Freelance Pod returns with a live show featuring author Gemma Milne
Hi all,
Freelance Pod has returned after a bit of a break! We’re on Season 2, Episode 40 (I like long seasons, apparently) and the podcast is now going monthly.
Should I stick to a weekly newsletter during the lockdown, though? If so, should I call it something else? Hmmm…
This episode is the live recording of the podcast at the Boulevard Theatre, Soho in November 2019. Wow, that truly was a simpler time…
But first - how are you?
I’m almost nocturnal (really fighting it!), tired a lot of the time and much of my work is hanging in the balance (the teaching) or drying up (the writing). It’s a really difficult time, and financially pretty worrying. I do have some links below, to government and accountant advice on accessing financial help and tax deadlines, that should help.
I’ve got myself a mini-trampoline, resistance bands and YouTube videos to keep me active at home, and I’m popping out for a fast walk / slow run every few days. Turns out freelancing is very good preparation for social distancing! My nightstand is piled high with books, and I’m wondering if the world is telling me to let go of work for a little bit and relax.
There’s a particularly gorgeous spring happening in London (of course there is), so I try to make the most of mornings on my east-facing balcony to soak up the Vitamin D.
(Btw if you need more calming views of blue sky like that, check out this Twitter thread from Lemn Sissay)
One last thing: make sure you get on the Nextdoor app. It’s coming into its own now that we’re all stuck in our flats in our atomised local communities. It’s also full of really bizarre things too, so ignore the conspiracy theories and fake medical advice, and just try to concentrate on what’s useful for you, and what’s helpful for the most vulnerable people in your neighbourhood.
The podcast is BACK
Author Gemma Milne - whose first book Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It is published on 23rd April and available for pre-order now - sat down onstage with me to talk about pitching and writing a non-fiction book, career changes and how hype distorts science and tech reporting (pretty relevant right now).
Gemma’s got lots of great advice for branding yourself online, bouncing back from redundancy plus getting started as a conference speaker, a job that took her around the world until very recently. More than one member of the audience called her inspirational in the bar afterwards, which is never a bad thing!
Here we are a few weeks before the show at The Ned, where I pre-interviewed Gemma in order to figure out how to shape the show. It feels like a very long time ago now!
How about you?
Has being stuck at home pushed you into doing something creative? Or even just helpful? Let me know - would love to share what you’re up to here in the newsletter, and on social media!
A few examples:
Listen to Eleanor McDowall’s atmospheric, soothing Field Recordings podcast - like travelling via your ears
Send voice notes to Broccoli Content (makers of Anthems and Money 101 on BBC Sounds) for a new podcast
Contribute to Cathy FitzGerald’s Life on Lockdown programme for Radio 4
Hussein Kesvani is setting up a writers’ group
Some lockdown Resources
Laura Oliver and a couple of other freelance journos have set up a Slack channel to share work and other opportunities going at this difficult time - come and join us for a bit of solidarity!
The next Rise and Shine podcast panel is about how to get guests on your pod. I’ll be a panellist, and we’re going to do it via Zoom and YouTube, on Thursday 26th, 7-9pm. More details and the link to watch will appear on the Twitter feed
My accountant just emailed over this helpful info for the self-employed:
Income Tax payments
Income Tax Self-Assessment payments due on the 31 July 2020 will be deferred until the 31 January 2021. This is an automatic offer with no applications required. No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged in the deferral period.
Universal credit
Self-employed people can now access full universal credit at a rate equivalent to statutory sick pay.
Here’s the official line on self-employment and Universal Credit, plus Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
What I’ve been up to
I’m on an episode of The Business of Writing Podcast at the end of the month - have a listen to their past episodes
At the start of the year, I did a stand-up comedy course at The Bill Murray in Angel: here’s the result
If you’ve binged the TV show, it’s time to let the accompanying podcast lull you to sleep
I won’t list all my work over the last few months, but here’s a personal essay about a Whatsapp group I’m in, and the accompanying podcast
Internet life is real life, (for) now
If you’re not Zooming, what have you been doing?! There’s Zoom Karaoke, Digital First Dates and Birthday Parties that Defy Social Distancing (Safely). Of course 2020 is the year that we see things come full circle, from the internet starting out as a niche interest for the few who had access, to becoming the venue where we live out our lives, because we can’t do that IRL for the moment. There’s a take in there, somewhere, but I’m burned out on pitching for a bit.
Hypothetical is the funniest panel show on right now, and it’s easy to play yourself at home / on Zoom
Podcasts: I’ve been listening to Early Work With Rhys James, Cuddle Club with Lou Sanders and Rule of Three
That’s it for this newsletter, stay safe and well!