The Freelance Remuda: Navigating the Equine Media Frontier

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Welcome to our milestone episode 60! In our first segment, we have important news to share about our Freelance Remuda podcast—you don't want to miss it. In our second segment, we have a great interview with Tayler Bicandi, Chief Social Strategist with Incanto Sports Group. She's an equine media pro who leads digital storytelling for top Western athletes and brands. We hope you enjoy our conversation!

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Welcome to Episode 59, where we are unpacking media package pricing! The rise of private media hasn't slowed, and more freelancers are finding their niche helping clients shine at horse shows. Today, we have Chelsea Lothrop of Chelsea Lothrop Photography with us, who covers English events for clients. Chelsea loves numbers, so she helps break down pricing for packages, plus we chat about creating media at an event and deliverables for clients. It's all facts here!

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In today’s episode, Abigail & Kate talk about our summer activities—work related and otherwise— and then visit with Ross Hecox, who we’ve both worked with in various capacities. We talk about his career and shifting with the times, and we really appreciated his insights on the state of publishing, and being lifelong storytellers. We hope you enjoy!

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We have a nice long episode for you today! Kate and Abigail discuss their hectic recent weeks, including a fun story-gathering trip and Freelance Remuda retreat together in South Dakota, then we chat with Solo Select Horses founder Melanie Smith about how she uses marketing to promote her multiple equine businesses. Lastly, fellow equine media pro Jennifer Denison joined us during our Freelance Remuda retreat to recap the American Horse Publications conference.

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In today’s episode, Kate and Abigail talk about our experiences with equine event media policies, we have a great conversation with event photographer Stacy Judd, and we end by a short discussion about publication freelancer contracts and guidelines. We hope our conversation today offers insights on equine event media, and we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Welcome to our first episode of 2025! Kate and Abigail discussed goals and upcoming projects for The Freelance Remuda, and then we sat down with marketing expert Chelsea Sutton. Chelsea’s unique skill set includes solid business and marketing knowledge, plus a deep background in equine events. She’s a notable horse show announcer and podcast producer, and brings an infectious energy to our conversation. We hope you enjoy today’s episode as much as we did putting it together!

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In Episode 54, we’re chatting about small businesses and defining your version of success! Abigail and Kate discuss their experiences and challenges in balancing horse show life with freelance work, and then dig into interviews with two social media and marketing experts: Kelly Giardano of Avenue Equestrian, and Denise Alvarez of Stormlily Marketing. These guests shared strategies for marketing and business growth, tailored to equestrian entrepreneurs. Both of us took notes and were inspired to immediately implement some of their strategies. We hope you find this episode helpful!

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In Episode 53, we’re chatting about social media! Our extended interview is with social media consultant Lydia Kyle, where she gives LOTS of great advice. And in our intro segment, we’re announcing our upcoming Freelance Remuda Cowboy Country Workshop.

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In Episode 52, Abigail and Kate are talking about equine books! First, Kate and Abigail discuss Abigail’s experiences writing her first book, which is coming out this summer. Next, we chat with Rebecca Didier, managing editor and graphic designer at Trafalgar Square Books, the leading publisher of equestrian books and videos. We hope our conversations are helpful, whether you’re looking to write your own book or are simply an avid reader.

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In this episode we are digging into marketing: freelancing as a marketing professional, and promoting your services and brand authentically. We discuss how we’re handling summer schedules and upcoming pitching season, and dive deep into conversations with Ashton Kirkeide and Mackenzie Kimbro.

This is the FULL episode with nearly 30 extra minutes. The previous Episode 47 cut off at 52 minutes, unbeknownst to us. Please enjoy the rest of the interview with Mackenzie--you absolutely won't want to miss what she has to say!

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In Episode 51, Abigail and Kate visited with two movers and shakers in the equine video and Western television media scene! First, we talked to Lily Rhodes, a digital marketer and social media manager who creates content we love for equine brands. Next, we chatted with Karlee Peterson, an executive producer at The Cowboy Channel, about her rise from interning at the National High School Rodeo Finals to heading up the Cowboy Channel. What are your thoughts about this episode? Let us know at freelanceremuda@gmail.com.

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In Episode 50, we’re talking with two equine media professionals about AI – Artificial Intelligence – and how it is changing the way we create! We visit with photographer Shelley Paulson about how she’s seen AI affect photographers and the images being generated. In segment two, we visit with writer and marketer Katie Navarra Bradley about how AI can be used to a writer’s benefit. We hope you find today’s episode insightful and eye-opening. Let us know your thoughts in our Facebook group, or email freelanceremuda@gmail.com.

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This is our last episode of 2023, and today Kate Bradley Byars and Abigail Boatwright discuss our thoughts on the current state of equine media—print, digital, social media and more. We are then joined by the king of equine podcasts, Glenn Hebert for an insightful chat about where podcasting is today. Holly Caccamise of Horse llustrated rounded out our conversation as we discussed print and digital magazines. We hope you enjoy!

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In today’s episode, you’ll hear conversations with “Cowgirl Comedian” Chelsea Edsall and quintessential freelancer Lizzie Iwersen. Both of these amazing women are carving their own career paths out of opportunities that present themselves through friendships and connections they have made in the horse world. In our first segment, Kate and Abigail chat about our new freelancer retreat, and some of our favorite guest blog posts on our Freelance Remuda website. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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In this episode Kate and Abigail are digging into marketing: freelancing as a marketing professional, and promoting your services and brand authentically. We discuss how we’re handling summer schedules and upcoming pitching season, and dive deep into conversations with freelance marketing pro Ashton Kirkeide and Western influencer Mackenzie Kimbro.

Let us know what you think of this episode - you can email us or even better, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Show notes

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In this episode, Kate and Abigail discuss some recent adventures with work, and in the main segment we visited with author Liz Hughey about her children’s book series featuring mule packing. We also share a preview of the self-marketing for freelancers panel that we are co-moderating at the upcoming American Horse Publications annual conference, and a bit about two other sessions in which we are panelists. Don’t miss our announcement about our annual in-person Freelance Remuda Gathering at AHP!

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In Episode 45, Abigail and Kate explore how to get the most out of learning opportunities: workshops, online courses and other means to improve your craft and broaden your niche. We talked with photographer Chris Dickinson about his photography journey and his sought-after photography retreats, and Nicole Poyo Brennan about her evolution from Virginia college student to Great Basin ranch photographer. We hope you enjoy!

Episode notes: http://www.freelanceremuda.com/blog/2023/4/18/episode45-learning-growing-and-gaining

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Welcome to Episode 44 of The Freelance Remuda. In this episode, Abigail and Kate talk about Kate’s recent trip to the Art of the Cowgirl and Abigail’s current book project. We also interviewed two photographers: rodeo photographer Christopher “Click” Thompson, and equine/wildlife/fine art photographer Phyllis Burchett. Our wonderful guests shared so much of their interesting experiences, as well as helpful education—we even took some notes—and we think you’ll want to do the same!

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Welcome to another episode of The Freelance Remuda! Today, Kate and Abigail kick us off by discussing how we found the right audience for each of our businesses. Next, we talked with equine portrait photographer Rachel Griffin about how she established her business in a new location and how she’s rebranded. And finally, we discussed building a client base, rebranding, and how trainers work with equine media pros with Shannon Pigott. Let us know what you think of this episode - you can email us at freelanceremuda@gmail.com, or even better, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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In today’s episode, Kate and Abigail discuss what working at max capacity looks like, and how we figure out what the ideal workload is for ourselves. We also interviewed Jessie Jarvis, founder and CEO of ag and western job site Of the West about finding a job in the agricultural world; and Freelance Remuda’s first repeat guest, Jen Paulson of Jen Paulson Creative, about the importance of community journalism. This episode is a bit longer than usual, but we think the info you’ll glean is worth your time with us! Let us know your thoughts over on Facebook or Instagram, or shoot us an email at freelanceremuda@gmail.com

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Welcome to the 40th episode of the Freelance Remuda Podcast! You may notice a few changes starting with this episode, mainly a new format. We’re experimenting with recording several segments for one episode, and we’d sure love your feedback! Whether this is your first episode with us or your 40th, we’re glad you’re here, and we’re thankful you’re spending your valuable time with us.

Nichole Chirico is the editor of Horse & Rider magazine and the producer of Horse & Rider On Demand Online training portal. Nichole has risen through the ranks of this beloved Western publication to her current leadership role. She's also a photographer and an avid horsewoman herself. We so enjoyed talking with Nichole about how Horse & Rider’s content has evolved to reach readers across many platforms. And we think you will too.

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Today Abigail and Kate talked with Catie Staszak, a multimedia equine sports journalist. She has been an announcer and color commentator at major showjumping events and has appeared on television for a variety of sports television networks. She’s also written for many major equine magazines. Catie is the CEO of Catie Staszak Media Inc, a boutique media agency focusing on storytelling-based marketing and PR. We hope you enjoy our conversation today.

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If you’re wanting to get your feet wet in freelancing for equine media, event coverage is an excellent place to start. There is a real need for more writers to cover the vast number of horse shows occurring all over the place for magazines and websites. HOWEVER, event coverage is a unique form of journalism. Before you head out to your local rodeo, we want to talk about what you need to know to do this detailed type of writing.

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We talk a lot about writing and photography on this podcast, but another important role in equine media is graphic design. Graphic artists are critical to producing eye-catching logos, layouts, infographics and websites…the list is endless. Here to talk with us today is Avery Shifflett from Denim and Velvet, an all-in-one agency serving Western brands. We are so excited to chat with Avery, and we think you’ll enjoy our conversation.

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Lindsay Keller is the daughter in the mother-daughter duo behind The Bell Mare Book Company. Together with her mother Marilyn Domer, Lindsay has created several children’s books surrounding the cowboy way of life. With authenticity born from their own ranching lives, Lindsay and Marilyn have created two delightful books and a coloring book enjoyed by children and their parents alike. We loved hearing about their company vision and the process to make their books.

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2020 threw us a collective curveball, am I right? Thanks to a global pandemic transforming the way we worked this year, and uncertainty on many fronts, those of us carving out careers as equine media professionals have met our share of challenges this past year. But amid the chaos, there have been good things to come our way as well. Looking ahead, here at The Freelance Remuda, we thought we’d do a bit of reflecting on what we’ve learned this past year and share some of our individual (and Freelance Remuda) goals with you.

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In today’s podcast episode, we talked with Olie Moss, the founder of Olie's Images and Equine Photo School. Olie is a veteran equine event photographer, covering mainly roping competitions and barrel races. He’s shot events all over the West, including The Patriot and Wrangler Team Roping Championships. We’re so excited to share this conversation with you—listen close, he shares a huge announcement about his company during our talk. And don’t miss his educational blog post from our Event Photographer Series from earlier this month. Olie, welcome to the show!

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Milt Toby is an attorney and the president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, an organization dedicated to helping independent non-fiction writers. Milt also serves as legal counsel for the American Horse Publications, and is a frequent presenter on publishing contracts, copyright and other legal issues affecting writers at AHP seminars and other national meetings. He’s also an author, and his latest book, Taking Shergar was named the best horse racing book at the EQUUS Film & Arts Fest in 2019.

Milt has been a great source of knowledge for the American Horse Publications community, as well as our Freelance Remuda group. I’ve learned so much from talking with him, and I hope y’all will too. Today we’re going to focus on some pending laws that may affect freelancers in the United States.

show notes: http://www.freelanceremuda.com/blog/2020/1/28/episode-33-freelancer-laws-with-milt-toby

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We are staring down the end of the year—and of the decade! In this episode, Kate and Abigail sat down to talk shop for the first time in a while. We recapped 2019, discussed some changes we’re seeing in equine media and how to roll with the punches, and talked about our goals for 2020. Thanks for sticking with us—we’re so thankful for our Freelance Remuda community. We have learned so much from y’all, and you inspire us so much! We hope you have a 2020 that’s everything you’ve hoped for.

Show notes at:

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Recorded during the Elevate Your Pitch session moderated by the Freelance Remuda and fellow freelancer Jennifer Bryant, this episode walks through the hows and why of making a successful pitch to equine media content gatherers.The episode will go through four points: Precise, timely, thorough and follow up. The session was held at the 2019 American Horse Publications' Equine Media Conference.

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Kelly Artz is the founder and CEO of Entrigue Consulting, a dedicated full-service marketing company. Her company speclizes in helping brands connect with brand ambassadors—businesses sponsoring riders, for example. Kelly’s company offers a variety of services to small businesses, particularly in the horse industry. Kelly herself is a horsewoman, and we’re excited to talk with her today about how she started her company, and how marketing for equine brands is a different breed.

The Freelance Remuda Podcast explores the trials and triumphs surrounding life as a freelancer in equine media, while sharing valuable tips from equine media editors and creatives doing what they love. Visit freelanceremuda.com for more.

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Jessica Hein is the Senior Director of MemberCare & Publications for the American Paint Horse Association. She brought a lifetime of agricultural and equine experience to her role at APHA, and during her tenure at the association, she has moved up through the ranks of its multiple publications to her current position. An award-winning writer and photographer, Jessica lives just outside Fort Worth in Justin, Texas, with her husband, horses and dogs—and soon, a new baby. Abigail worked with Jessica at APHA for nearly five years, and she had a huge role in shaping the writer and journalist she is today. Both Kate and Abigail consider Jessica a great asset to the equine media industry, and we’re so pleased to have her on our show today. We look forward to her sharing her advice and wisdom, and we think you will too.

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In this episode, hosts Abigail Boatwright and Kate Bradley Byars talk to Jamie Samples, the creator of Yellow Barn Media which is a full-service marketing firm geared toward equine businesses. This Michigan native thrives on helping companies attract and develop loyal customers, and she does it on a variety of platforms: e-courses, webinars, masterminds, coaching, speaking engagements, etc. Jamie is passionate about helping businesses in our industry, and we’re excited to hear her advice for freelancers on how to promote ourselves on social media. View other episodes in the Archive at FreelanceRemuda.com

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This is Part 2 (of 2) of Abigail Boatwright's session for freelancers at the 2018 American Horse Publications Equine Media Conference in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Veteran freelancers Tracy Gantz and Jennifer Bryant joined her in discussing ways to kick off your freelance business and keep it going for the long haul, and attendees participated in a Q&A session.

