Studio Blog

Welcome to the Demand Studios Blog – a resource for writers, contributors and freelancers alike! Come here for answers to your questions, Studio news, writing tips and more.
Studio Blog
Don't forget, the DMS Fall-Kick Off event is happening in cities across the country this Sunday, September 25th! Bring in the fall season in style with your fellow freelancers. Haven't RSVP'ed yet? No worries! You can still RSVP to an event near you by clicking here: DMS Fall Kick-Off.

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Have fun!

DMS Fall Holiday Club

Posted by Kaitlyn | September 21, 2011 | Comments (4)

Fall begins this Friday, September 23rd and it’s time to celebrate! We are bringing back the Holiday Club for the occasion but this time we’ve put a new spin on it!  

We’ll still choose 2 winners a day – one writer and one copyeditor. However, this time we’ll be pulling from all articles published pre-fall, during the month of September (9/1-9/22). We’ll choose one lucky article a day and the writer and copy editor of that article will each receive $100 bonus payment. 

We start choosing on the first day of fall– Sept 23rd – and will choose one article a day through Sept. 27th. Make sure to check the DMS Facebook page daily this Thursday through Tuesday – where we will feature the winning article of the day. 

 

Happy Fall!

Sincerely,

The DMS Team

September Grant Winners!

Posted by Kaitlyn | September 20, 2011 | Comments (6)

Congratulations to this month’s Grant winners!

Our Professional Resources grant goes to writer Laurie Brenner. With only a desktop to work from, it is difficult for Laurie to work while visiting her mother 600 miles away. Her mother turns 84 this month and with her health waning, it’s important to Laurie that she spends more time with her.  With a laptop, Laurie will now be able to access her work from anywhere and spend more quality time with her mother. We wish you all the best, Laurie!

Our first Work/Life Balance grant goes to writer Kirsty Barkan. Moving to the UK from Upstate New York two and a half years ago, Kirsty makes it a priority to travel home for the holidays. Usually able to save up enough money to travel home, things have been tighter this year and Kirsty was unsure if she’d be able to afford it. The grant will help her travel home and spend the holiday season with her family!

The second Work/Life Balance award goes to copy editor Elizabeth Gessaman, who recently moved back to Savannah, Georgia to be closer to her family. Forced to sell her car after moving, getting around Savannah has been a real challenge.  The grant will help Elizabeth purchase a bicycle, making it easier to get to and from the store, pay her bills, and get some exercise!

Our third Work/Life Balance winner is writer Jessica Morelock. As a single mother, Jessica doesn’t always get to spend as much time with her daughter as she would like. With the grant, Jessica will be able to take some time off and spend quality time with her daughter on a big night out. She plans to take her to the Mall of America where she can visit the American Girl store and see Dora at the amusement park!  

The final Work/Life Balance award will go to writer and title flagger Bethany Jones. As a busy mom, the toughest thing for Bethany is balancing work with raising her kids. Her husband is Active Duty Air Force and away a lot for work. The grant money will help Bethany fund afternoon childcare for her son, allowing her to write for DMS and finish her first novel.

Remember, if you didn’t win this time, you can apply twice more with the same application. It was a tough decision to select this month’s winners, so don’t get discouraged.

Please join us in congratulating the winners!

Community Kudos

Posted by Jordan | September 9, 2011 | Comments (15)

We like to give kudos to those DMS community members who go above and beyond what is asked of them to make our community great. We want to spotlight those who are active and positive contributors in our forums, on our Blog, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. It's our creators who make us great and you deserve to be recognized!

This week we want to give Community Kudos to Studio writer Olivia Franks.


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Olivia is a very supportive and positive voice within the DMS community. As a frequent participant in the DMS Forums, Olivia is always there to lend an encouraging word to her fellow writers. Whether it’s to give a bit of advice, share a story of what her children are up to, or just to wish them well when they are under the weather, community members can always count on Olivia.


If you see Olivia in the forums, be sure to give her kudos of your own. Thanks and congratulations, Olivia!

PM us with your contact info & we'll send you a DMS T-shirt & some other goodies to say,

Thank You!


DMS All Access: Winner!

Posted by Kaitlyn | September 7, 2011 | Comments (3)


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The DMS All Access Program was developed to help connect our community with new opportunities and support your professional goals. Whether it’s attending a convention or new media expo- we want to connect you with the right people and events.

We have received a lot of great applications and it is inspiring to see how passionate many of you are about your craft. As mentioned previously, we will be announcing All Access winners on a rolling basis. We've selected our next All Access winner and we are thrilled to share her story:

Please join us in congratulating Studio writer, Julie Christensen!

