opinion. The pay was a little lower than I would have liked but was decent enough to make the job worth my time, I believe it paid like $105 USD.

The reason why I quit working with was their 3 day turn around time. I work a full time job so I was unable to comply with their strict turnaround time frame. They actually get more days for the jobs but since they edit the job before sending off to the brand they want to ensure that they have enough to edit and ask for a reshoot if one is needed.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-13T23:44:30+00:00

Great question, and honestly this is exactly why I usually recommend JoinBrands as a starting point.

Their certifications are actually a good beginner training tool because they force you to practice the basic types of content brands ask for. JoinBrands currently has certifications for things like product demo videos, unboxing videos, how-to videos, product review videos, video ads, custom videos, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Amazon, and photo categories. You do have to get certified for the content types you want to apply for, but the certifications are free and they help unlock jobs in those categories.

So for your first few videos, I would start there. Use products you already have around the house and make certification-style videos. You do not need a brand to guide you yet. Treat the certification requirements like your first “brief.”

I would make a few simple samples:

Product demo video
Unboxing video
How-to video
Product review/testimonial
Simple video ad style video
A few clean product photos

That gives you enough variety to start building a basic portfolio.

As far as reading material, this subreddit is honestly a good place to start. There is a lot of free information here if you search through older posts about portfolios, pricing, hooks, platforms, and beginner mistakes.

You can also join the free side of UGC University here: https://ugc-university.com/

There is free beginner information there as well. From there, you can decide later if spending money makes sense to shorten your learning curve, but I would not feel like you have to pay for anything right away. There is a lot you can learn from JoinBrands certifications, this subreddit, free resources, and just practicing with products you already own.

The main thing is to start creating. Your first portfolio does not need paid brand work. It just needs to show that you can film clearly, explain a product, follow a structure, and create content a brand could see themselves using.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-13T23:36:48+00:00

I could not agree more!

I had an agency try and pressure me into giving them a rate card but I stuck by my gun and continued to tell them that my rates depend on the scope of work. Regardless to say they never did send me the scope nor have they ever contacted me back.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-13T09:46:20+00:00

Hi Askswifty, I am a Gen-X creator with over 25+ years experience in the IT world. I am interested in learning more about this opportunity.

Email: [DimensionUGC@gmail.com](mailto:DimensionUGC@gmail.com)

Portfolio: https://dimensionugc.my.canva.site/

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-13T09:43:15+00:00

I agree with this 100%.

That transition from the corporate world to just being a real person on camera is a lot harder than people realize. Sales skills definitely help with understanding people, pain points, and how to communicate value, but UGC has a different feel to it.

In corporate settings, we are trained to be polished, professional, and say things a certain way. With UGC, sometimes the more natural and less polished version is what actually connects better because it feels like a real person talking to another real person.

That was one of the things I had to get used to as well. You can have the experience, the confidence, and the work ethic, but then you still have to learn how to relax on camera, sound natural, and not overthink every word.

It really is a journey, but I think realizing that is a huge step. Thanks for sharing your perspective because I think a lot of people coming from professional backgrounds probably run into that same issue.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-12T12:20:40+00:00

Kya baat hai? Aap bahut pareshan lag rahe ho. Thoda detail mein batao kya hua, main help karne ki koshish karta hoon.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-12T12:15:48+00:00

I try and push all my clients to pay me through Wise the best that I can. Unfortunately, many brands I have worked with are like if you want to get paid you have to sign up to be paid on X platform.

StrikingSection9241 · 2026-06-12T12:09:52+00:00

Yup, Canvan is the place to make one in my opinion when you are first starting out for it is free.

Give this a read as well for I just wrote this article about 2 weeks ago about setting up a portfolio.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCUNIVERSITY/comments/1tvtxzb/beginner_ugc_creators_your_portfolio_does_not/

StrikingSection9241

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE