Suckerpunching the Comic Con
Mon Sep 15, 09:36 | CreativeOver the past week, I’ve been nearly drowning in comic convention preparation. The program guide is almost entirely my responsibility, from writing or researching copy to layout to trying to get 36 pages of content to fit into 32 pages of guide.
Last year, I had the great experience of working for Suckerpunch Creative. They did a lot to help me learn how to properly set up a publication, and I think I’ll be sending them flowers in the near future to thank them for how much they helped me in my time there.
While the advertisers never listen to the requirements I made, the program guide worked out moderately well. I’m not happy that I had to sacrifice content for ad space, that goes completely against how I treat what I do.
I like volunteering for the comic con. I do. I’m just getting really tired of how I’m getting treated as a volunteer. No authentic client-business relationship would survive the deadlines and requirements while returning a quality product at this point.
I don’t make money off of the comic con. Every year I put together a table, but that costs money to get prints and business cards and I’ve yet to make back cost. A free table is what I got last year, so this year getting a free table after administrative costs have been created isn’t much. Considering the amount of work I’ve done for the con, that equates to much less than $0.25 an hour for compensation.
I volunteer for the comic con, but I don’t work for the comic shop that runs it. It’s really frustrating when I get an extra advertisement thrown into my already-tight schedule that half-advertises their shop. That’s not fair to all the people who work for the convention free of charge – we’re not here to promote a for-profit business, we’re here to work for the community and help make Winnipeg a little more important in North America for media and entertainment.
I’m rather upset with the government of Canada as far as how they treat volunteering as a donation. Were I to donate thousands of dollars to the comic con (which is a not-for-profit), I would get a tax receipt. But since it’s just my time, apparently it’s worth nothing. I’d be just as useful if I sat on my couch staring into space.
It’s not that I’m whining. Granted, someone else COULD do what I do, but… the quality would probably suffer. I’m the last to say I’m good at what I do for fear of sounding arrogant, but I do get paid well for my expertise. I’m their web developer, graphic designer, and for many things a copywriter as well – and probably other roles I’ve forgotten. It’s just really frustrating.
I have a class to revise and teach, and an apartment to fix up and move into. Getting extra websites and posters and designs added in with advertised unchangeable short deadlines makes me less interested in helping next year, and at this point I’d be relatively difficult to replace at the same level of quality for what I do.
A little more appreciation would be nice.