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Abigail Boatwright moderated a session for freelancers at the 2018 American Horse Publications Equine Media Conference in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Abigail and veteran freelancers Tracy Gantz and Jennifer Bryant talked about ways to get your freelance career starting off on the right foot, and ways to develop yourself into a hirable freelancer long-term. We also spent a lot of time discussing questions amongst the group. This is Part 1 (of two) of the session.

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Patty Tiberg is a cornerstone in the niche publication industry. Rising through the ranks at Cowboy Publishing and on through Morris Media Network, Patty is the vice president of the company’s Equine Enthusiast Group, which houses such publications as Barrel Horse News, Quarter Horse News, Reined Cow Horse News and Western Horseman.

A fellow graduate of Texas A&M University, as well as a founding member of TAMU’s Equestrian Team, Patty is a wealth of knowledge and has become a trusted resource for both of us as we have worked with her over the years. We’re excited to share what she has to say about contract work in equine media, and how freelancers like yourself can score such a gig.

Show Notes: http://www.freelanceremuda.com

Where can listeners learn more about Cowboy Publishing?

Western Horseman

Quarter Horse News

Barrel Horse News

Equine Journal

Western Lifestyle Retailer

Ranch Horse News

Cutting Horse Chatter

Reined Cow Horse News

Horsecity

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The Freelance Remuda Podcast launched in January, and since then, we have produced two episodes each month that focused on the equine media industry. We interviewed guests including established editors and young up-and-coming media entrepreneurs, inviting them to share their expertise with you and hopefully, helping to educate and inspire you. Now, we are jumping off into a new venture with The Freelance Remuda, but don’t worry. We aren’t abandoning you. This episode, we’re going to reflect on 2017, set goals for 2018 and forecast our next step.

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Arizona author Carly Kade’s first book, “In the Reins,” has been an Amazon best seller for more than 10 weeks, is an EQUUS Film Festival Literary Award Winner for Best Western Fiction and earned her a loyal group of followers. Married with a full-time job as Manager of Strategic Talent for a Fortune 200 Energy Company, shows her Paint horse, and mom to two adopted dogs, Carly still finds time to write. In fact, Cowboy Away, the sequel to her first book will be out this year. She juggles a successful career and pursues her dream as a freelance author, and today, Carly is going to tell us how she does it!

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This episode of The Freelance Remuda Podcast features Jennifer Paulson, the editor-in-chief of Horse & Rider magazine, one of the leading Western training magazines on newsstands today. The magazine provides practical training tips from professional trainers, horsekeeping advice and insight into living the Western horse life. A horse enthusiast herself based in Colorado, Jennifer has worked at Horse & Rider since 2010. Horse & Rider is such a respected publication, and we know you'll enjoy hearing from Jen about how the magazine has evolved, what she looks for in freelancers, and what it takes to produce the right content.

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John Harrer and his wife Ranae host the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship. Podcasts about horses are few and far between, and the Whoa Podcast was an early entry into the medium. Over the last five years and more than 120 episodes in, the Harrers have carved a place in the podcast space. They interview horse people from all walks of life and equine disciplines, introducing listeners to interesting horsemen and women. The weekly show is practical and entertaining. Both hosts are avid horse enthusiasts themselves, so listeners follow along with their adventures in training, trail rides and travel.

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Kirstie Jones, of Kirstie Marie Photography, started out taking photos of her horses as a hobby. A lifelong horse lover, she competed at breed shows growing up and on TCU’s equestrian team. After college, she started her photography business as a side gig and quickly gained a loyal client base. This year, Dallas-based Kirstie quit her finance job and went full-time as an equine photographer—an exciting development for those of us who love her work! You’ve seen her photos grace magazine covers, editorial spreads and ad after ad in equine publications.

We’ve wanted to have Kirstie on the show since before we began production, but somehow it turns out that recording three days before she’s scheduled to have a baby is, of course, the perfect time. Remuda, we think you’ll love hearing what Kirstie has to say. She’s got razor-sharp business sense and one of the most distinctive styles in equine photography today.

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Since 2009, Ryan T. Bell has made a living as a freelancer travelling to Russia, South America, Canada and around the U.S. gathering stories and photographs about the Western way of life. He has been published in Western Horseman, and also in magazines like Outside, Town & Country and National Geographic. Ryan is a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellow, has a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Colorado and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative NonFiction from the University of Montana. From Montana, Ryan and his family—wife Madeline, daughters Octavia and Esme and dog Bandito—now reside in Washington state. Ryan is pretty much a badass and in this episode, we picked his brain on his process, favorite projects and his philosophy on journalism. Worth the listen!

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Shelley Paulson is an accomplished equine photographer based in Minnesota. A horse lover herself, Shelley’s unconventional background includes studying to be an opera singer, an Apple support technician, a web designer and now a photographer and filmmaker. Today, she captures beautiful images for portraits and commercial use—and she’s begun using a drone for innovative film and photography. Shelley has 13 years of experience as a professional photographer, and we’re so excited to have her on The Freelance Remuda Podcast today.

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This is the second part of our business tax and legal series. Today, we’ll be talking to James Decker, a lawyer based in the West Texas town of Stamford. James provides advice to clients about business and property ownership, including agriculture, estate planning and probate, real estate, oil and gas, business and entrepreneurship.

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Renee Sneed is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner. But Abigail first met her when she joined Texas A&M’s Equestrian Team and they were teammates. She has a background showing Paints and QH and after excelling in collegiate competition and graduating with a BBA and Masters of Science degree in Accounting, she joined one of the Big Four, Ernst & Young in Dallas. Today she works with her dad at Dirkse & Associates Limited, where she helps individuals, small and medium businesses, and farms & ranches with their tax and accounting needs. In this episode, we picked Renee’s brain about tax and accounting stuff because that is definitely outside of our wheelhouse of expertise.

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Real talk: there will always be times where you need to increase your income, and when you’re a freelancer, your income can fluctuate wildly. Lately we have been talking about what we do when we need to hit a certain financial goal, or a sudden expense comes up, or a contract falls through. Basically, what do we do when we’re kind of freaking out about money. Luckily, as freelancers, we can hustle for that extra money in a couple of ways. It’s really important to plot long-term financial goals with carefully scheduled out assignments. But sometimes, you just need to make some extra cash quick. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

About The Freelance Remuda
The Freelance Remuda is a podcast about navigating the equine media frontier. Co-hosted by seasoned freelance professionals Abigail Boatwright and Kate Bradley Byars, the podcast explores the trials and triumphs surrounding life as a freelancer in equine media, while sharing valuable tips from equine media editors and creatives doing what they love.

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Katie Navarra published her first article 16 years ago, and today is an established freelance writer living on the East Coast but contributing to multiple national publications. She has written two children's books for Story Publishing and like most in the equine media industry, she grew up passionate about horses and writing. An unconventional start to her career- she didn't attend journalism school, she completed an internship in NYC and her first professional job selling landscape supplies--have all contributed to her success as a freelance writer.

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Welcome to our special minisode where we share the Q&A portion of our session at the American Horse Publications Equine Media Conference "Recharging and Reinventing your Freelance Business” in Scottsdale, Arizona.

If you missed out on the part one of the session, revisit Episode 15!

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Recorded live at the AHP Equine Media Conference June 2017 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Session blurb: Experienced freelancers and The Freelance Remuda podcast co-hosts Abigail Boatwright and Kate Bradley Byars will discuss ways to revitalize your freelance writing or photography business. This includes identifying your strengths and how to capitalize on them, ways to improve your content offerings, and how to set yourself up for success through establishing your brand and workflow.

The episode starts with Kate & Abigail introducing themselves with some background on their work experiences.

A: Why are we doing this?

While some of you are just starting out or changing jobs, or maybe even thinking about getting into freelance, others of you are veterans in the field. In January, we launched the Freelance Remuda podcast. We started because Abigail and I found ourselves having a lot of conversations about how to excel as freelancers. We wanted to help other freelancers, and also encourage relationships between those freelancers and content buyers (clients, editors, companies). We talk about challenges as freelancers, and interview editors about what they look for in freelancers. We also talk to other equine media professionals that have advice and tips.

K: Our goal is to elevate our freelance community, and give you both encouragement and tools to do your job better and enhance your own career paths. And this session is springboarded by the FR podcast. Gathering here is a prime example of how we can all work together toward the same goal – a high quality product for content buyers that will also be beneficial to our careers. How can we do that? By focusing on three major points, we hope to give you the tools to recharge your freelance batteries and reinvent how you think about working relationships.

The discussion focuses on three main topics: building on strengths/finding your niche, goal setting & building professional relationships. Using those topics, Kate & Abigail outline how to recharge and reinvent your freelance business.

Discussion on finding a niche/build on strengths:

Kate – “I believe that my personal riding experiences and professional work experience allow me to competently write about most all Western style riding articles. However, feedback from content buyers has shown my strength lies in a training article, where I enjoy writing a profile. I pitch training articles because magazines are always looking for that educational content. When I write training articles, I typically learn something, and try to also ensure the reader has the same sense of accomplishment.”

How did I build on this strength? Suggesting training articles for magazines, working with sources I felt were professional and accomplished. That has allowed me to build a working relationship with at least two publications that rarely do not accept a training article pitch.

Abigail – training and health pieces. When I was on staff, I never volunteered to write health pieces because they were hard and they had a lot of research. Right after I became a freelancer, I went to the AAEP conference for story ideas. I came home with a bunch and wrote 8 health pieces. Now, I really love writing health pieces because my sources are usually veterinarians that are really knowledgeable. And it’s a challenge to disseminate the info in an understandable way.

So what are your strengths?

What do you already have a deep passion for? How do you back up that passion with knowledge?
Talk to your content buyers. What do they like that you produce? Examples. What you think is your strength may not be what the editors really like.
What are you interested in? What do you want to learn more about? Having an interest in a topic comes through in your writing. Follow those passions, even if its something that has been covered a lot—how can you find a different angle? Would a different magazine be interested?
READ THE MAGAZINE before you pitch!
Focus your efforts on building relationships with the publications that best suit you instead of scatter-shot style pitching to all magazines.

Set Goals > Open discussion on goal setting and development

Goals are good. But sometimes, we get so dang busy that we forget to look past the next deadline, the next few months.

Think for a minute, what inspires you? What goal do you want to reach? What can you do to achieve it? Tell us.

Abigail: Two years ago, I wanted to do a story with Lyle Lovett’s horse, Smart N Shiney, aka Mr Gorgeous. I pursued the story and the end result was award-worthy content. And, I got to meet the most beautiful horse! What are your goals? Do you have a specific magazine you want to add your byline to? A certain source you really want to work with.

Examples of questions that can kick start goal planning:

Expand your clients by a certain number of publications?
What about photography? Do you want to have a cover or learn a new technique?
Do you want to use your professional skills to branch out into a new freelance niche like a vlog, podcast or eBook?
How can you achieve these goals?
What is the timeline?

Big goals, like starting a podcast or expanding your business may require long term planning but you will have baby steps to achieve. Other goals, like adding a new client, could be done in 30 to 60 days.

Break bigger goals down to smaller steps. Identify the goal, then identify at least three means to achieve it, and make small stair step goals to hit on the way to your ultimate reward. Find a friend to help keep you accountable.

Invest in yourself to offer the best possible content, including photography. Invest in your skills through continuing education or mentorship.

CHALKBOARD METHOD (Being Boss) Set goals - including desired income or number of assignments. Make space on a calendar or whiteboard where you can track the goals. Re-evaluate monthly/quarterly/annually.

Audience question: What do you do when you're all filled up and somebody comes to you with an assignment?

Abigail Sometimes, I say no. Sometimes I tell the editor the next opening I have available for an assignment. It's better for the magazine, and it's better for me, if I cap the assignments I take on. Each publication deserves to have my best, and if I have too much work, I'm not putting out my best, and it doesn't help anyone.

Audience follow up: Do you find that they come back to you, or do they write you off because you said no?

Abigail: That is the fear. One magazine, yes, because they needed me to do a certain kind of story and I could no longer do it. But most of the time, they do come back. I don't let the ball drop. As soon as I have a space and an idea, I will go back to them and pitch it. Keep the conversation going. Don't write them off either. If they say no, they say no, but I felt it was better to protect the amount of work I have to do for everyone involved.

Kate: If you get a query that is last minute and you can't handle it, you can tell them you're booked till a certain date, and let the editor know you're available for more work after that date. That gets the magazine side thinking a little bit further out. I've come back with work because I didn't just say no, I followed up with when I was available.

Abigail: Another thing you can do in that situation is refer them to a trusted freelancer. It doesn't do any good to try to write all the stories and take all the photos. There is plenty of work for all.

Build professional relationships

You are all here, building relationships. But you don’t have to put forth a lot of money to make connections. Use a Facebook group, reach out in different ways.

Kate: Let others know what you’re up to professionally, like I did with Ireland. I know we all hold our ideas and assignments close to the vest. But sharing your projects with a work buddy or other editor can help you gain assignments. For example, I knew Abigail was available to photograph a story I was writing and suggested her to shoot. I was recently contacted to pick up an assignment in Ireland because that editor had heard through the grapevine I was there. Don’t be afraid to reach out or share what you’re up to if it will help you gain projects.

Abigail: We are colleagues, not competitors. If you feel envious of someone else's accomplishment, use that feeling to spark progress in your own goals. It serves us well to foster relationships.

Kate: Don't burn bridges. You never know who will be your boss next week.

Abigail: Diversify! Think about how you can pitch content to magazines outside the horse industry!

Expand your footprint with social media marketing and network building

Let’s talk about this. Who has a Facebook page? Twitter? Instagram? Who abhors social media? OK, now who has no idea if you actually have a return on the time investment?

Abigail: How do you brand yourself? Does your logo and your posts convey your brand?

Be sure to tune in to our minisode next week, featuring the Q&A from the AHP session!

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We've been talking with fellow freelancers lately, and some questions have cropped up about how to price projects, and about expensing. We wanted to share our thoughts, as well as some responses from the Freelance Remuda Facebook group with you below!

Read, then let us know your thoughts and how you price projects, especially when they include travel.

1. How do you price out content packages, particularly when working with a publication for the first time? Word count vs. flat fee? Do you price lower starting out?

Kate: Pricing - yikes! One publication pays by the word for news items and others pay by the article/photo package. Recently I've faced the struggle of having to send a rate to someone and it was slightly terrifying -- what if I send too high a price, and what if I lowball my work? Advice I was given was to come up with how long, in hours, it would take me to complete the article from interview to sending it off and figure up an hourly rate. I also consider the publication and what I know of their working budget. This past year, as I grew my business, I accepted assignments for less than what I had been paid by others for the same quantity of work. It was with a new client, and none of the assignments required me to travel too far from home so the expense to me was minimal. By my third assignment for them, the editor bumped me up $100 an article because she was getting quality material. Sometimes it does take a little sacrifice to build a relationship.

Abigail: Rates are so tricky. Does the magazine you're working with provide an estimated word count for your proposed article? Do they have rates set already? If you're happy with the rate you got from a previous assignment at that magazine or another, you could use that rate, adjusted for word count length, photos, etc. to come up with a rate. It really depends on the length and difficulty of the story, and if you're providing photos, in my opinion! Factors influencing the rate include your experience with the magazine, knowledge on the topic, difficulty of topic, length of the story, photography needs (or travel to sources)... and the budget of the magazine. When I'm pitching a new publication and we're talking payment, I try to make the rate as fair as possible, but also enough to make it worthwhile to me.

2. How do you handle travel expenses?

Abigail: Most of the travel I've done lately is for personal trips, with a story thrown in here and there along the way. On those trips, I will pay for the mileage and meals for the portion of the trip going to and from the source/event on my business card, not my personal card, but I pay for it myself. If I'm going to do a story where I will only use the photos taken for that one publication (no stock photos for anything else) I will sometimes bill the magazine for mileage for the shoot to and from my hotel if I'm reasonably close by. If it's a multi-day assignment like an event that I have been sent to by the magazine, I will work with the magazine to agree upon lodging and mileage, along with the rate for the assignment. All of that is discussed prior to the trip.

Katie Navarra, freelancer: Most of the travel I'm currently doing is for event coverage. In this case, I bill the publication for mileage, tolls and hotel and the agreed upon fee for the product. I make sure to discuss it up front and include it in an estimate so there's no surprises when the invoice is sent.

Jessica Hein, Paint Horse media /Editor POV: discuss all charges and expectations up front so you know what is available/acceptable and what's not. Better for everyone involved.

Kate: Some publications will let you know up front if they will pay for travel expenses. For example, I am traveling to do a half-day photo shoot for a series of articles, and the editor has lined out they pay for the shoot, which is separate than the pay for the articles. Once the shoot is complete, I will submit an invoice for that half-day shoot. Another example is that I am traveling to gather three stories from one source for one publication, and the editor offered to pay my travel when I first proposed the content. In the past, I have asked an editor if there is reimbursement provided for travel if the trip was only for their publication - I've been reimbursed and I haven't, so it just depends on the budget.

3. What do you do if you're on a trip for more than one content buyer?

Kate : On a trip where I gather content for multiple buyers, I absorb all expenses. I then list them all by assignment as it pertains to date on my expense spreadsheet. Before I take the trip, I am certain the work will cover the all of the expenses.

Abigail: Similarly to Kate, I pay all my own expenses. If there's an expense directly related to an assignment, I'll put that on my invoice for that magazine--if we agreed upon it already. Typically I don't charge mileage unless I'm going to one place for one magazine.

4. What kind of expenses do you absorb yourself?

Kate: The columns on my expense spreadsheet include: Airfare, baggage charge, rental car, parking / fuel, equipment (lens rental), meals, mileage and an other column. Most of my travel I absorb up front and carry until I am paid. It can be hard to hold that cost, but as my business grows, I know that travel for stories is a must for me to offer quality content.

Abigail: Kate travels a lot more than me--my travel is mainly 2 hours or less, on a day trip. Unless I'm going outside of Dallas-Fort Worth for longer than a day, I usually pay for my own meals and fuel along the way. As I said, I don't usually charge for mileage, unless the trip is solely for one publication--it goes under my expenses on my bookkeeping.

5. At what point in communication with the editor do you discuss travel expenses?

Kate: I discuss travel as soon as an idea pitch is accepted.

Abigail: Once we start talking about rates, I talk about expenses.

BONUS: From the Editor's POV - At what point is airfare / rental car cost something that magazine is willing to pay or reimburse?

Jessica Hein: In my opinion, if the magazine has contracted the trip — meaning sending said freelancer to a location they wouldn't otherwise be traveling to for the interview/photo shoot — then those costs would be paid. If you're already taking the trip and hunting for a way to subsidize your trip by capturing a related story/photo assignment, then none or perhaps only some of those expenses would be covered by the publication.

There you go? Now, tell us how you handle travel expenses and project fees!

Traveling is both a perk and a hardship for freelancers. Know up front who is footing the bill on travel and expenses.

Don't forget to track expenses when you travel - buying saddle bags to house camera gear on the trail is one example!

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Episode 14: Branding and Re-Branding

As freelancers, it has become more and more important to have a presence online. Gone are the days of simply bringing a portfolio of your work and a resume to a potential client meeting. Today, many freelancers employ social media and a website to market themselves to editors and companies. We will talk about social media in another episode, but today we are going to talk about branding and re-branding yourself as a freelancer.

Abigail's SmugMug Page

**The episode is timely for Abigail and Kate, as Kate just redid her website to incorporate her married name. Abigail was, at the time of recording, in the process of redoing her logo. However, her logo design guru Faith was last week’s guest blog, and you can see her new logo here

Branding and rebranding can be a foreign concept to freelancers. Companies have brands, and freelancers are their own company! Kate emphasizes the need to put forth a message and visual that allows people to know who you are as a freelance creative and what you can offer.

What is a brand? More than a logo!

· Overall package

· Web presence

o Voice used on the web (Conversational? Professional?)

· Business card font

o Logo color

· Shows value & expertise

· How you dress for meetings

… it is all a brand and the brand is YOU. It sets the tone for the professional relationship.

Kate and Abigail outline the process for their websites throughout the episode:

Kate –

· Wanted new site to portray her focus: writing and photography.

o For Western lifestyle, she chose a bucking horse stallion. This is her logo background and business card background.

o Font is clean and simple.

· Pushed to redesign/rebrand because of “new” name and byline – katebradleybyars.com.

· Bootstrap/ DIY site – SquareSpace template with Kate’s tiny web design additions.

· Focused on finding a template that displayed large images and had content pages for contact, etc.

· Links to contact were important to add on multiple pages.

· Social media links are a window – show your best side and best work on social media!

Abigail reminds listeners that a dated website, one with old content, broken links or is not edited for grammar and style, can drive people away… the opposite of the a good first impression.

They touch on web hosting sites as well as sites to host photography.

Abigail –

· Hosts her photography on SmugMug.

o Allows clients to access and order from site.

o Small fee for site.

o Other file sharing or storing sites were touched on, like Flikr and Google Drive.

o Site selection should be made to make a freelancer’s life easier to publish work and reach clients.

· Wanted to showcase her style, how she can be hired and show examples of her work on her website, abigailboatwright.com.

o No longer promotes working on social media campaigns or development

A benefit of freelancing is adding and removing avenues of work based on trends or amount of other work. This is why regular updating helps!

· Her previous site was hosted on blogger.com and was mainly personal info. She DIY overhauled it to a blog site for her freelance business.

o She linked to portfolio work.

o Allowed her to establish first true online presence.

o Struggle to shape it how she wanted but did present her work to viewers.

· New site focus was tricky to find: showcase work for photography clients AND horse industry editors. She drilled down on her perfect client.

Kate also had a blogger style site at first that was not updated regularly and was photo heavy. do not follow her previous work trend! Update often!

Ways to develop a website:

“Bootstrap”

The DIY style web design that is the budget-friendly option. It also offers hands-on ability to update or edit the site without going through a third party. Some struggles to bootstrapping can be updating templates, getting the look you want

“Pro”

Abigail hired a company to design her website. They set up the Squarespace template, but she still has control over the content. This company designed her logo and branded materials.

To give the company direction, she asked herself, what is the image she wants to portray? Abigail wanted to show emotion and connection. Her homepage image has a girl kissing a horse, and in her portfolio she concentrated on images that emphasize emotional connection.

The company assisted with SEO, like “Fort Worth photographer” hits on Google. The pros were that it took less time than if she did it solo. Cons include the expense and, depending on the site type, you can give up control to the company. Her company walked her through a tutorial on how to update the site. If a problem is beyond her, she can always call for assistance.

“Hybrid”

The Freelance Remuda site (freelanceremuda.com) was built in stages of pro and bootstrap:

Logo designed by Faith
WordPress domain purchased and attempted to create
Takeaway includes knowing if you need a .com or .org for your needs
Before purchasing be sure you know what plug ins and apps work for each host site
SquareSpace
This site hosts the current Remuda site. Kate built most of the pages in a template.
Abigail navigated add the “must have” elements of contact and the newsletter subscriber.
Pro: user friendly
Con: analytics for podcast

Promotion:

Freelancers tend to shy away from promotion. But your social media and website are the perfect place to promote your work.

Abigail discusses how her Instagram shifted from family to business focus. She realized it had a number of followers on her account but was posting more family images. To promote her professional work, she started a new family Insta. Abigail uses Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Kate has a balance of work and lifestyle on her Insta, because her dog (#HukFinDog) and horse (#TheBerniePony) do make cameo appearances. She sees Insta as a means of showing personality and style that can bring in clients. Kate has Facebook and Instagram, but doesn’t tweet.

Words of advice:

CONTACT INFORMATION
An email form is good, but having a direct mail address (or phone number) is preferred by visitors. Always check to ensure the form is working so you don’t miss work.
Some clients prefer to speak to you, so a phone number is a second contact form
TIME TO CHANGE
Abigail’s biggest limitation to redesign is the time it takes to build a new site, logo, etc.
Promoting the name and new site are a must to gain looks!
Also, budget. Sometimes a new design is needed but the funds to invest aren’t there. Instead, update the content of what you have.
KEEP IT FRESH
Updating what you have is the key to keeping people interested in your site, your work.
Post new work, or work that shows your current skill sets.
Add a monthly review of your online presence and update it as needed.
Even if you’re not ready to launch, obtain social media names that fit your brand.
Promote yourself, your work, your accomplishments!
Remember, create your brand, maintain your brand and promote your brand.

Abigail’s last advice was to ensure you have a great bio that represents you. There are bio creators out there, like Abigail, and having that window into who you are as a professional will help.

To wrap it up, Kate and Abigail remind you to pick something comfortable and start there, whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or an easy-to-update website. Now, grow your brand!

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Today we have a special guest post from Faith Peña. She's a fellow freelancer with a background in magazine and event graphic design, and she's also a talented photographer. She's been my friend for decades and she's designed most of my logos over the years. She even designed OUR logo! I asked her for some tips to choosing the right logo, and she shared them below. -Abigail

By Faith Peña

Creating a logo for your business can be a very fun process - there’s so many fonts and colors to choose from and it’s easy to throw everything together to see what fits. However, it can also become a chore if you’re indecisive or just have TOO many fonts and colors to choose from. Here are some tips on figuring out what you should look out for and narrowing it down when designing or choosing a logo.

First and foremost: choose the typeface very carefully!
Do NOT use Papyrus or Comic Sans! For one, people will just make fun of you for using it because those fonts are used way too often and there’s literally no way of making it look classy and professional. Dig into font families (regular, italic, bold, black) and mix and match the same family for a great look. Match that typeface up with an opposite family - a san serif to a serif, a script to a slab, etc. So much variety can be found with just using two fonts and their whole families. Avoid using more than 2 typefaces in a single logo.
Don’t make the logo too busy.
Logos should be stripped down to the very basics - every single element of what you do doesn’t have to be represented in a tiny design. When the logo is shrunk down, can you still easily identify what it says? Make an overcomplicated logo at first, and then strip it down.
Negative space is okay!
This goes for a logo as well as website design. Designs need breathing room, and if you fill up every possible square inch with stuff, then people will feel overwhelmed. When a logo doesn't have its needed white space, people will look elsewhere - on the page, on another site - for some breathing room. Take some time and see if your design is too cluttered or too basic.
Make sure the logo translates well
This could mean translates well to a one color logo (black for printing purposes), or that it becomes a square version easily. Most social media sites nowadays call for a square profile photo. If your business has a social media account, make sure there's elements from the logo you can pull out and REALLY simplify it by shrinking it down. As with translating it to black, often times if you have colors overlap then change everything to black, your design now looks like a giant blob of black. Elements of the logo will need to have some kind of outline to break it apart from other elements.
Think creatively.
Just because you’re a photographer doesn’t mean you need a camera in the logo; just because you’re a writer doesn’t mean you need a pen and paper in the logo; just because you're a 5k race doesn't mean you need a foot print. Take those norms and throw them out the window and don't think you need to be so literal.
Listen to what others think about your logo and think about the criticisms and critiques. Your aunt commenting, “That’s just not my style” to your logo won’t mean as much as, “I can’t read your company name well.” Be smart about what critiques to listen to. Also, remember that the most people you ask the most critiques you will get and the more confused you could possibly become. If you're designing the logo yourself, or have had a heavy hand in developing it, don't take criticisms to heart! Realize they're giving their own input and aren't criticizing you as a person.
In the end, it’s YOUR logo and YOUR decision (unless you’re using Papyrus or Comic Sans. In that case, I'm nixing it for you).
Don't underestimate color
Know WHY you’re choosing the colors you are which goes along with knowing your target audience. You might love certain color combinations (I love browns and blues together), but those colors might come off drab if designing a logo for kids clothing.
Know your competition
What kind of logo does your competition have? What colors are very common in your field? Are there any colors common in your field? Stalk the competition and see what's already out there and work from there using the tips found here.

Realize a logo is a brand’s identity - not just a bunch of shapes, colors, and text that have come together. Chances are everything else within your identity will be a play off of the logo itself. Find something strong enough that can be carried uniquely throughout the business. All those other elements will solidify your brand.

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In this episode, Abigail talks to veteran freelancer Jennifer O. Bryant. She has a range of experience in publishing—particularly in the horse industry. With a background in hunt-seat, eventing and dressage riding, Jennifer brings solid horse knowledge to her writing. She has a degree in English and she’s written for a variety of platforms: non-fiction books, magazine articles, event coverage—including the Olympics—and editing for several equine publications over the years. That doesn’t even count her published work outside the horse industry for other genres, or her command of social media. While she is a seasoned freelance writer, with a bright and interesting voice to her work, she is also a great editor. Lately, she edits the United States Dressage Federation’s member publication—USDF Connection.

Jennifer's career path and how it relates to her love of horses

Snagging a college internship interview at the company that published Equus magazine was a lightbulb moment. Seeing the office covered with horse-related media made her realize people could get paid to think about and write about horses all day. She started out in the editorial department of a book publisher in San Diego, California--completely unrelated to horses. She worked her way up to an editorial position. After looking to move back East, she found an opening as an editor at a local newspaper in upstate New York that published equine news. She next joined a dressage magazine in Pennsylvania, and a little over a year later, the magazine was acquired and moved. Tired of moving due to her husband's military career and her following magazine jobs to different locations, they decided to put down roots and she began to freelance. That was 1999, and she's been freelancing full-time ever since.

Changes she's seen in the world of freelancing during her tenure in the field

In some aspects, there are more opportunities for freelancers because of platforms such as blogging and podcasting. Anybody that wants to create something can self-publish in some form. But it can be hard to monetize. Freelancers need to be more adept at pitching and writing for different kinds of media. Everything today is done electronically, vs. calling and mailing letters to editors. Freelancing is still freelancing--you're still creating what your editor wants, in their timeframe, on their deadline. It's just a little bit easier with email. Some magazines are hiring more freelancers, and others are taking contract work back in-house. It's a revolving door at horse magazines, between publications and back and forth from contract, freelance and staff positions.

She talked about how she has made freelancing a career and some keys to success.

One, she's been fortunate to have a contract with USDF Connection. That gig offers a level of income and work security. Success-wise, she had mentors early on that helped her get a solid grounding in writing and editing. She has developed a deep level of subject matter knowledge, and says it's crucial to write for a niche publication. It's difficult to break into a freelance gig when you're an unknown quantity, versus the field you've been working in--such as equine publications.

Advice for breaking into writing in the horse industry

Just as its difficult to break into writing for a magazine like Vogue, and you have to start with smaller outlets to work your way up to that level, in the horse industry, there are similar parallels. There are a lot more opportunities at smaller publications, particularly if you have specialized knowledge such as living in a region or a specific discipline. She says flipping through the magazine before pitching photos or story ideas is key. She recommends becoming a member of American Horse Publications to get access to the member directory, and study the publication members.

Advice for listeners hoping pick up a contract with a publication

There is usually a monetary benefit to both sides. Sometimes when a freelancer works enough for a publication, producing a substantial amount of content for them, it's worth it to the magazine to put them on contract to reserve a certain amount of work or hours each month. Sometimes it is being in the right place, right time when a need comes up and a contract is advantageous for both parties. Contracts are usually offered to freelancers that have developed a good relationship with the company, and produced good content consistently and dependably for the magazine.

Find Jennifer online at:

usdf.org

jbryant@usdf.org

www.jenniferbryant.net

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It's an off week for our podcast--check back next week for our episode on branding and rebranding--but we wanted to take a minute and answer some questions from our listeners.

I'm sure you go into a story with some idea of where it will go, but what is the biggest left turn a story took on you? And/or did a story every turn in a way it was no longer useable?

Abigail: Hmm, this is a good one. I did a story earlier this year where I'd planned to write about different kinds of bits for barrel racers and what the bits were best used for, tips to get the most out of them, etc. When I called my bit source that the magazine wanted me to use, I discovered that to him, there were only two types of bits used for barrel racers, and he was strongly convinced that only one--a ported bit with variations--was the right choice. It was an intriguing idea, and he made a convincing argument, so instead of writing about several different kinds of bits like I'd planned, I ended up writing a case for the ported bit--with support from several barrel racers that had switched to that kind of bit. I think it was an interesting article, it was just completely different than the one I'd planned. I will add that after my first initial conversation with the source, I went back to the editor and we talked about the direction of the story before I changed my scope.

As far as unusable, I once was given a story where the topic was a bit tricky to pin down. I'll admit I didn't have a good grasp of what it was (it was a concept in business, and as I'm not a business owner, I wasn't that familiar with it). But I planned my article, did my research and reached out to several sources to interview. Every single source I talked to was stumped on what I was talking about. I couldn't get anywhere with my topic. I revised my approach and tried again, but it just seemed to be a topic that didn't resonate with my sources--and probably wouldn't have resonated with readers either. I talked to the editor about it and we decided to switch gears and write about something else.

I can think of a couple of stories that were unusable after I turned them in. One was a sidebar and it got dropped because the source was a sponsor for a competing magazine. I didn't realize--and that type of politics is more common than you might think. It's always a good idea to know the sponsors and the players for a magazine/association. Always run your source choice by the editor! Another article got mired in approval from the association behind the magazine... It was a controversial topic, and I can understand why it was tricky to approve. I still think it's a good article and I keep hoping to see it published someday!

Kate: I once drove up a mountain to talk to a source for an article, only to find it was not going to make the magazine. It was my first "big" trip out of state and it put a pit in my stomach thinking I had wasted time. However, it was a great learning opportunity, and I did provide the person with a nice photograph, though the article never ran. That is the tricky bit with this industry, we are all looking for a great story, but it has to fit the publication's goals, ideals, etc. A person can look great on paper or when spoken about by a friend, but when you have them in front of you, the flaws are noticeable. It is similar to trying out a new horse, in my mind. Sometimes you won't know you're about to get bucked off until you step foot in the arena.

The first thing to do when a writer realizes the source may not fit the intended/pitched idea is to alert the editor. You may still have an article that works, but don't mislead the editorial team. Go with the interview, see what photos you can get, and work with what you got. I try never to give up on an interview until I've exhausted all means of questioning or rabbit trail correcting. One way I try to ensure the source will give me the information I need or want is to visit with them beforehand, via phone or email. Be clear about the article's intent. Tell the source what kind of photos you need (outdoor arena, etc). That way, everyone is on the same page.

If you could do anything else, besides writing, in the world for a job, what would you do?

Abigail: Right now, I can't see myself doing anything else because I really do love it so much. But I always thought that I would like being a university academic advisor. I know it would involve me going back to school, but that's my secret "other" career plan. I've also always loved the idea of being a tour guide at a cool attraction. I once visited Le Cadre Noir - the French equestrian school in the Loire Valley (The French Equestrian Team trains there). We had an English-speaking tour guide for our small tour and I thought that would be the coolest job in the world. So, maybe something like that. Something in academia or something in a cool travel destination. But these days, I really love the freedom of being self-employed, so I don't see myself getting away from that anytime soon.

Kate: Before last August, I was working full time as a marketing and communications manager. I enjoyed the many hats I wore in that position - writing, some photography and graphic design, event planning, trade show planning and website management. It was a great creative outlet, and a position that I've held with a couple different organizations. If freelance/writing was no longer an option, I would move back to the communications sector, and try to work for a university system again. However, writing and photography are my passions. I truly feel this is what I was meant to do with my life - tell stories about other people's lives, their horses and the Western lifestyle. So to steal from Abigail, I don't see myself moving away from storytelling.

What do you do when you're overwhelmed?

Abigail: Sometimes I just load up the kids in the stroller and go for a walk to clear my head. Practically, I rewrite my to-do list and prioritize what HAS to get done and when it has to get done. I put things down in my planner. I'll call my MIL to come watch the kids if possible. And I'll turn off social media on my computer (I use Anti Social) and put my phone where I can't see notifications, and just get to work knocking things out. And I burn the midnight oil at both ends, telling myself Ill sleep later. It's not ideal, and I try not to get to that point, but sometimes you just have to get through it. When I DO get through it, I try to do some self care, like a bubble bath or sitting by the fire pit with a book, maybe going riding!

Kate: It can be easy to look at the calendar with deadlines, personal tasks, etc. and feel there aren't enough hours in the day. There are days I feel like everything I do is a job, whether is is for the house and family, or marketing via social media. That is when I turn to the outdoors. I take Huk Fin dog on a walk, or I go ride my Bernie pony. It is hard not to concentrate on the task at hand when corralling a 15-month-old, 81 pound Labrador or guiding a 900 pound Quarter Horse around the pasture. Outside time always helps me clear my head. Once back at it, I prioritize tasks by how long they will take me to accomplish.

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When out on the trail or in the pasture, it isn’t always feasible to lug out all your recording and photography gear. So, what are the “must have” items used by fellow equine media professionals? We have the low down!

Larri Jo Starkey at work.

Larri Jo Starkey, the American Quarter Horse Journal

If possible, I will have made a phone call beforehand and have the written story in my hand so we can make notes on it. I like to sit in the shade with my source and together we come up with a shot list while we shoot the breeze.

Her must have list:
1. Extra batteries

A USB power bank
Extra memory cards
Voice recorder
Paper maps to location in addition to GPS on the phone
Phone – doubles as a recorder in time of need
Spare internet cable for the odd hotel/venue that forces me to plug in
As I’m traveling, every time I stop at a food place, I grab extra napkins and have those stashed in my bag.

The essential: A baggie that includes Advil Sudafed and Benadryl.

Also, I pick up a bottle of water that I don’t drink. If I get something nasty on my equipment, I’m prepared to get it off. If I know the weather is going to be hot, I’ll take a bottle of water and offer it to my source. I take sunblock that is not a sunblock/bug spray combo. If I’m going to be in a warm, humid climate, I’ll take bug spray that is not also sunblock.

Abigail Boatwright's gear at work in New Mexico.

Abigail Wilder Boatwright, freelancer

For photography, I like to bring a reflector that folds up, if I have room. It can easily brighten faces and can even act as a scrim for harsh light. Bring more camera cards than you think you’ll need. You never know when one will corrupt! Always bring extra camera batteries and AA batteries for your flash. I will even bring my charger, in case I run out of juice on the camera batteries.

Other items I always bring:

Two camera bodies (Canon 1D and 5D mark III)
50 mm 1.8 for portraits, 70-200 mm 2.8 for most shots with horses, 16-35 mm wide angle lenses. I just got a new bag so I can carry a 300 mm with me now--it used to have its own suitcase that was clunky to pack. I also use a 100mm macro sometimes. It's nice for portraits as well as small details.
1-2 flashes and hot shoe
Depending on what I'm shooting, I'll bring a lightweight light stand (for off camera flash), a monopod (for a lot of 300mm lens work because it's heavy) or a tripod (anything with low light or interiors). These are the things I leave at the shoot MOST often, so I try to only bring one if I can help it.
digital recorder
shot list, notes from our interview and model release. I usually interview prior to the shoot and come with a shot list to go over with the source.
business cards
Hydroflask water bottle. Keeps things cold for 24 hours or more!

John Harrer, Whoa Podcast about Horses

For shooting video and photography, I bring a 48-inch monopod. I’d prefer a taller one, but alas that’s the one I purchased. It stows away nicely and can make a big difference in quality. I also have a 12” tripod to mount the recorder in case my subject talks with his hands.

For lenses, I take my 55-250mm and my 18-55mm. That should give me the variety I need.

For audio, I have my Olympus LS-10 digital recorder. It’s important to find someplace out of the wind, otherwise the audio is unusable. I scout a decent recording location before contacting my source.

Everything can fit in my shoulder camera bag or off my belt if needed. Then, I meet my subject as early in the day as possible for a conversation. It’s best when they are excited about the event, instead of relieved its finally over. Although, I will try and get afterthoughts, sometimes those can be very tricky.

Horseback photographer Jennifer Denison.

Jennifer Denison, Western Horseman

I take all my gear and it all fits into one large backpack I can carry on a plane or hike out to a strategic location on a ranch. The components of my backpack:

2 SLR camera bodies

16-35mm wide angle lens

80-200mm long lens

100mm for portraits

1 flash

1 light stand

1 tripod with rotating head for video

TTL flash cord or Pocke Wizards

Reflector

Plenty of cards, card reader

Battery for each camera and one spare (charged), battery charger

Trash bag and plastic ponchos to cover equipment if it rains

One solid color sheet for a backdrop (black or white)

Small notebook, pens and pocket recorders with batteries

My newest gadget is a clamp for my cell phone that fits into my light stand that I can use for Facebook Live or cell video. If resources allow, I add a 300mm lens to the bag.

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Ben Masters (on the gray horse) riding the trail for the film, book and multi-content feature Unbranded.

Note from Kate: Ben Masters is an enigma. In 2010, as a college student, he and two friends took a multi-month pack trip, and Western Horseman and I did an article about that trip. When Ben came to us with a hair-brained idea for a 5-month, more than 3,000-mile border-to-border pack trip that would be filmed with video and photos for a documentary, we jumped in to work with him again. The result was an award-winning film called "Unbranded." Today, Ben runs Fin & Fur Productions, focusing on wildlife and storytelling. This 28-year-old has been published in National Geographic and in Western Horseman. Ben created his own career and is forging a new freelance career, blending his loves the outdoors and storytelling.

Show Notes:

Ben's job and how it fits into his lifestyle:

Ben’s job is ever-changing. He is a writer—magazine, online content and a printed book, as well as a filmmaker of two features, "Unbranded" and "Charged," as well as short films. He loves his lifestyle and the changing landscape of his career.

He finds planning more than 6 months out hard. Each summer he takes time for his own outdoor experiences, leading elk hunts and pack trips. His work focuses on discussing conservation and caring for the wildlife and wild land.

Ben's career path and how it led him to where he is now:

Unbranded launched Ben into the spotlight, and opened up doors for other projects. Years before, in 2010, Ben joined Parker Flannery and Mike Pickney to ride 2,000 miles along the Continental Divide Trail. That started his desire to make a border to border ride, and gave him an introduction to BLM Mustangs. Once the movie launched, it truly started his career. Ben had the help of filmmakers to create the masterpiece of "Unbranded" and that has helped him in the next projects.

What has helped Ben along in his career?

"Unbranded" was successful because of a massive team effort, Ben said. He found Kickstarter donors that helped get the project rolling. [here you will hear Ben get honked at! He said: “I hate being in cities!”]

Most of the stories Ben tells are a reflection of thing he is passionate about. He did not study photography or writing or filmmaking, but he uses those modes to get his story told. At Texas A&M University, Ben studied wildlife biology and has used that knowledge when working ranches. He loves wildlife, and his background gave him credibility to tell the stories about conservation that he does. Speaking the lingo helps him to tell the stories he does.

Working in the field and living the lifestyle of his story sources makes for a greater connection and comes through when he tells the story to an audience.

Skills learned on the job, and how he's evolving his skills:

He states that it is pretty hard to screw up a photo in the mountains with a bunch of horses. When he was “broke and needing money” Ben worked on the [oil field] rigs, where he purchased a Canon 5D Mark III and started taking photos. That inspired his love of photography.