Julie is a full-time freelance writer and former teacher with writing credits from several regional and national publications. She specializes in parenting, education and gardening topics. As an All Access winner, Julie will have the opportunity to explore her first passion: children's literature, through an online course at Brigham Young University. We are thrilled to help her reach her goals of publishing a children's book and hope this course will provide her with the necessary tools to do so. Please join us in congratulating Julie on being a DMS All Access winner!

 For more details on the program and information on how to apply click here.


August Grant Winners

Posted by EmilyNF | August 26, 2011 | Comments (7)

Congratulations to this month’s Grant winners! 

Our Professional Resources grant goes to writer and titler Darlene Zagata. After an accident involving Darlene’s son, his feet and her laptop screen, Darlene has been left without a laptop. Although she’s been able to sporadically borrow a relative’s computer, a new laptop will allow Darlene to get back to work at her own pace and time.

Our first Work/Life Balance grant goes to writer Chinello Plummer. After countless days and hours sitting in her office chair, Chinello’s back has started to suffer greatly. Chinello will use the grant to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas, and relax in one of their hot spring water bathhouses for a weekend.

The second Work/Life Balance award goes to writer Hugh Patterson, who is currently working on a book about chess for at-risk teens. Hugh currently teaches chess to teens in juvenile correctional facilities and has been pleased to see them using the game to resolve conflict and stress. The grant will help Hugh finish this important book.

Our third Work/Life Balance winner is writer Lisa Mercer. Lisa is preparing to pack up and move to Uruguay for six months. She’ll spend her time learning Spanish and exploring. After a fall last month called for a hospital visit (and bills that followed), Lisa fell behind on her trip funds. Lisa will use the funds to put her back on track for the trip – and give her breathing room to explore Uruguay instead of working the entire time she's there.  

The final Work/Life Balance award will go to writer Byrd McDaniel. Byrd recently moved cross-country to attend grad school at University of Alabama. While he’s excited to pursue his studies, the cost of moving and tuition has left him without the funds to go out and meet anyone in his new town. Byrd will use the funds to attend some upcoming school-sponsored trips.

Finally, our Short Film grant goes to writer Kimberly Nunley for her short film, “Sly Sylvester.” In Kimberly’s film, an apartment renter pretends to own a cat in order to make contact with the gorgeous pet sitter, but doesn’t count on his angry landlord getting involved. We can’t wait to see the finished product on this one!

Remember, if you didn’t win this time, you can apply twice more with the same application. It was a tough decision to select just six applications, so don’t get discouraged.

Please join us in congratulating the winners!

Community Kudos

Posted by Jordan | August 26, 2011 | Comments (2)

We like to give kudos to those DMS community members who go above and beyond what is asked of them to make our community great. We want to spotlight those who are active and positive contributors in our forums, on our Blog, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. It's our creators who make us great and you deserve to be recognized!

This week we want to give Community Kudos to Studio writer Mary Ylisela.

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Mary is a dedicated and passionate member of the DMS community. In addition to being a dedicated writer herself, Mary is a very active voice in the DMS Forums, helping to keep her fellow writers motivated while working from home. Her regular “Hardcore Writing” posts help other writers set goals for Fridays and weekends and her posts always inspire her fellow community members.


If you see Mary in the forums, be sure to give her kudos of your own. Thanks and congratulations, Mary!

PM us with your contact info & we'll send you a DMS T-shirt & some other goodies to say,

Thank You!

Community Kudos

Posted by Jordan | August 12, 2011 | Comments (4)

We like to give kudos to those DMS community members who go above and beyond what is asked of them to make our community great. We want to spotlight those who are active and positive contributors in our forums, on our Blog, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. It's our creators who make us great and you deserve to be recognized!

This week we want to give Community Kudos to Studio writer Renee Miller.

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Renee is an active and positive member of the DMS community. She is always there to chime in with words of advice and encouragement. She has been with DMS for over 3 years and is not shy about sharing her experiences with her fellow freelancers. She frequently likes others’ posts on the Facebook fan page and is always there to share a kind word, answer a question, or just say “thanks!”

If you see Renee in the forums be sure to give her kudos of your own. Thanks and congratulations, Renee!

PM us with your contact info & we'll send you a DMS T-shirt & some other goodies to say,

Thank You!

Starting Monday, August 15th DMS contributors eligible to participate in Demand Deals can purchase two movie tickets from Fandango.com for the price of one! There are a limited number of tickets available at this discounted rate so be sure to act fast.

For more details on how to take advantage of this exclusive offer head to the forums!



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