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An Opportunity?

JUNE 1, 2011

We are all accustomed to receiving both spam from an alleged Nigerian Banker and actual jobs via e-mail in 2011.  The quick eye can detect the difference in an instant.
Today I received an e-mail that appeared at first to be an assignment.  Soon I discovered it was NOT an assignment but an invitation!
This invitation was to submit illustrations to a venture:
 
"We stumbled upon your work in the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX book
and thought you might be interested in doing some design for us.

For the past year and a half we have been diligently working on a
platform that delivers high quality artwork to the theatre
and performing arts industry. Our goal is to make exceptional design
available to all theatre companies, from high schools to professional
venues. We’ve been building a library of poster designs for popular
plays and musicals. Now, we’d like to ask for your help as we get
ready for the official launch of our website in early Summer 2011. You
are one of several hand-picked artists that we would like to work with
to continue to develop the
XXXXX Studio library. If you’re
interested in learning more about this opportunity, and we really hope
you are, visit  XXXXX


If you know anyone else who might be interested in working with us,
please feel free to pass along this email. We hope to hear back from
you soon!


--
First name Last name
XXXXX Studio"
 
 
I don't actually know of ANYONE in the industry that would be advised to work with them, do you?
Theater poster work is an area of illustration with a long and important history.  Some of the finest illustrations and designs have come from the thoughtful considerations of both artist and designer.  These assignments are meaningful, pay a fair wage and benefit both the theater with an amazing and memorable image AND the artist with a living wage.
 
Since the e-mail was an invitation to pass along the information, I decided to offer the information here:
Congratulations! You have been invited to join the artist network at XXXXX Studio. We’ve seen your work and we think it’s amazing. We want you to use that talent to create super kickass posters for sale on our website. It’s easy to get started. Here’s how it works:

Terms
•   
XXXXX Studio has the right to refuse any design submission
•    XXXXX Studio has the right to modify your submitted artwork if necessary (ie. color, contrast, layout)
•    XXXXX Studio has the right to use any part of your design for future posters (you will be compensated!)
•    XXXXX Studio has the right to use any part of your design for additional products
 
Duration
•    Accepted poster designs will be sold on our website for an unspecified length of time

•    XXXXX Studio reserves the right to remove a poster design from our website at any time

Compensation
•    You will be paid $50 each time your poster design sells, with a maximum earning potential of $750 per poster
•    If we re-use any part of your design for another poster, you will be compensated according to the $50 / $750 plan. Let’s say you create a mind-blowing title that everyone loves. We might use it for three other poster designs, which will increase your earning potential by $1,500!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While posting this might mean some students would run to this 'opportunity', I hope professionals think long and hard about participating in a venture which drastically reduces fees artists would receive for theater posters, creates a stock source where artists do NOT control the usage or fees and finally might not quite be the same as having a talented artist and designer collaborate on a project where the best solution is worked out.
It's your own call.
© 2024 Tim O'Brien