“Getting a shot right is one of the most satisfying things you can do,” Ben said. “I love the feeling of getting a shot.”

He discusses the differences in taking a superb still photo versus filming.

Equipment suggestions for working in the field:

Ben is a “big fan” of the 5D Mark III. He has a 5D Mark IV, too. He discusses why he likes the cameras and some limitations he has seen.

For video, Ben shoots with a Canon C500. "Unbranded" was shot with the 5D Mark III and C500. "Charged" was shot with a lot of GoPros.

Typical hours or time commitment for your job?

He does not have much separation between personal life and work because what he loves to do is his job. Ben discusses how his “work” filters into his life. Typically, his work is 18 hours a day.

A feature film can take three years to move from concept to the screen. A short film will take about four months.

How he gets funding and payment for his projects:

Ben is still working to master the art of making money at what he does. The feature films have been a combination of Kickstarter for seed money and working with brands like Yeti.

Ben says Kickstarter is crucial for alerting people to a new project. Also, when they contribute funds, it allows them to feel ownership of the project.

Distribution networks like National Geographic and Western Horseman help. However, Ben had to prove his work was worth the effort before being hired by these organizations.

Feature films do require financial backers for the higher budgets.

How he chooses his projects, whether video, writing or a photography exhibit:

All the stories and projects are things Ben is passionate about. He has a long list, but works to see whatever is timely. He enjoys character driven stories that can be a vehicle to understand a complex issue, like wild horses on public lands. However, he does not consider his films activist films.

Instead of seeking stories, Ben has stumbled into them based on his relationships.

Most challenging and rewarding parts of his chosen career:

The most challenging part is that Ben spends a considerable amount of time chasing down funding.

The most rewarding part for Ben is seeing the impact a project makes on someone’s life, for example seeing more people adopt Mustangs after "Unbranded" premiered. A quantifiable and tangible impact is important.

“Charged,” Ben’s latest feature film, is inspirational. He has also worked with a veteran’s program, Heroes & Horses, through his projects, giving them a tool for fundraising and learning from veterans.

If you could do it over again, would you choose a different career path?

Sometimes, Ben does entertain other employment opportunities. He doesn’t enjoy the aspect of his job that requires appearances that place him at the center of attention. Preferably, Ben would like to drop social media and just work with horses. But, the obligation to tell stories is greater to him.

Kate, Abigail and Ben discuss the responsibility of storytelling through good journalism.

Advice for young people wanting to work in the equine media industry:

Avoid “balls & chains” like debt, so that you can take off whenever the job or project calls. College debt, relationships and other factors can interfere with the chance to work on quality projects.

Ben discusses the need to work to establish a portfolio so that bigger projects come your way. However, he said he still doesn’t get the high budget projects all the time.

He also advises to ask for help, or ask people to provide assistance. His own career is a culmination of people helping him out. Finally, surrounding yourself with good teammates is key.

Advice for freelancers wanting to take on a big project:

Ben has never had someone offer him a project. Moreover, he has started projects, and then people want to get involved as they see the potential. Especially early in his career.

Ben has made a few short films that were never purchased, resulting in a loss of funds. However, it was important to have that project in his portfolio.

Abigail agrees it is not always about the paycheck.

Advice for pitching big companies or publications:

He advises face-to-face meetings instead of only email pitches. The face time meeting can help show your passion about the project. Human interaction in a pitch is key to Ben.

How to find Ben Master’s online:

Facebook

Ben C. Masters

Unbranded

Charged Film

Instagram: @bencmasters

Websites:

benmasters.com

unbrandedthefilm.com

Ben at his Austin home with his sidekick, puppy dog Molly.

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to-do lists galore!

Author: Abigail Boatwright

Last week we talked about some of the systems and processes we use to keep our work and life organized. One of the best ways I know how to be productive is by making to-do lists. I make them on paper--I've used workflowy.com before, and it's a great tool. I tried Evernote, but it wasn't for me. Kate and I use Basecamp to organize the podcast. And I'll jot notes down on my phone if I'm away from my desk and think of something. But for the most part, my to-do items are gathered in three places: 1. My planner 2. a master to-do list for the week and 3. a notebook outlining the steps for each story I'm assigned. This is separate from the spreadsheets (all of which we talked about in the podcast!)

I've always loved to-do lists, but I've come a long way from post-it notes all over my desk! I've read some productivity books (there are SO many out there) and listened to some podcast episodes, and developed my own method to keep the to-do lists in line. Here are a few methods I use (not all at once) and I change it up every so often to see if I can increase productivity.

I categorize tasks by "Work" and "Personal" columns.
Sometimes I'll estimate how long a task will take and write that number beside the task. This is helpful when I'm blocking out time to do a task. It also gives me some shorter tasks I can do at random moments that will help me feel accomplished.
I make a list of 5 or 10-minute tasks. So much of my work is done while a baby is about to wake up. If I know I won't have time to transcribe a 45-minute interview, it's easy to just think "oh I'll just check Facebook." then of course my child will sleep another 15 minutes. I could have completed some tasks during that time! But to prepare for that, I'll have a list of shorter tasks and just grab one.
I arrange my tasks in "before/after work hours" and "work hours." I work from 6-7:30 am and 8:30-midnight most days. The daytime hours depend on childcare. But I can't do interviews during off hours, or schedule photo shoots, or talk to editors. But I can do a lot of other tasks such as emails, transcribing interviews, editing photos and writing stories. If I organize my tasks into these two categories, when it comes to be nap time, I dive right into those tasks I can't do in off hours.
I color code my tasks: purple pen for work, teal for the podcast, black for everything else. On my calendar, family activities are orange, my husband's work is blue.
Anything that didn't get done the previous week, I add to a new page on Sunday night. I set my top priorities for the week (usually upcoming deadlines) and redo my lists. I'll confess--I'll go back and check off things and sometimes even write down tasks just to check them off! It's a feeling of accomplishment!

Finally, here are a couple of productivity tools I've found helpful as a mom and freelancer:

Time Management Mama (The authors of this book created my planner, and there are a ton of great productivity tips!)

Flourish: Balance for homeschool moms (My kids are barely in preschool, but this book had some excellent tips--the author is a writer and editor single-parenting her children).

Being Boss Podcast (early episodes were super helpful in transforming my productivity)

OK Remuda - spill your productivity secrets. What helps you get things done?

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Even if you’re a one-person freelance biz, there are a lot of moving parts to get the job done. Our success depends on being able to meet deadlines and take care of loose ends. If you’re just starting out, your business has expanded or you’ve gone through a change like a move or having a new baby, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. In this episode, we’ll be talking about ways to get organized in your freelance business.

Workflow

Write out everything you do from story idea (or photo shoot concept, logo design, social media goal) to completion and payment.

o Kate found herself getting lost using multiple notebooks. Now, she types her idea on a Word doc, creates a new folder for the idea and puts it in the main folder for the magazine she think best suits that pitch. Then, when she pitches it & the idea is accepted, she adds the due date to the front end of the folder to put it in her date workflow.

Take a look at your the steps—where can you consolidate? Delegate? Simplify? Rearrange?

o Kate simplified by keeping one spreadsheet for assignments and expenses. Then, notes per assignments are kept in a Word doc. (Sign up for our newsletter to get both of our spreadsheets for your own use! )

Keeping it organized

Find a system that makes sense to you. Abigail does best with notebooks, a planner and a few spreadsheets:

o A spreadsheet with every assignment and all the information about it. (Sign up for our newsletter to get both of our spreadsheets for your own use! )

o A small notebook with a page for every story she's working on. She has the due date, magazine, topic, and every step for that story lined out.

o A small notebook with every item on her to-do list for the week, organized by “podcast” “work” “personal”

o A planner. Abigail's is the Brilliant Business Mom planner.

o Kate uses her calendar for EVERYTHING. She also marks items with a “persona” or “work” color.

Files organized on computer: Documents > AB Comm > Magazine (or Word content, photography) > Each magazine’s name > Each story or series > ALL related content.
Kate has the same setup, but within each pub or client’s folder, her assignment folders start with the date. She had three articles due yesterday, and all those article folders started with 05.17 – month and year. This also really helps keep her organized timeline wise and in her backup harddrives.
All of Kate's photos are on an external HD, sorted by year and shoot.

o Abigail downloads from the camera ASAP.

o Cull in Photo Mechanic. Sometimes she make notes on which photos she wants for editorial

o Pull all the files in Lightroom, but she only imports the ones she plans to use.

o Edit in LR, pull to Photoshop for some images

o Export with proper file name into same photo file (processed)

Kate edits only in PS. But she adores PhotoMechanic. It is cheap, easy to use and allows for batch renaming, photo sort with color coding or rating, and you can take a screen shot of a contact sheet of sorts to send quick photo looks to editors or clients.
When sending assignment to editor, Abigail usually makes a new folder in the same folder in Documents that includes the article, photo guide and chosen images. She'll either upload this to FTP or copy to Dropbox to share.
Kate sends editors links to download the photos via Google Drive. She has a folder within the client folder for ALL the article docs and photo images. Then she has a folder call “Turning In” where she drops the invoice, article and photos selected to print. She emails the editor the article + invoice with the photo link, AND on the email she includes the comp address for the source.

Photo shoots?

Abigail keep this info on her master spreadsheet – client, date photos are due, rate, etc.

o Kate is just starting to do more portrait sessions, but they are on her master spreadsheet.

All of Kate's photo files start with the date, the session type (Equine or Family or Commercial) then the client last name or company name. That info is also how she names a photo. So her photo file names are: 170427_Family_Byars_#. She keeps RAW and the edited JPG. Back it up twice!
Abigail uses Hellosign for contracts. She was using PayPal for payment, but just switched to Quickbooks.
Kate has a word doc of all the text from emails

Bookkeeping –

This will be its own episode with our “setting up biz” expert coming soon, but if you’re just starting out and want some quick ideas on starting to track expenses, we will share what we do.

Spreadsheet for income and expenses.

o KEEP RECEIPTS! Kate puts them in a sandwich baggie and label the trip or client and month/date.

Invoices – Abigail has made them in Adobe Illustrator for years.

o Kate uses Word and makes a PDF from the easy to edit doc.

o Kate has a tax guy because taxes are just something I don’t want to work with!

Mileage – apps like MileIQ. Abigail saved photos of my mileage and put on a spreadsheet, but has just switched to MileIQ

Abigail has learned that the more organized she gets, the more productive she is, and the less stressed she is, with less procrastination.

Keeping track of assignments early on, even if you only have one or two every month or so, is a great way to get in a process that will be easy to add work to in the future. Kate looks at her assignment spreadsheet every few days because with all the interviews, transcribing and writing, she forgets where she is or what day it is, but she refuses to miss a deadline!

We hope this talk has sparked some inspiration for y’all. Find a method that works for you, get yourself organized, and rock it! We’d love to hear about the systems you’ve put in place, and what planner gets you going—jump in to our Facebook group where we’ll be talking about the episode!

If you haven't signed up for our email newsletter, NOW is the time! We've sent our Remuda links to the spreadsheets we live and die by. Sign up to download for your own use! Sign up

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Each year, thousands of media professionals flock to a continuing education seminar, conference or workshop. Whether you're looking for one right down the road or across the country, we bet you can find a conference to suit your professional goals. If you're having a hard time choosing which event to attend, we recommend weeding through the "exciting" events to find one that works for you, offers information you need and want, and will help push your business to the next level.

Here, we talk to two event coordinators about their agriculture media events.

American Horse Publications Executive Director Chris Brune lists five benefits for freelancers to attend the AHP Equine Media Conference and Awards.

Gain a new client
“I'm happy to say that I picked them up as a client thanks to AHP and meeting them at last year's seminar...and thanks to a recommendation from another AHP member.” Sarah Conrad, Freelance member
Networking with valuable business contacts in the equine industry
Meeting and sharing with fellow equine freelancers
Pitching ideas to equine publishing media
Learning new techniques, getting motivated, recharging resources

For more on the AHP Equine Media Conference, visit: http://bit.ly/2onNADa .

Livestock Publications Council Executive Director Diane Johnson says freelancers can achieve high-level networking at the Ag Media Summit, a joint event held with the American Agriculture Editor's Association.

"It's the largest communications event with ag professionals and includes professional development sessions for self-improvement and more," Johnson says. "Benefits of attending AMS? Networking, networking, networking!"

Whether it is writing, photography, graphic design, sales or other topics, these are just some of the things in which you can gain knowledge and meet others who have the same issues or challenges that you do. Also, Johnson says it's a way to see other parts of the country with your friends through the tours which are designed to showcase the location.

For more, visit http://agmediasummit.com .

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In this episode, we talked to Kelsey Sullivan and Kaitlyn Zaleski, the founders of Equine Career Network, a website that connects job seekers, employers and entrepreneurs in the equine industry. The site focuses on careers with horse-related companies and organizations, rather than "at the barn" jobs such as training, breeding or barn management.

Both Kelsey and Kaitlyn have backgrounds with horses, and they leverage their professional skills to help others in the equine industry achieve success. We were excited to get to know them, and chat about navigating equine careers outside the barn.

> Tell us a bit about your background with horses?

Both rode extensively as youth riders, with experience ranging from hunter-jumper to dressage, and Western pleasure and reining. Kaitlyn also competed on the collegiate IHSA team.

The two met through a horse sale when they were in their early teens.

Kaitlyn Zaleski

Kelsey Sullivan

> What about your professional experiences?
Kaitlyn - Following college, she interned at McQuay Ranch as a breeding intern before moving to a position at SmartPak with its customer service team in Massachusetts. She moved to different marketing positions with SmartPak that helped expose her to horse events and disciplines across the country. Today, she works in California for Vets First Choice, an online platform for pharmacies.

Kelsey - Her degree was in human studies and she did quite a bit of interactive media during trips. After completing a master’s program in interactive media, she took her photography/digital media skills to a marketing position with a then-local and organic produce delivery company. From there, she started her own company, which led to a move to Florida. Throughout her teens, Kelsey created websites and managed her own successful equine photography company. With these skills, she was able to start ECN with Kaitlyn. Today, she works for a company in a marketing position she found on her site, Equine Career Network! Kaitlyn still creates projects freelance while managing her full-time gig.

Both have full-time jobs and also invest their time in the Equine Career Network.

> Let's talk about Equine Career Network. What was the inspiration behind starting it?
Finding internships or jobs in the equine industry was challenging. They want to make the jobs in the equine industry more readily available for people around the country so they can grow their careers. In addition, the two have always wanted to work on a project together.

