Hi, my name is
Jeremy Reed, the Senior Vice President of Content for Demand Media and Demand Studios. From 1992 until 1998 I listed “freelance writer/editor” under “Occupation” on my tax returns, and that line often included a supplemental source of income, such as “bartender.” For the past 11 years, however, I’ve been fortunate enough to hold full-time positions in the publishing world, both print and online. Today my team and I spend our days (and our nights) building the content strategy for Demand Studios and understanding how it can fuel the editorial voice of sites like
eHow.com and
LIVESTRONG.COM. I, humbly, like to think I’ve learned a thing or three.
On the wall in my office I’ve posted four quotes that summarize some of the most important lessons (good and bad) I’ve picked up over the years. The notes read:
“Hello, babies. Welcome to the Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies – 'God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.'” – Author Kurt Vonnegut
I once had an editor at an established alt-weekly who gave me the opportunity to write on a topic (“the Web”) that was beyond my proven expertise (music, books, dining). She spent hours helping me shape the piece until it was perfect. It became a writing sample I used for years to come, and the byline—mine—offered no hint of the assistance she gave me. I’ve never forgotten that generosity, and I hope we extend it to everyone we work with.
“Take it easy, but take it.” – Author/Historian Studs Terkel
There’s a hustle that’s inherent to freelancing. You must get published in a number of different places, gain experience creating content on a variety of topics and, most important, continually improve your craft. It’s often a tiresome process, but over time I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and to focus on getting what I wanted: more opportunities to spend more time doing what I love—writing.
“A good writer need only do two things well: Live and write, and the job is done.” – Author Charles Bukowski
The more I practiced, the more my writing and editing improved. And the more I lived and experienced the world, the more opportunities I had to “write what I know,” simply because I knew so much more.
“ … I want each of you to adopt the philosophy of the detective Al Pacino played in the film, “Sea of Love.” When someone asked how he subdued a criminal, Pacino replied,”I get in, I hit 'em hard, I hit 'em fast, I hit 'em a lot, I get outta there.” - Demand Studios Copy Curator Richard Lally
This last reminder comes from our own copyediting community. This passage was taken from a copyediting workshop in which Richard explained the art of editing copy at scale. But it also perfectly captures the art of effective writing, editing and communication. The best freelance relationships start with the publisher (in this case, Demand Studios) clearly conveying instructions and guidance to the Creators—the writers, filmmakers and other artists—who then compose, film or edit content to those specs.
Those relationships have produced measurable dividends. Demand Studios is publishing more than 2,000 pieces of content a day (including videos and articles), and we will soon surpass $15 million dollars in payouts to our creator community.
We all take pride in reaching these milestones, but we’re especially pleased that we accomplished this while keeping an eye on what all creators should hold so important: sharing the knowledge we’ve acquired through researching subjects and just walking the planet.
We will make mistakes along the way, and we will continue to learn from you. I promise to remember the importance of being kind and building something that goes beyond numbers. That would be something we all can take pride in.
