“To see the world”“I want to be there for my family”“It helps me manage my mental/physical health”“I’m...

The Future of Work is Freelance

Location:

2010 NSW
Australia

The Future of Work is Freelance

Featuring

Monica Davidson

Monica Davidson

CEO of The Creative Plus Business Group Pty Ltd

Monica Davidson has never had a ‘proper’ job - she has been self-employed in the arts since she was a teenager, first as a journalist and later as a writer and filmmaker.

After freelancing for years Monica set up her own production company in the early 1990s, and learnt how to run a creative business the hard way. As her company grew, she started offering informal tutorials to help other creatives and is now a recognised expert in the field.

Monica regularly runs workshops and events about creativity and business, as well as mentoring individual practitioners and consulting to larger arts organisations. She is a regular guest lecturer on creative entrepreneurialism at institutions including AFTRS, NIDA, NAVA and Ausdance.

She is the author of the Australian version of Freelancing for Dummies, and is currently developing a series of books about creative business.

In 2013 Monica was appointed as the first Creative Industries Business Advisor by the NSW Small Business Commissioner, and the following year completed her Masters in Screen Arts and Business at AFTRS. Monica was recently named as one of the Westpac 100 Women of Influence for her work in the creative industries. Her company The Creative Plus Business Group was also awarded a Cool Company Award by Anthill Magazine in 2015.

In her down time Monica enjoys movies, spending time with her family, drinking pink champagne, and participating in the gentle art of pub karaoke.

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Rebekah Lambert

Founder - The Freelance Jungle

Rebekah Lambert is a content marketing freelancer at Unashamedly Creative. She’s also the founder of Hacking Happiness, a project designed to remind Australian businesses & professionals that stress has a productivity cost. As the founder of The Freelance Jungle, an online and offline social club designed to support Australian freelancers, she continues this message of community support and stress reduction through focusing on ending the isolation inherent in sole employment.

Rebekah is currently training as a Crisis Supporter for Lifeline Australia, spent 12 months as part of a joint COSBA and Beyond Blue work group tasked to improve the mental health outcomes of Australian small business, and is an Assistance Dogs Australia relief carer. When she’s not talking business and stress reduction, she’s exploring the wonders of Wollongong and the Illawarra. 

Cameron Rambert

Founder - Freelance Australia

Cameron is a multidisciplinary digital strategist with with more than 10 years of experience in freelancing to advertising agencies and technology startups. 

Cameron is also the Founder of the Frankston Foundry, a technology incubator based in Victoria and Freelance Australia, an NGO whose mission is to represent the collective interests of Australian freelancers, contractors and independent workers as we progress towards a new future of work. 

Lara Lightfoot

Compere

For the last fourteen years, Lara Lightfoot has earned her gluten-free bread and dairy-free butter as an actress, independent theatre founder and producer, corporate role player, casting assistant, and youth mental health forum facilitator.

She intimately understands the challenges of the freelancer lifestyle, and the importance of community and self care. Although she has faced countless ups and downs, she wouldn’t have her life any other way.

Event Details

“To see the world”
“I want to be there for my family”
“It helps me manage my mental/physical health”
“I’m a rebel and find working with others a difficult task”
“Office politics leave me cold”
“I want a work life worth meaning”
“To make more money”
“The freedom to be who I am”

These answers and more are given by freelancers in Australia when discussing their motivations for choosing the solopreneur life. But what is the reality of the situation?

Job insecurity, worries about the future and the desire to create a working life with meaning are the fuel of the freelance life. As we move towards a world where even the most applied and most team orientated player is but a line in a balance sheet to a profit hungry HQ, more and more Australians are seeing freelancing as the answer.

The promise of work-life balance, calling the shots and choosing the clients you service hold a sensational amount of appeal. Yet within the freelance working life, there are challenges. Chasing payments, scheduling work, wearing many hats, working the room and producing the work are but a few of the challenges faced. Isolation, self doubt and overwork also plague the freelance sector.

So what are the true realities of life on the freelance coalface? Is it really the future of the Australian workforce? And if so, how can you get slice of the action?

Bringing together a panel of experts who not only freelance but also work hard for the vested interests of the Australian freelance community, The Future of Work is Freelance is about exploring freelancing in an honest and positive way.

We’ll cover landscape such as what it’s like to freelance in Australia, the challenges faced plus a special highlight on key areas such as developing a client base, presenting yourself well in the market, managing stress and issues, and finding the right support on your journey.

This panel discussion is designed to give you proper information on how to freelance well in Australia while also having your voices heard on the future of freelance. Whether you are considering taking the plunge or you’re an old salt in the freelance world, we welcome you. 

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