The lack of knowledge out there [about jobs] is a detriment to the industry. In turn, the industry is losing a lot of valuable knowledge and potential workers. The goal is to strengthen the equine industry and attract others to the industry through shared opportunities.

> How are you finding the jobs for the site, and how did you go about creating the site?
The two merged ideas, needs to address and provided quality, easily-consumed content. The user experience is paramount!

> How does it help equine professionals?
Site users fall into three categories:

Student/Job seeker – number one focus for the site. Job seekers can navigate to the job list as well as the blog.
Employers – Offer all the postings for free. Service to employers.
College advisors and professors – Want the site to drive advisors to send job seekers to the site.

The site’s goal is to be the number one resource for jobs in the equine industry.

> What is the criteria for posting a job to the site?

Really want to focus on all jobs, including “out of the barn” positions. Internships are allowed. All job postings are vetted, sometimes edited, and details are checked for accuracy.

> Do you have any advice for someone wanting to break into the equine industry--but not as a trainer, veterinarian, breeder, etc?
Kaitlyn – “I have a lot of advice, but here’s one thing: Don’t be afraid to move!”

She moved from Texas to Massachusetts to California. It can be a risk, but a move can bring you to where the horse industry thrives.

Kelsey – “First, I would say go to EquineCareerNetwork.com and look for your job! My advice would be to develop relationships, network and meet people.”

Connections can help job seekers move through this small industry. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

> Do any of the job postings feature freelance jobs?

Yes, there is an entire category! Freelance opportunities can be valuable to building a career.

Full-time position are the most popular category.

How can we find you both online?

Kelsey@equinecareernetwork.com

Kaitlyn@equinecareernetwork.com

Facebook.

Instagram.

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Western Horseman editor Chris Hamilton and freelancers Kate, Katie Navarra and Abigail at the American Horse Publications Seminar. Photo credit: Darrell Dodds

Freelancing can be a solitary job. Instead of working in a cubicle or office with other professionals, you may find yourself at home most days. If you’re like us, you may get a little bored without social stimulation. Worse, if you don’t make a conscious effort, your skills could stagnate. In this episode, we’ll be talking about ways you can continue your education, and also how you can find and build relationships with other equine media professionals.

Conferences

Benefits of conferences

Networking with colleagues, potential clients and clients
Learn new techniques, trends
Refresh and renew--gain motivation.

Examples:

American Horse Publications Conference
Livestock Publications Council Ag Media Summit
Photoshop World or other learning opportunities like Santa Fe Photography Workshop, Texas School of Professional Photography or the
Niche Media Conference offers podcasting, blogging, advertising, sales, etc.
Podcast Movement
- There are so many conference opportunities. Choose something that is more than just a “cool” event to attend but one that offers the best learning opportunities for what you need.

In-person courses

Benefits of in-person courses

Building relationships shops with teachers and fellow students
Hands-on skills and learning
Use of equipment and software

Examples:

University and community college classes
Continuing education courses--Early on, Abigail took photography courses though UT Arlington
Poynter Institute

Mentoring and coaching

Benefits

One-on-one, customizable to attack exactly what you need
Targeted and intense
Can take you to the next level

Finding a mentor or coach

Reach out to other professionals or instructors
Some groups offer mentorship for a fee. Kate is in a photography group that does offer mentoring. Check out Facebook groups.
Seek someone with the skills you want to attain, or the career path you want to emulate.

Online courses and webinars

Benefits of online courses and webinars

Unlimited potential to gain knowledge and skills
Flexible pace, timing
Takes less time to attend than going to a brick and mortar location

Examples of pay courses online:

Poynter - journalism
Lynda.com - business, technology and creative skills
Mediabistro - journalism, marketing, PR and social media
Creative Live - photography, video, design, business, audio, music, crafting, and software training
Kelbyone - Photoshop, photography and Lightroom
Don’t forget YouTube!

Building your own community

Reach out at conferences and network—not just for a job, but also for friends and collaboration possibilities.
Join our Freelance Remuda private Facebook Group
Find a Hub or shared workspace or even a coffee shop to grow your local network of creatives--or just to get some social interaction.
Don’t view other freelancers as a threat. Be confident in your own value.
Envious? Reach out and congratulate that person, and use that feeling as motivation to improve your own work.
Schedule phone calls / coffee / drinks to trade concerns, challenges, successes.
Collaborate!

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Ever wonder why adults keep answering the incessant toddler's questioning of "why?" It is because the toddler asks an open-ended question that is requesting more information. Reporters can be viewed as that same pesky questioner. However, asking the right question the right way can get your subject talking more and requires you to ask fewer questions. With a carefully crafted question, you can get much more than a "yes" or "no" answer from your source--which not only helps you get more information, but you'll also have an easier time finding good quotes for your story.

Here, freelance professional Jill Dunkel and her daughter, Sidney, give us a real-life example of how to get a more detailed response from your subject. Sidney is well coached in answering questions and has a good deal of experience, having won several titles in versatility ranch horse competitions.

Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gm-wfmUBmI

Thank you, Jill and Sidney! Find out more about Sidney's wins in this American Quarter Horse Journal article.

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Welcome to Episode 8, where we catch up with fellow freelancer Megan Arszman! A native Hoosier with a Southern heart, Megan Arszman started freelancing in 2005, cutting her teeth covering reining futurities for the Quarter Horse News. She had just graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in equine science from Murray State University, where she was captain of the Equestrian Team and photographer for the yearbook. She then moved to Texas for an opportunity that set her on her path for equine media--an internship with AQHA Media. Upon completion, she moved to Oklahoma to work for the National Reining Horse Association's magazine, The Reiner, and then further east to Lexington, Ky., where she started as an E-Newsletter/Photo Editor for The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care. She later morphed into a Web Producer role for the award-winning website and newsletter, while starting to grow her freelancing business again. After working at The Horse, she took her newly-aquired digital marketing skills to Neogen Corporation's Animal Science division, all while growing her own communications company on the side. After having her daughter, Aubrey, in 2015, Megan moved back to Central Indiana to join her husband where he had started a new job. Since moving back to Indiana, Megan worked as a social media strategist for an advertising agency and just recently accepted a new role as the Communications Coordinator for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. All the while, Megan Arszman Communications has continued to grow, even with the addition of her now-2-year-old daughter. When not working, Megan enjoys working out and running, training and competing her dogs in agility, and is looking forward to a return to the horse show pen with her daughter and no-longer-retired reining horse. Megan has written for a variety of equine publications and websites, mainly focusing on the stock horse industry.

Abby: I met Megan through a note... she was the intern before me at AQHA, and she left me a wonderful letter in my desk giving me the 411 on the office. Her advice was such a help, and I will always remember that kindness. We met in person at a horse show when we were both working at associations, and connected more through the American Horse Publications Seminar. Megan is a hardworking writer, a mother and she's juggling a lot of balls right now. I am excited to introduce the Remuda to Megan, and I think a lot of us can relate to her challenges and triumphs. Thanks for taking time on your lunch break from your full-time job to talk to us Megan!

Tell us about your journey to freelance work, and why you choose the horse industry?

Megan has always wanted to write. As a kid she dreamed of being an author, started a school paper in grade school, and then on her high school newspaper.
She decided to focus on magazines after a newspaper internship in high school.
She grew up on a farm & riding horses. That was her passion!
Murray State (Kentucky) asked her to be on their rodeo team.
NOTE: Her counselor said she would have to start in newspapers but Megan wanted to prove her wrong! AND SHE DID.
Megan’s first freelance gig was before college graduation when she wrote for Quarter Horse News.
Megan interned with AQHA. It was a jump for her, but she says it was her biggest and best decision for her future. She followed that with a job at NRHA. Then, she moved closer to home to Lexington, Kentucky, and The Horse.
After that, she really grew her freelance communications company. It has been going strong for 12 years!

How has your new job with the Indiana Horse Commission changed your freelance workflow?

Megan started her new job one week prior to our podcast recording.
At her old job, she worked from home 2 days a week, which allowed for more productivity. Her schedule is not as flexible now with her state employee status.
She focuses on growing the awareness of horse racing in Indiana.
Megan does interviews on her lunch break and on her drive home from work, working as she can to complete her freelance assignments.
This style of interviewing works for her because she likes to “have a conversation with her sources.”

How does freelance work fit into your schedule?

Carefully! Megan juggles her toddler, a full time job and her freelance work. She lets her source know that her daughter is in the car, if need be. She has found that her sources are understanding and open to her motherhood role.
She works to schedule her time well. Her evenings are only for her daughter and she devotes that time to their relationship. After 9 p.m. she goes back to work.
2016 was a big year for Megan’s company. However, with the new challenge of work, she made a decision to take less work so that she would not let her work of her child suffer.
Megan understands she can’t take quick turnaround assignments as often anymore. Last minute assignments are not always the right fit for her these days. Her goal is to be more organized.

Can you share some of your challenges in freelancing, and how you work to overcome them?

Time management is Megan’s big challenge.
For Megan, an open dialogue with her editor’s is a must to accomplish all of her work on time.
In order to be more flexible, Megan knows she has to work ahead of deadline. Also, her Eastern time zone must be taken into account.
A big challenge is when her husband travels – which is 60-70 percent of the year. When he is home, they tag team their daughter, Aubrey.
Megan relates to Abigail & Kate noting that sharing a personal tidbit from their lives can help connect with a source to have a better conversation.

Can you share a highlight from your freelance career? Something that stands out as a special event/accomplishment?

A big highlight was interviewing Bob Baffert – someone Megan followed since she was young – and meeting “Smokey” the pony horse that accompanied American Pharoah.
Yearly, Megan finds joy in attending large horse events.
She sees every event covered and profile written as an accomplishment and highlight, though she knows it sounds cheesy!

What do you love the most about freelancing?

Sharing people’s stories is what drives Megan to write and freelance. She shares stories about people that touched her in different ways through sources.
Megan loves and appreciates hearing from her sources after the assignment has been published.

Do you have any advice for listeners thinking "man, I want to write or take photos, but I've got this full time job. AND a kid. And all these other things going on. I'll never be able to do it?"

Megan shares why she opts to work full time and freelance “on the side.” It is right for her family, right now.
If writing or freelancing is what you want to do, do it!
Prioritizing and making a schedule is one bit of advice from Megan. She also sets weekly goals to accomplish that give her a boost of confidence!
Be open with your editors: Editors are people, too! Megan shares ways to communicate with an editor in a professional manner.

Anything else you'd like to share with listeners?

Megan reminds listeners that whatever the situation is or where someone is located, there are horse lovers everywhere. If you want to freelance, find a way!
Reach out to others that are similar and express a desire to take the first step.

How can listeners find you online?

Website: meganarszmancommunications.com

Facebook: @meganarszmancommunications

Instagram: @mla317

Twitter: @mlarszman

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On our last episode, we talked about tools we use to do our freelance work. We recorded it back in December, and when we released the episode I listened and had to laugh a little. I mentioned that I back up my hard drives to Backblaze--a cloud backup system. I'll be completely honest: I paid for Backblaze because my husband insisted on it. I resisted doing it for a while because I thought it would be time-consuming and I felt I didn't have time to do it. Luckily, I gave in, but I didn't really know how it worked. It took no time at all to set up the backup, and I quickly forgot about it. I went about my work and Backblaze just did its thing in the background.

Until January. My Macbook Pro had been randomly turning off in the middle of the night, disrupting my connected external hard drives. Then I couldn't get into the files on my 4 terabyte hard drive. And then I couldn't get into my 8 terabyte hard drive. My computer started shutting off more and more, particularly when I tried to work with the 4T drive. I spent many, many hours on the phone with Apple working on my computer. Ultimately, we were able to repair the 8 terabyte drive, but my 4T was toast. I could see the files, but I couldn't retrieve them or copy them or duplicate them--there was no way for me to get them.

My next step was to take my external hard drive to a repair shop, in hopes they could do a disc recovery. I had to be prepared to spend a couple of hundred dollars and hope my files would be there. At this point I started to panic. This drive was about 3 terabytes full of photos. Lots and lots of photos... from my entire professional photography career. I had some photos on my photography website, but that was a fraction of the images I'd taken. I can't even guess how many files were on that hard drive.

Then my husband reminded me of Backblaze. With all other avenues a bust, I pulled up the website to see what could be salvaged. To my surprise and utter relief, I quickly found the 4T external hard drive information. The company offers several ways to get your backed-up files: zip file, flash drive and external hard drive. If I had fewer files, I could just download what I needed right there. But since I had so many, I sprung for the external hard drive. For $189, Backblaze sent me an external hard drive with all of the files that were on my fried hard drive. ALL OF THEM. Within 10 days! And in the meantime, I was able to download the files I needed for various projects from the website. The company offers a great option where you can return the drive for a refund, or you can keep it as your own. I've finally finished transferring all of the files to another external hard drive, so I'm going to return the Backblaze drive.

Freelance Remuda, I'm here to tell you that backing up your files is really important. Back them up in a couple of places. More than one drive, and especially on a cloud. We use Dropbox and Google Drive for most of our work because it's easy to share files with clients and editors. For a hassle-free way to back up lots of data, I have to recommend Backblaze!

*I've added affiliate links to this post, but I've used Backblaze for a year now--it's a program that saved my tail so I wanted to share the information with you too!

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For journalism and photography, there are a lot of choices when it comes to equipment. Kate and I have found a couple of items that are really essential to doing our jobs well. We wanted to take a minute and talk about them and explain how they help us.

This post contains some affiliate links.

Essentials – The Gathering Interviews Process

Recorder

a. Brand vs Function – Kate’s Must Have Items

i. Features to look for: Plug in to computer via USB

ii. Speed up or slow down the recording

Audio File Storage / Backup

a. Abigail opts for storage in iTunes & uses Backblaze and DropBox.

i. DropBox is good to send files to editors, when talking about images.

b. Kate stores them on the computer and on Google Drive.

c. Eternal hard drives!

Additional mics for listening and recording:

a. Abigail uses an Olympus Telephone Pick-Up Mic for recording with a digital recorder on her cell phone.

b. Kate uses her phone’s Bluetooth to record while driving, if necessary, or uses the phone in speakerphone mode.

