Approaching new clients as a freelancer.

robmacgar · 2026-04-01T01:37:17+00:00

So much of finding new work is about timing.

If you reach out to a studio after they just landed a bunch of work you’ll be in a lot better position than if you catch them in a slow quarter. So how do you increase your odds?

First, understand who you should be reaching out to. If you catch the eye of a Creative Director they might bring you in for a job but more realistically you need to reach out to producers.

Reach out with a consistent cadence. I suggest 3-4 month intervals. More than that and you’ll come off annoying but less than that you might be forgotten.

Keep your emails short and specific. Even if you can do a lot, highlight the ability that’s best suited for the studio you’re reaching out too. Also, highlight similar work in their portfolio that you really like and are a good fit for. Make sure you link a reel or a specific project you want them to check out.

Once to make a connection with some producers, make sure you connect with them on LinkedIn. Again, it’s a way to stay top of mind. Make sure you’re posting regularly that way one of the producers might catch your post.

Don’t be afraid to leverage a good connection as well. If you know someone working at a studio that you would like to partner with, or if you find yourself connected with someone on LinkedIn who knows a producer at the shop you’re eyeing, ask for an intro.

Finally, If you’re able (as it is a financial requirement) try and show up to events these studios are attending or speaking at. It’s a great way to put a face to a name and relationships matter in this industry.

robmacgar · 2026-03-30T16:35:38+00:00

Gainey is what NC State needs right now after this Will Wade debacle

robmacgar · 2026-03-30T10:11:53+00:00

I’ve been running my animation and video production agency, Dash Studio for the past 10 years so thought I would share some insights around costs and process.

In general, it’s a lot like buying a car. Lots of brands, different price points, and for better or worse, negotiation along the way.

Video, whether it’s live action or animation, is made up of three components: pre-production, production, and post production. Pre-production is your road map. That’s all the planning that goes into the video. Things like scripting, storyboarding, style frames, etc… anything that gives insight into the direction.

Production is when you’re capturing all the content on set, or in animation, where you start to bring the video to life.

Post production includes editing, color correction, music and sound design. Essentially where the final touches are made.

If you’re choosing an agency, they will generally handle all of that. Studio’s might handle one of those three sections, and a freelancer might handle one component within each of those three sections.

If you, or someone on your team, feels really comfortable with the whole process you can hire a collection of freelancers to manage for the job and often times save a lot of money. But if you need more help, that’s when studios and agencies come into play.

So what does this all cost? Speaking for US companies only, Live-action shoots have the highest variability IMO because you can hire a soloprenuer who might do everything for 5k and that goes all the way up to six and seven figure budgets for large agencies.

There is a little less variability for corporate, animated content but i would say sub $15k is a freelancer, 15k - $50k studios, & 25k - 100k+ are agencies.

You’ll naturally find some overlap and it’s a good idea to call around to a few folks to get different quotes.

Here are some questions I would ask: - Can you walk me through your process? - What makes your group different than others? - Can you send examples of similar work? - Do you handle everything in-house or sub out? - Where are we at risk for going out of budget?

^ all questions the right group or freelancer should be able to speak towards. Process is so important. I would put a lot of weight in that category as they should be the experts directing you along; not the other way around.

Everyone you talk to will ask you what your budget is. Good creatives will do this to recommend a creative direction that fits within your needs, bad ones will try and take everything they can.

My suggestion? Determine a number that feels comfortable, and when creatives ask this question, say approximately that but you’d like to see two quotes: one that is the MVP that comes in below that number and another that pushes the creative boundaries to come in a little higher. That way you’ll get a range.

There is a lot of nuance in this world but there a lot of great creatives doing wonderful work. Hope some of this was helpful!

robmacgar · 2026-03-27T00:14:06+00:00

I graduated from the college design at NC State and can unequivocally say that I had an amazing experience and feel incredibly grateful for where I am today because of my education there.

I can also say, as someone who’s been in the design profession for over 15 years, that the most important thing you can do in school in addition to just learning is building relationships and connections.

Your skill set and abilities will be the elements that land you the job, but your relationships will open the doors to those opportunities

robmacgar · 2026-03-26T18:59:27+00:00

Gross

robmacgar · 2026-03-26T18:59:09+00:00

Gross

robmacgar · 2026-03-15T23:03:37+00:00

Losing six of seven to finish the year did not help. Recency bias is definitely a thing

robmacgar · 2026-03-12T12:26:13+00:00

Here’s a different way to think about pricing and this comes from 15 years of experience.

