birds
of a
feather
Our Collective Model
Creative freelancer life can suck. We value and honor the relationships we have with our collective members to do business in a new and better way. We get each other work, teach each other fascinating stuff about nerdy things, and we never, ever throw each other under any buses.
What is the Flannel & Blade Collective?
A group of wildly talented creatives, strategists and architects of logic and flow that roam together in a merry band to do good work, for work that is good. We send in swat teams of badass professionals like the oceans eleven gang pulling a diamond heist. Only we aren’t stealing anything, we’re leaving treasure in place.
We’re independent creative entrepreneurs with the very real goal of a work-life balance that includes radical rest.
We are civically minded, focused on communities and equitable and open access to everything.
We run the whole range of the creative gamut.
We believe true progress requires honesty and transparency so we cultivate trusting relationships that empower us.
We do not bullshit each other. We will not bullshit you either.
We value collective learning. No one individual has all the answers.
Who You Are:
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You are community minded. You want to work with civic minded people on civic minded projects.
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You approach projects with humor and fortitude.
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You are sick of the typical agency model and homogeneous nature of the whole creative industry with its performative attempts at diversity and inclusion.
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You like to try new approaches and creative solutions to challenges.
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You are unwaveringly inclusive: willing to seek diverse perspectives and encourage all voices to be heard in the pursuit of doing exceptional work.
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You don’t just care about social and racial justice and equality, you live it.
Who We're Looking For:
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AI/ Chat GPT nerds
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Cultural Producers
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Artists
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Graphic designers
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Grantwriters
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Project managers
We aren't currently looking for any more folks outside these disciplines, and we open up our books about twice a year. But if you have a project that's too big for you to handle, shoot us an email and we'll see if we can throw down with you!
Why the Collective Model?
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We believe we are stronger together and we love and rely on this brain trust to surface the most innovative and creative solutions.
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We like to share, not hoard good ideas, amazing people, and all our networks
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We can work together to customize everything to fit a client’s budget and goals
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It offers a level of flexibility that is impossible to achieve any other way
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It makes us nimble, eliminates bureaucracy and broadens access to creativity
Check back soon when we have availability!
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How do I become part of the collective?Currently, our applications are closed to participate in our Collective. If you're still interested in working with us, please feel free to reach out using our contact form below! When they re-open, we encourage folks to apply! Our team of partners will review your application. We may move forward and offer you an interview. If accepted, we will start the onboarding process and get you settled in.
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How much do I get paid?Flannel & Blade serves organizations regardless of their budgets by operating a sliding scale to keep our services within reach of anyone who wants them. Because of this, we ask our collective members to give us a range of their hourly rate. Depending on the client, we will do our best to meet your target rates. Some projects can be billed hourly while others may be a flat rate.
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How do I get paid?We will pay you through ACH payments or PayPal. You will receive a 1099 form at the end of the year for your gross payments.
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Will I be on the pitch process?Sometimes! For certain clients, we may ask you to participate in helping us pitch. We will be as transparent as possible with the collective to inform you when certain clients are coming down the pike and bring you on board when we feel like it would be worth your time and energy.
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Will I get paid for the pitch process?If you work with us on longer proposals, such as for government agencies, we will compensate you for your time. On other smaller projects we may invite you to participate minimally, or ask a few questions. Wherever possible we will pay you for any deliverables needed for a pitch.
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How do you price my time?Our partners work with the budget of the client, the needs of the scope, and the targeted hourly rate of our collective to price out the best scenario for all parties. We will be sure to let you know of our pricing and logic behind the budget before you agree to participate.
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How do you communicate with collective membersFor daily communications, we use Slack and email. We will also send out monthly newsletters to our collective, informing you about all the work we are doing, highlighting collective members, and more. We will host a monthly meet-up with the collective to help you connect further with your fellow members, share ideas, and have fun.
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What if I bring a client in?If you successfully bring in a client that hires us, Flannel & Blade will offer a “finder’s fee,” which will be calculated based on the scope of work.
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What if I bring another collective member in?We will thank you; the more, the merrier! Have them toddle along to this page to fill out the application form.
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Why should I become a collective member? What’s in it for me?We’ll get you work with super nice clients. We at F&B are a sweet dream to deal with and you will get paid quickly with no messing about. If we talk to a client and it turns out they really just need your specific skill set with no strategy or project management stuff, we’ll just recommend you for the job. As well as that we are growing a badass community of creatives and our monthly newsletter and meet-up will include exclusive professional development and content. In addition, you’ll get access to our Slack workspace, where you can share ideas, ridiculous memes, pictures of your pets and brilliant opportunities.
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Can I ask others to join the collective?Yes! We ask that you direct any folks you think would be good for the collective to this page. They should fill out a form and will be considered.
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How much time will be expected of me for non-client work?While you will inevitably have to spend some time doing some administrative work, we will do our best to keep any non-billable hours to a minimum. During onboarding, we will ask you to fill out an intake survey and sign a collective agreement. We may also ask you some questions here and there to help us build proposals (in the hopes of you joining as a subcontractor). Finally, we hope that you join us for our social and networking events, but if you cannot face one more zoom- we understand.