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LEVEL UP: The Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Pricing, Pitching & Getting Paid

Overview 764 Lovely Attendees
Phil profile
Your Host

Phil Pallen

Brand Strategist at Phil Pallen Collective, LLC.

Barcelona, Spain

Brand strategist, keynote speaker, personal branding expert.

About this FieldTrip

Freelancing sounds fun—until you realize no one taught you how to price your work, pitch your value, or get paid. This session is for emerging creatives who want to move from unsure to confident when dealing with clients.

We’ll cover how to set rates, pitch yourself clearly, and create boundaries using simple contracts. You’ll join a live rate-setting exercise, respond to real scenarios, and walk away with practical tips to protect your time, talent, and income.

⭐️ This FieldTrip is part of our Level Up Series with Adobe!
This FieldTrip is a part of Level Up, a series of FieldTrips and resources designed to help you grow, gain confidence, and take meaningful next steps in your creative career. This series is made possible by CreativeMornings’ global partnership with Adobe . Learn more about the program and upcoming FieldTrips and check out more ways to Level Up

Agenda

  • Part 1: Setting Your Rates We’ll cover how to calculate a baseline rate, when to charge hourly vs. project-based, and what to consider before saying yes.

  • Live Exercise: Rate Check — Attendees will respond to a sample project and submit their rate. I’ll walk through how I’d approach it.

  • Part 2: Pitching Yourself
    Tips on writing strong bios, how to respond to inquiries, and what makes a pitch stand out—without overselling.

  • Part 3: Contracts, Boundaries & Getting Paid
    I’ll walk through simple contract terms, payment schedules, and how to respond when a client pushes back. Includes examples you can copy and use.

  • Live Q&A: Open space to ask questions, get feedback, or share stories from the field.

  • Wrap-Up & Takeaways: Summary of key points, plus a link to a mini rate guide and contract checklist.


What to expect

Workshop format!

A hands-on session where participants get to build, craft, or create something tangible.

It will be recorded!

The recording will be shared within 24 hours in the follow up email for a 171-day window, and available at the top of this page. Make sure to register for access!

Learn more about FieldTrips


This FieldTrip was made possible by

Phil profile
Your Host

Phil Pallen

Brand Strategist at Phil Pallen Collective, LLC.

Barcelona, Spain

About Phil Pallen

Brand strategist, keynote speaker, personal branding expert.


Attendees

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Aimee DiStefano

Senior Graphic Designer at JMT.

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Deborah Clark

Creative Visionary at Clark Creative Communications.

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Kibel Manzano

Human-centered Strategist & Creative Producer.

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crys goure

Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Entrepreneur at CG Designs.

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Lloret De Mar Pelayo

Content Writer & Strategist at Freelance.

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Erin Crandell

Digital and Content Strategist.

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Melissa Katz

Designer at Just Do Good Design Co..

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Jessica Weaver

Communications and Development Manager at Public Conversations Project.

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Dave MacDonald

Cartoonist + Founder at Topsail Creative .

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Cara Capuano

Communications Officer & podcaster at UC Irvine.

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Juneous A. Pettijohn, MPH

Federal Employee/Business Owner at InnerRise Unlimited.

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Show up fully

Get ready to be immersed! Engage with smiles, nods, waves, emojis. Share in the chat. Get cozy. Turn off notifications. Sip your favorite beverage.

Stay curious

Wear your beginner’s hat. Go with the flow. Welcome the stumbles and fumbles. Congratulate yourself for trying. Keep going! 

Celebrate your host

Our hosts are members of the CreativeMornings community—just like you! Everyone comes to this with different backgrounds—a lot of our hosts have never done anything like this before! And we love that! Cheer them on when something goes awry and when it goes perfectly.

Support each other

We’re all figuring things out in real time. Celebrate, rather than critique emerging ideas. Cheer each other on as you try new things.  Try “Yes! And…” in conversation.

Not vibing?

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