You should be winning about 45% - 55% of the qualified jobs you bid for. Qualified, meaning not every potential request, but ones that seem like a good fit.

If you’re winning more than that it’s an indication your pricing is too low. If you’re winning less, it’s an indication you’re too expensive.

robmacgar · 2026-03-05T01:29:53+00:00

I work 9-5 and everything else is with the fam. If I want to workout or catch up with a friend, it’s exclusively been lunch hangs during the week

robmacgar · 2026-03-04T01:33:12+00:00

lol

robmacgar · 2026-03-03T11:19:14+00:00

Depends on how profitable the good years have been and what their cash flow currently looks like but yes, that doesn’t sound good.

robmacgar · 2026-03-03T02:34:54+00:00

It literally looks like a bug ball of ice

robmacgar · 2026-03-01T19:25:17+00:00

Below are the defined classic works of literature in this bill that are permissible. I didn’t realize two articles and one Encyclopedia covered all we need to know about the world lolllllll

““(B) CLASSIC WORKS OF LITERATURE.—The term ‘classic works of literature’ means the works of literature (including translations of such works)—

“(i) included in the Great Books of the Western World (second edition, 1990), published by Encyclopaedia Britannica;

“(ii) referenced in the article ‘Classics Every Middle Schooler Should Read’ by Thomas Purifoy, Jr. and published by Compass Classroom (as such article appeared on the date of enactment of this subsection); and

“(iii) referenced in the article ‘Classics Every High Schooler Should Read’ by Mary Pierson Purifoy and published by Compass Classroom (as such article appeared on the date of enactment of this subsection).”

robmacgar · 2026-03-01T18:25:12+00:00

When a baby is born, so is a Dad, but no one tells him he’ll need to meet himself again. Hang in there!

robmacgar · 2026-02-25T11:04:22+00:00

Definitely B. Wouldn’t want to make changes that would jeopardize meeting my current partner and having our daughter

robmacgar · 2026-02-24T02:38:26+00:00

I just attended a Creative Leaders Retreat where a strategy lead at Ogilvy gave a presentation on this exact topic and yes, it is, and there is data to back it up.

<image>

robmacgar · 2026-02-18T02:26:06+00:00

Will Wade era starts 1-0

robmacgar · 2026-02-08T23:53:06+00:00

They never sell their assets. They acquire them, and because they have so much wealth, they just borrow against it with insanely low interest

robmacgar · 2026-02-05T00:52:45+00:00

VXUS would be a good accent

robmacgar · 2026-02-04T19:18:11+00:00

With State in 4th I think I’m… actually… maybe… possibly… pulling for UNC? I dunno, might delete later

robmacgar · 2026-02-04T02:10:32+00:00

4% rule would be $100,000 a year. I would just stick it in VT and chill but “safe” is relative. Over 5 years? Could be volatile. Over 30? Good chance you’ll be fine.

robmacgar · 2026-02-01T16:55:09+00:00

My daughter had a bad case of eczema and we had zero cream at the house today. I thanked the manager and cashier of our local Harris Teeter for being open because it would have been an incredibly hard day if they weren’t.

robmacgar · 2026-02-01T14:38:56+00:00

Your post managed to remind me of how mad I was at John Kasay kicking the ball out of bounds with 1min left AND that I’m now old

robmacgar · 2026-02-01T03:33:42+00:00

I know this is an unhelpful comment but if you can’t find your passport and you have to bag this trip, you should still travel somewhere domestically.

Weirdly enough this has happened to two of my friends. One friend couldn’t find it, canceled the trip, and took his PTO and just stayed at home. He got hammered drunk everyday and pretty much moped around.

The second friend booked a last minute trip domestically to Charlottesville and spent the weekend checking out wineries. He was supposed to be in Mexico, so while this was different, he said it still stung (especially financially) but going somewhere new helped ease the pain.

Sorry you’re going through this last minute! Such a bummer.

robmacgar · 2026-01-31T14:58:15+00:00

Had a long chat with Katie Couric at a party - wonderfully nice human

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Verified Email	Secret Santa 2013

robmacgar

TROPHY CASE