Stop Holding Our Money Hostage
Photographer and stylist Todd S. Johnson is done waiting to get paid. In this episode, he calls out late payments, net 30 scams, and why freelancers should never have to chase their own money. We talk about the broken system of paying creatives, the games companies play to hold onto cash, and how to fight back. Credits: Host: Kareem Rahma Guest: Todd S. Johnson Creators: Kareem Rahma & Andrew Kuo Camera: Anthony DiMieri & Tian Sippel Editor: Tyler Christie Associate Producer: Ramy Shafi Artwork: Andrew Lawandus
Summary
Photographer and stylist Todd S. Johnson is fed up with chasing invoices. He and Kareem tear into the broken payment culture plaguing freelancers, calling out net30 and net60 terms as barely disguised cash hoarding schemes. Johnson keeps it real: if it's under $2,500, payment should be immediate. "Venmo moment. Zel me. Cash at me." The conversation hits hard on double standards. Your landlord won't accept net30, Verizon won't wait, your dealer definitely isn't offering payment plans, so why should creatives subsidize company cash flow? Johnson recounts getting hit with a net30 that stretched to net90, then being treated like a loan shark for asking about his own money. The frustration is palpable and justified. When the pizza shop gets paid on the spot and Uber drivers collect instantly, freelancers deserve the same respect.
Full Transcript
So, what's your take? We should eradicate net30.
100% agree. No more pay me right now.
Honestly, I'm cool with like a little bi-weekly, but if it's under like $2,500, that [shit] needs to be like right now. Venmo moment. Zel me. Cash at me.
What you need a month for? Imagine when people say we pay net60.
Bro, I got hit with a net30 one time that turned into a net90. And I was reaching out and they were like, like I was some [shit] loan shark or some [shit].
Yeah, you were asking for your money. Bro. And I'm like, how are you mad at me for asking to get paid for some [shit] I did like three months ago?
What's crazy is that it only happens to like freelancers and creative projects. Freelancers. When you go to a pizza shop, you can't do that. You don't put [shit] on layout. You can't do that, bro.
We're putting jobs on. Yo, your dealer is not trying to hear like, "Oh, for the K. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Net30." Like, no, bro. He wants that [shit] right now and you give it to him right now. The freelance economy is getting absolutely [shit]. When you get an Uber ride, even Uber drivers now pay me now.
You know who doesn't want to hear that [shit]? My landlord. And, and, and, and Verizon don't want to hear that [shit]. Netflix don't want to hear that [shit]. So why the [shit] y'all think I want to hear that [shit]? I don't want to hear that [shit]. When the job is done, you get the check.
That's it. Pay us. [Shit] off. No more net.
Net seven. Maybe. Not even. There's a, there's a, there's a, there's a cap like $2,500 and lower right now. Anything above that maybe a week, but it's usually net right the [shit] now.
Preach, cook, spit. Let's go.