The document discusses business basics for freelance artists and animators. It covers setting up a business structure as either a sole proprietorship, partnership, or incorporation. It emphasizes treating creative work as a business by focusing on taxes, contracts, finding clients, and marketing a niche. The document recommends documenting expenses, meeting deadlines in contracts, and invoicing clients after jobs are complete. Overall, it provides advice for freelancers to professionalize their work by thinking of themselves as businesspeople in addition to artists.

1. Animation Business
Basics
or
Notes from The Freelance Life
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2. It’s not that hard
but it’s constant.
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3. Business Structure
Taxes
Contracts
Finding Work
Rembrandt
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4. It’s Show BUSINESS
not
Show ART
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5. The Freelance Life © J Caswell 2011

6. The Freelance Life © J Caswell 2011

7. read/think
about
business
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8. Think of yourself as a business person
not just as an artist.
PROFESSIONAL
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9. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Sole Proprietor
Partnership
Incorporation
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10. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Sole Proprietor
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11. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Partnership
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12. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Partnership
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13. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Incorporation
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14. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
**DISCLAIMER**
Sole Proprietor
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15. BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Sole Proprietor
Register a name
Current Account
HST #
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16. TAXES
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17. TAXES
Pre Pay
or save to pay at least
15%
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19. TAXES
CRA
Audit
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20. TAXES
Paperwork
read tax prep articles
listen to the budgets
get an accountant
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21. Paperwork
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22. TAXES
Deductions
or Write offs
self-employment expenses
must be documented
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23. TAXES
Deductions
or Write offs
Not Free Money
You have spend it
to write a portion off of next year’s taxes
Why I bought a PS3 on December 31
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24. Business Expenses
100%
Supplies
Website creation
Business stationary
Computer software
Convention expenses (2 per year)
Travel for work
Capital Assets CCA
30% per year
(Hardware, monitors, Cintiqs, tablets,
scanners, printers, cars, etc.)
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25. Home Based Business Expenses
%
Rent.
Mortgage.
Mortgage interest.
Home/Apartment Insurance
-Power/Hydro Bills.
Gas Bills.
Property Tax Assessment.
Water/Sewer Bills.
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26. loss
against
income
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27. CONTRACTS
aka:
Deal memo
Purchase Order/PO
Production Agreement
etc.
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28. The Going Rate:
20 bucks
an hour
benefits after 6 months.
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29. CONTRACTS
For production companies,
little negotiation in price.
Where did you pay last year’s taxes?
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30. CONTRACTS
Uneducated clients
Your job to educate them
through your deal memo.
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31. CONTRACTS
Know thy time
How long will it take to do the work?
What’s their deadline?
Is it enough?
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32. CONTRACTS
Know thy time
Build in deadlines into a schedule.
Link payments to these stages.
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33. CONTRACTS
Know thy rights
Where are they using the work?
Is there any use beyond your work?
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34. CONTRACTS
Know thy rights
Define this in your deal memo.
Further use should mean more money.
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35. CONTRACTS
You have to be able to walk away
if you feel you’re being used.
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36. CONTRACTS
Look at examples from
graphic design or illustration business sites
and adapt them.
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37. CONTRACTS
INVOICE
After you finish the job,
invoice for it.
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38. Finding Work
CONNECTIONS
Animation is a team sport
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39. Finding Work
Learn from
Your peers
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40. Finding Work
Don’t look for a JOB
Find Clients
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41. Finding Work
Forget the blog
Build a website
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42. Finding Work
Find your niche
then market the hell out of it
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43. © J Caswell all rights reserved

44. © J Caswell all rights reserved

45. “Luck affects everything. Let
your hook always be cast.
In the stream where you
least expect it,
there will be fish.”
Ovid
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46. GOOD work vs. good work
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47. GOOD work vs. good work
How to get a job at Pixar?
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48. GOOD work vs. good work
Have them call you.
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49. Read Emerson’s
“Self Reliance”
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50. “The reward of a thing well done,
is to have done it.”
“Skill to do comes of doing.”
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51. Faith will be rewarded
perseverance
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52. BLISS
follow it
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53. “Often, when you want to be understand
something, you have to take it apart or
apply another kind of language to it.
Drawing is another kind of language.”
Richard Serra
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54. Like any kind of language,
you have to practice it or you’ll lose it.
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55. ?