Essentials – The Photo Process

Shooting

a. Abigail & Kate both shoot RAW instead of only JPG to allow for added editing options. (For more on the difference between JPG and RAW: HERE)

b. Multiple camera cards

i. Some cameras have both an SD and CF card option now and will record images on both. Having a back-up is ALWAYS the best option!

Cameras

a. Abigail shoots with 2 Canon bodies:

i. 1D – top quality, low light action; older model but still great

ii. 5D Mark iii – great for all but action; super beautiful images

b. Kate shoots with 2 Canon bodies:

i. 7D – bought to use for photos and the video function

ii. 5D Mark iii – portraits mainly

c. Having two camera bodies allows for faster change-out of images

Lens

a. Kate:

i. Owns: 10-20mm, f; 24-70mm, 2.8; 70-200mm, 2.8; carries a spare Sigma 35-300mm for riding out on horseback.

ii. The 24-70mm is most versatile.

iii. Prefers the 70-200mm on the 7D for action shots.

b. Abigail:

i. Owns the following: 50 mm, 1.4 lens; 70-200mm, 2.8 zoom lens; 300mm, 2.8 lens; 16-35mm, 2.8 wide angle.

ii. Loves her 70-200mm, 2.8; Allows for flexibility with action shots.

iii. She has a 300mm, 2.8f fixed lens. The look of the photo is elevated; big & bulky

iv. For people portraiture – not horses- she prefers the 50mm, 1.4f.

** For horses, Abigail says you need at least a 100mm for portraits to minimize distortion.

Flash vs Reflector

a. Kate prefers a reflector, though she has external flash. She loves the warmth of the reflector. She has a zebra and white, similar to THIS.

b. Abigail has a hot shoe, external flash and the gadgets but discusses the length of time needed to set them up. Abigail also prefers a reflector.

Carry Pack

a. Kate has a photo back pack from Timbuk2.

i. Cameras, computer slot that can be used for reflector. Pockets for spare recorder, batteries & notepad.

** UPDATE: Kate now has a ThinkTank, the Airport Advantage Carry On Roller (YAY!)

b. Abigail carries two Kelly Moore bags. Both are leather, and one is purple.

i. Kelly Moore Hobo: One camera body and two lens (not the 300m, it has its own suitcase).

ii. Kelly Moore Libby: Larger, fits two bodies plus a computer and notebook, and a reflector could go in the computer spot.

**Abigail just got a ThinkTank bag--copying Kate! Going for a test drive this week.

Saving Images

a. Kate culls and renames using Photo Mechanic.

i. Download program from the internet. One price to purchase. Has cull, sort, categorize, rename, resize, etc. functions.

ii. She processes in Lightroom or Photoshop. (Find Adobe products HERE)

iii. Always back up – Kate backs up to Google Drive and an external drive.

iv. She sends images via a download link to her private Google Drive.

b. Abigail also uses Photo Mechanic.

i. She previously pulled images up in Preview, but it was time consuming.

ii. She edits in Lightroom or does detailed touches in Photoshop.

iii. Abigail backs up to her external drive & Backblaze.

iv. She sends images through DropBox or an FTP program.

Essentials – The Writing Process

Transcribing

a. Abigail uses Dragon Dictate.

i. She listens to her interview and says out loud the recorded audio, then Dragon Dictate transcribes what she says. Ideal for profiles without “horsey terms.”

b. Kate transcribes in the morning. She listens to her interview and types the interview with notes.

Quick Notes:

o Tools of the Trade include magazines! Know what is going on in the industry, review writing styles and find unique ideas – they don’t have to be horse related. Get inspiration from fashion magazines, find new photo poses, and more.

o F8 is a “pause” button on listening to a recording

o Save interviews and images in at least 2 locations.

o Always back up ASAP when you gather photos or interview files

o Double check gear so you don’t leave a reflector!

o Though your gear could all fit in a backpack, watch the weight on your back!

o Use your eyes to find that perfect photo.

o Writers can pick up on nuances during an interview and dig further into a topic.

o Tools don’t necessarily mean spending money on gear.

o Abigail reminds listeners to be curious and look for that perfect light.

View Abigail’s photography and writing at abigailboatwright.com. Kate’s work is available at katebradleycreative.com.

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In late January, Remuda herd leader Kate Bradley Byars traveled to Montana with Western Horseman Editor-in-Chief Ross Hecox. During some down time one morning, Ross was kind enough to discuss the use of flash and how it benefits portraits. Here is his expert advice, just for you!

Additionally, Ross shared some insight and examples.

"Off-camera flash is an important skill for any photographer to have," he says. "When the light and backdrop is ideal, there is no need for flash. But we all run into situations where the lighting is poor and the setting isn’t very scenic, but we still have to come away with a good photograph. Off-camera flash helps us do that."

Here are a few examples.

This portrait of Justin Thorson, saddle maker, is flat without flash.

The photos of Justin Thorson show with flash below) and without flash (above). "See how the lighting in his face is much better in 21, and he stands out more from the cluttered background," Ross explains.

Here, Ross used flash to brighten the image.

"In the portrait of Rosie Lloyd, below, I used flash because it was a very dark, gray, rainy day. Using flash put catch-light in her eyes and in her horse’s," he says. "Plus, it made her purple shirt much more vibrant."

Ross Hecox is the editor-in-chief of Western Horseman magazine. For more information on the magazine, visit western horseman.com.

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Photo by Walter Workman

Welcome to episode 6 where we discuss pitching stories that involve international travel with Western Horseman Senior Editor Jennifer Denison. Jennifer started with Western Horseman in March of 2002 and handles their culture themed articles, like the monthly column with cowboy chef Kent Rollins, as well as tackling features with the Great Basin Buckaroo area’s best horseman. She is based in Colorado and from there gathers stories on ranching, horsemanship and cowboy culture through the U.S., and just recently, she successfully pitched a trip to Costa Rica. Here, we discuss how to pitch a traveling story gather trip to a magazine editor.

1. Where do you look for topics that are worthy of a long trip/flight?

Jennifer developed a system called her “idea file.”

Clips and prints off internet articles with an interesting angle on a horse, place, event.
Files in categories, mainly region/location

She subscribes to many publications, and not all equine.

Food & travel
Regional crafts and breed

With her idea file, if she is pursuing one of the ideas she looks for a recommendation from someone she has worked with, unless she’s found “a diamond in the rough.” Jennifer also uses social media to find ideas; she is in many different groups on horsemanship and cowboy culture. She says it is a great way to find potential sources.

2. How do you make sure travel stories fit your magazine?

First, Jennifer asks herself if the readership may like to learn about the travel location’s horse culture (EX: Costa Rica).

Second, she uses local sources to find ideas. (Clinician Tammy Pate assisted her with contacts)

Local ranch owners or horse breeders
What is the food & culture like?

3. How do you propose/pitch the trip to your editor?
Jennifer’s meals and lodging were covered. She aimed to find stories to justify airfare, rental car and meal costs.

She priced airfare & car
Listed 5 potential stories with photography

2 features

3 smaller department articles/blogs

She presented her itinerary & story ideas/ blog platform pitch together

She knew that too many stories from one area would saturate her readers, so she found smaller ideas, including a blog, that could run at different times.

Jennifer lists some options to cut down on expenses:

Stay with the source
Bring your own tent or cowboy teepee
Bring own food to cook & stock up on snacks

For freelancers, Jennifer says there are so many opportunities to shop travel around, even outside the industry.

Travel sites need multimedia
Narrow in on one tourist site
Find a niche publication & branch out of core network

Abigail talked about her working trip to Australia where she gathered stories for AQHA.

She queried friends before pitching stories
She made sure that the stories were printed over different months/times
Turning a vacation into a business trip can be one way to travel

Kate discusses how a magazine can schedule articles over the next year or so. That may be one way to pitch multiple stories in one area, by ensuring they are timely at any time of year.

4. If freelancers want to pitch stories to Western Horseman, are there areas of the country that are better to focus on?

The magazine looks to have geographic diversity in each issue.

There are lots of Texas, Arizona & California ideas.
Look outside of the “normal” areas. Slant pitch for urban area, East Coast, northern mid-west or southeast areas.
Pitch both the story and ability to take photographs.

Western Horseman uses freelancers that live around the country, including writers from abroad. Jennifer says having a freelancer that can travel where staffers can’t is a huge resource.

** Jennifer suggests reading airplane magazines and also visiting the local chamber of commerce to pick up a visitor’s guide for:

Source ideas
Event/festival dates
Museum information

Writing for travel or niche magazines outside of your usual publications is a valid way to cover expenses. Jennifer cautions freelancers to be sure that the “new” pub is not a competitor of any other publications. “Never pitch a story to a competing publication.”

Jennifer recently toured Nevada with a “FAM” tour where writers with gathering multimedia for travel blogs.

Destination type of travel stories
Stories on a particular site or festival
Stories on tourism economy (or how horses/cattle, etc drive economy)
Learn to cover as many topics in as many formats as possible

Facebook, Instagram stories, social media with video, photos, interviews, etc.

5. What are your suggestions for pitching magazines articles that may require some negotiation for compensation to cover travel?

Jennifer says that in general, as a freelancer, one shouldn’t expect a publication to pay your expenses. However, if a freelancer establishes a relationship and does diligence with a publication and that may be an opportunity.

She reminds listeners to have a solid idea of trip costs before pitching stories or booking, that way there is enough work opportunities to cover it all.

Abigail & Kate agree flight cost can be the deal breaker. Abigail suggests: using flight miles to make it happen, build the expenses into article, rates, & use trip as business expense.

Jennifer says to save loose change, use a travel card, work with multiple publications and more advice.

6. Anything else you’d like to add?
FAM TRIP:
Jennifer learned about “FAM” or Familiarization Trips that are offered by chamber of commerce or travel agencies that handle tourism. The trips bring media together to promote different areas/events.

She says it is a great way for a freelancer to get involved and make beneficial connections. Jennifer’s trip was through Travel Nevada.

LAST MINUTE ADVICE:
“When you’re writing or pitching for a particular publication, really know the demographic for that particular audience.”

“Find the wow to set your pitch apart.”

“Know the style and the format for particular departments.”

“I tend to be somebody that gets as many stories as I can find. But it can be detrimental in that our readers will see six stories from Costa Rica and they might get tired of that. More is not always the greatest.”

7. How can people find you online?

Email Jennifer at: jennifer.denison@westernhorseman.com
Twitter: @Calicocowgirl
Instagram: @cultured_colorado_cowgirl

Links to more information on FAM Trips:
The Remuda couldn’t find an official link for all FAM trips. Here are some good finds:
1. http://www.contentedtraveller.com/media-fam-trips/

Good packet from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association
What’s a Press Trip? From WritingWorld.com
Texas: FAM Tour Guidelines
Utah Office of Tourism: Travel Trade
Ontario, Canada: What’s a FAM tour?

Create an internet search in your area of interest to see what you can find!

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By Abigail Boatwright

Last week we released an episode about pitching story ideas. It really reminded me about the importance of keeping content unique to each magazine I write for. But as we know, the horse world is small. There are a limited number of experts in some disciplines and fields, and when you're working in one region--it can be an even smaller pool of source possibilities. So how can you reuse sources--and when should you steer clear? I've got a couple of thoughts:

Choose different story categories. If you've got a great all-around trainer that helped you on a training piece for one magazine, I think it's completely fair game to pitch a grooming story in another magazine with the same source. You might even think about pitching that grooming story to the same magazine as the training piece. Some magazine editors don't mind using a source more than once in a shorter timespan. Others really want their sources diverse.

Aim for a non-competing publication. Health stories fit a variety of publications. If you've got an expert veterinarian on say, hoof diseases, keep that guy in your pocket. He might come in handy for a story in a different magazine. If one is a hunter-jumper publication and another is strictly barrel racing, you're probably not going to have a problem. Just make sure you don't pitch the same angle--keep it unique, and tailored to the publication's audience.

Check out the source's publicity. I get a sinking feeling when I sit down with my source for our interview and they say "So funny you're asking me this, I've been interviewed on this topic three times this month!" No no no....Not what you want to hear! It's a really good idea to check with the source about other interviews or recent stories in which they may have been featured. You might want to change your angle or even select a new source, if the other article is too similar or in a magazine too closely related. I've been asked to choose a different source after I pitched an idea because that source was recently published a lot in a competing publication. So if you notice your guy is getting a lot of press, you might rethink pitching a story with him at the moment.

Let some time lapse. If you let a year or two go by, some sources might be usable again for you, especially if it's a different category of topic. I've used some sources three or four times, and it makes things easier sometimes because you have built rapport with them. So don't burn those bridges - you never know when you might need to work with a source again.

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Have you ever wondered how writers come up with all their story ideas? Some are assigned by an editor, some come from our own experience and some ideas are sent in by a source. There are many ways we create interesting story ideas, but without a great pitch to an editor, a stellar story may not see the light of day. In this episode we talked about how we come up with story ideas and discuss how to pitch that idea. We also talked about the ethics of pitching similar topics to different magazines.

Generating story ideas How do we come up with our story ideas?

In everyday life
While reading other media such as magazines (horsey and other genres), books, internet stories
Brainstorming while doing something else like walking, driving or riding.
Talking to horse people, or even not horse people. Basically anything that makes us curious about learning more has the potential for a story idea.
Story ideas can also come from already having a source in mind. Kate does this a lot.
Which publication does that source's story or expertise fit?
Ask the source for their specialty (such as a training technique or medical topic)
Look at a region for travel
Consult the AQHA Professional Horseman list, APHA's Pro Horsemen, Ranching Heritage Breeders, etc
Look at show winners in the area
Ask friends in the area/state for ideas
Magazine assigned a topic
In this situation, I need to find a source for the topic
If I’m assigned a source but I don’t have a topic, I’ll ask the source if they have ideas
Crafting a series
Chat with source for ideas--do they have several points that could be covered in more than one article?
This is possible sometimes when a topic is broader than one story can hold, such as hoof care or breeding
In my experience, it's best to pitch a series from the beginning, rather than get into a story and realize it's way too long and needs to be more than one article. But communicate with the editor in either case.

Pitches How do we pitch story ideas?

Kate sometimes starts a pitch when source is “chosen” or thought of because topic or audience
When to pitch--both of us do this differently.

a. Abby pitches prior to calendar being set for the next year

i. I saves pitches until magazines ask for them

ii. Meet at the American Horse Publications Seminar to talk about story ideas

iii. If an interesting or timely topic comes up – sometimes I will pitch right away

b. Kate pitches in clumps throughout year

i. Pitch before due date for certain issues (example: rodeo is in June or November for Western Horseman

What to include in the pitch

a. Working title and deck / intro or lede

b. Image possibilities

c. Media options for social or web

d. Source ideas

When to follow up on pitch once sent in… We each have our own strategy

a. Abby

i. “Story pitches season” - I send a different batch of story ideas to different magazines. I will tweak unused topics for other magazines AFTER getting the yes/no from originally pitched magazine. So it's usually for a different round of pitches.

ii. Will usually ask for a response 1-3 weeks out during initial email, but understand the magazine’s own timelines.

b. Kate

i. Follow up in one week with email inquiry or phone call.

ETHICS Remember: Each magazine wants UNIQUE content. They don’t want to agree to your article and then see something similar, or with the same source, in a rival magazine. This dilutes the value of the magazine, and will ruin your credibility. Editors talk to each other, and this is a big no-no.

The worst thing you can do is write the same or similar article for two magazines.

a. Example – Assigned story by one magazine and asked to do a similar topic by another magazine.

b. Similar topic, different magazines, too close together

c. Avoid using the same source in different magazines

d. Event coverage – only one publication at a time, in our experience--but other story ideas can possibly be tacked on while at event.

Cross promotion

a. Within publishing families or associations

i. Talk to editor to get a feel for the relationship between magazines. Some sister publicationss are happy to share, others want to be distinct.

ii. Always let editor know if you’re planning to use content from a sister publication.

iii. Change it up!

b. Outside of a publishing family or association

i. TREAT WITH CAUTION. Communicate with both editors before doing it.

Final point: Part of what makes freelancers a valuable resource for magazines is our connections to the outside world. We interact with a greater circle of people and we bring a vast variety of backgrounds and ideas to the table. Capitalize on this strength by thinking outside of the box for story ideas. Don’t pitch the same old kinds of stories the magazines already run. Think of fresh angles, new topics, untapped sources, and craft good pitches. Editors will appreciate it, and you’ll make yourself invaluable.

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The equine industry extends further than most imagine, even impacting the ever-growing market of ice coolers and outdoor gear. This episode discusses how YETI brand gear works with freelancers to create their uniquely branded advertising campaigns. We speak to Ranch and Rodeo Brand Manager Cory Wiese, who grew up in a ranching and rodeo savvy family. The episode is geared toward enlightening those that want to work with big brands as well as giving everyone insight into some of the coolest marketing out there today.

Show Notes:
The equine industry extends further than most imagine, even impacting the ever-growing market of ice coolers and outdoor gear. This episode discusses how YETI brand gear works with freelancers to create their uniquely branded advertising campaigns. We speak to Ranch and Rodeo Brand Manager Cory Wiese, who grew up in a ranching and rodeo savvy family. The episode is geared toward enlightening those that want to work with big brands as well as giving everyone insight into some of the coolest marketing out there today.

Cory’s role at YETI:
“It’s all things Western lifestyle. I am, believe it or not, the only cowboy hat in this building,” Cory says. His title encompasses all things that align YETI with events, brand ambassadors for rodeo events and ranch life. Cory wears many hats: advise media buys, find ranch & rodeo ambassadors, and seek unique stories for YETI to tell.

Path to this dream job:
Growing up, Cory & his brothers rodeoed, even competing in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events. At Kansas State University, he was on the rodeo team. Before working for YETI, Cory served as the senior digital strategist for Western Horseman magazine, tying him in to a deep ranching and horsemanship history. YETI approached him as the first to hold this title in the company.

Credentials for his job:
He’s been on the job a year and a half. Cory stresses the importance of a variety of acquaintances and relationships within the industries. All the individuals he met through his time in the rodeo world, people he’s befriended that ranch, and other influential people have helped him shape YETI’s ambassadors for the brand.

What the job entails:
Travel is a huge piece of Cory’s job, he says. While in the office, he works like most professionals, on emails, contracts and event promotion. After hours, he continues to work via phone and email with his contacts. He deems that the “white glove treatment.”

Rodeo is a weekend event, and Cory travels quite a bit. In December 2016, he was on the road 12 days; in January 2017, he was on the road 20+ days. It’s not a typical 9-5 job, he says.

Work/life balance:
Cory friends a positive trade off from his long hours on the road to being able to take time with his family. The YETI mindset is to engage with family. Cory says YETI knows the job doesn’t define you, but what goes on outside of the job does.

YETI’s relationships with freelancers:
Cory says YETI seeks freelancers that know their community inside and out, whether outdoor, BBQ, fishing or rodeo. One way to keep their videos, photography for ads, etc. authentic is to work with freelancers that identify with that fan base.

Best way to freelance for YETI:
YETI accepts ideas, cold pitches and portfolios from freelancers across the country. Then, if it is a good fit, he says they reach out to those content creators. YETI has community managers, like himself, that bring in those photographers and videographers that are telling the story of ranching and rodeo. “It’s not realistic for us to hire these people [full time] for us, so we bring them in,” he says. “It is the easiest model for us.”

Most rewarding part of job:
Cory likes to see the great content coming out of the partnerships. Relationships are the most beneficial part of his position, bringing attention to two industries he enjoys. Attending events, like the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, is like a reunion for Cory and his friends. “There’s a misconception it is all fun and games, but there is working involved,” he says. “I definitely can’t complain!”

Keeping it authentic:
One challenge Cory faces is ensuring authentic, genuine and hardworking ranching families and rodeo competitors are ambassadors. In other words, YETI doesn’t want to look like a “yahoo.” Cory vets each idea thoroughly before putting it out for potential use in YETI’s branding.

Advice to freelancers:
1. Know your worth

Sell your skills with confidence

Set short and long term goals

Be flexible if your situation changes

Favorite campaign?
The Wright Boys

Get in touch:
Cory’s email – cwiese@yeti.com

Final advice:
“Don’t undervalue what you bring to the table!”

Check out YETI on social media and watch videos on YouTube. Visit yeti.com.

Find Freelance Remuda online: freelanceremuda.com
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @freelanceremuda

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Herd leader Kate Bradley Byars heads to Montana this week to gather articles for Western Horseman. She is gearing up for the road, packing her Think Tank Airport Advantage Carry-On Roller bag with the essentials. Here are a few of her "must have" pieces of gear:

2 recorders
Notebook + pens
Business cards
Camera cards + card reader
Cameras (Canon 5d + Canon 7D) + lenses
Reflector
Extra batteries: camera, recorder
Back-up pugs for USB + car charger

On this trip an extra set of clothes is also in the carry on, just in case the crazy winter weather keeps the suitcase from making the trip.

What do you pack for a road trip? All your gear? What essentials do you need for a photo shoot? We want to hear!

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As writers and photographers, we work closely with sources. They could be expert trainers, models for photos, championship competitors—or a myriad of other personalities. Handling interactions with sources properly can make or break your freelance career. In this episode, Abigail and Kate sat down to talk about how they work with sources: how and when to contact them, how to build rapport, how to chase down elusive sources, managing a runaway interview, shaping quotes and when to call in the editor for a problem. This episode is packed with tips we have gleaned from countless interviews and photoshoots over the years.

Contacting sources: Our protocol on contacting sources depends on the story, but a minimum of four weeks in most cases—event coverage aside—unless we’re looking for a more “off-the-cuff” type response. Trips out of town for interviews or photos can be scheduled out even further.

We try all the methods of communication, starting with the phone, text, email and social media. We don’t bombard the source, but we will contact them a few times before considering using another source.

Building rapport: We always introduce ourselves in connection to the magazine. Dropping hints that we’re familiar with horses and maybe even their area of expertise, while stressing that we have a common goal of educating the reader often helps. Ask good questions, but be willing to listen.

Chasing down a source: If we’ve tried several times over a week to reach a source, we talk to the editor. Sometimes they can nudge the source, other times they may have a viable alternative source for us.

Reining in the rambler: Neither of us will ever cut off a source if they’re talking. We will, however, ensure that all of our questions get answered if possible, even if we have to return to a precious question. Oftentimes, recapping some important points will help crystalize what the source planned to send you.

Favorite sources: Abigail's favorite category of source is knowledgeable veterinarians at universities. Kate loves a "talker" with a good story.

Listen on iTunes

About The Freelance Remuda

The Freelance Remuda is a podcast about navigating the equine media frontier. Co-hosted by seasoned freelance professionals Abigail Boatwright and Kate Bradley Byars, the podcast explores the trials and triumphs surrounding life as a freelancer in equine media, while sharing valuable tips from equine media editors and creatives doing what they love. Find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

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You just can’t say no to Larri Jo! Abigail and Kate interviewed Larri Jo Starkey, Senior Editor of the American Quarter Horse Association’s flagship publication – The American Quarter Horse Journal. In this episode, Larri Jo shares what she looks for in a freelancer, her thoughts on the importance of a story’s quality before edits, the difference between a single-story gig and a regular contributor, the helpfulness of developing an expertise as a writer, AQHA’s policies on hiring freelance writers, the dynamics of an association magazine versus an independent publication, the best way to pitch to AQHA, faux pas to avoid as a freelancer, and advice on how to make yourself indispensable as a freelancer. You won’t want to miss this episode—there are so many gold nuggets!

Contact Larri Jo at: lstarkey@aqha.org. You can also find her chronicling her adventures at twitter.com/larrijo

Here are just a few of the valuable insights shared by Larri Jo:

Larri Jo learned during her time as an obituary writer for a newspaper that your goal as a writer is to be able to distill your story down to a five-word sentence.

The angels sing when a freelancer delivers content packaged with a bow: story written in AP style requiring minimal edits, photos, cutlines, video, invoice and comp copy addresses.

At AQHA Media, former interns have a distinct edge because they’ve been trained to write to the association’s specifications. Abigail and Kate both did internships with AQHA. Here’s more info about those internships .

AQHA uses a trusted stable of freelancers, but if a journalist has a story perfect for one of the association’s five publications: The American Quarter Horse Journal , America’s Horse, Performance Horse Journal, Ranch Horse Journal, and Quarter Racing Journal , the company is happy to consider working with someone new.

Each of AQHA’s publications has a distinct way of highlighting the American Quarter Horse. Learn those angles before pitching a story to Larri Jo.

The best way you can set yourself apart as a freelancer is by being a good storyteller.

If you send a pitch to Larri Jo, be sure to include pertinent info such as a working title and deck, angle, potential sources, ideas for photography—and how you will acquire images—and graphic treatment.

Ways to ensure you don’t work with Larri Jo:

Pester her incessantly about pitches
Misspelled words, like names, classes and horses
Tick off their sources
Unprofessionalism
Pitching stories that have run in the magazine recently
Getting mad when your pitch doesn’t get used

Your best bet if you want to work with AQHA Media is to develop genuine relationships with the editors—whether that’s striking up a conversation at AHP or tracking them down at an AQHA show, help them put a face to a name. If you’ve got a great story and you can write, there could be room for your article.

Final advice:
1. Be a professional. Meet deadlines and act maturely on the phone with AQHA to prove you can be trusted with sources.
2. Be a good writer.
3. Be willing to work, to put in the hours and do the research.
4. Make the editor’s life better.

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About The Freelance Remuda

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The first Freelance Remuda podcast recording session.

Welcome to The Freelance Remuda—a podcast about navigating the equine media frontier. In the first episode, Abigail Boatwright and Kate Bradley Byars introduce themselves, talk about how they got into equine media, and how they became freelancers. They also discuss some common questions about breaking into freelance, such as necessary skills, how working independently is different from an on-staff job, and advice for the newcomer to equine media.

Abigail Boatwright is a freelance writer and photographer with more than a decade of experience in equine media. She draws from a background showing Quarter Horses and competing on the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, as well as work experience on staff at the American Quarter Horse Association and American Paint Horse Association. Today, she writes and photographs for up to a dozen magazines—mainly of the western stock horse niche. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband Zach and children, Wilder and Felicity.

Kate Bradley Byars is a freelance writer and photographer with a background showing Quarter Horses and competing on Texas A&M’s Equestrian Team. She currently competes in Ranch Horse competition with her Quarter Horse. She has years of experience on staff at Western Horseman magazine, and today she is editor of WH’s sister publication, Ranch Horse News, while continuing to freelance for other publications, including Western Horseman. She lives in Beaumont, Texas, with her husband Robert and her Labrador, Huk.

Links:

Texas A&M University’s Department of Agricultural Communications and Journalism – Both Abigail and Kate attained degrees from A&M through this program, setting the stage for their careers in equine media.
Texas A&M’s Equestrian Team - Kate and Abigail both spent time competing as members of the team, meeting lifelong friends and contacts that are continuously helpful to working in the equine media industry.
American Horse Publications– This association has been invaluable for both Abigail and Kate. From being a resource for finding internships and job postings, to building relationships in equine media at conferences, to continuing education—AHP is one of the best ways a freelancer can connect to the equine media industry.
Abigail Boatwright Communications
Kate Bradley Byars

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About The Freelance Remuda

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Who is #TheFreelanceRemuda? Learn more here: https://www.freelanceremuda.com/meet-the-remuda/

KATE BRADLEY BYARS is a #writer & #photographer focusing on #westernstockhorse publications. She has won awards for her work in Western Horsema & contributes to other #magazines. Visit her Facebook page at KBB • Kate Bradley Byars.

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Who is #TheFreelanceRemuda? Learn here: https://www.freelanceremuda.com/meet-the-remuda/

ABIGAIL BOATWRIGHT is an award-winning #writer & #photographer for many #magazines including: Paint Horse Journal, Horse & Rider Magazine and American Quarter Horse Association publications. {Abigail Boatwright Communication}

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Curious about the personalities behind The Freelance Remuda? Here's a sneak listen of our #podcast intro. Turn those speakers up!

#TheFreelanceRemuda #FreelanceRemuda #equinemedia #equine #horse #writer #photographer #editor #creative {KB} Kate Bradley Creative Abigail Boatwright Communications

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Launching JANUARY 10, 2017: The Freelance Remuda Podcast It's a new year, which can mean a new goal! Thinking of launching your freelance business or stepping up your current business goals? Great, we are here to help you!

Join two established writers as we talk with fellow freelancers about challenges and triumphs of navigating the equine media landscape!

On 1/10/17, find us on iTunes and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! If you haven't already, enter your email on the homepage to sign up for our newsletter (psst - you get extra free content!).

The Freelance Remuda: Navigating the Equine Media Frontier: Recent Episodes

Abigail Boatwright