Over the last year SACIA and our various Special Interest Groups have been working on the development of a Guide for Freelance Professionals working in the broadcast, technical production, content creation and live events industry. Our objective is to present a Guide that delivers value to all freelancers working in the sector, as well as contractors who utilise freelance professionals. 

This Guide is endorsed by a number of organisations, including the South Africa Freelancers Association and industry bodies such as the South African Society of Cinematographers, the Independent Producers Organisation, the South African Guild of Actors, and Animation SA. It is designed to be a document that is embraced by all stakeholders and we are expecting more organisations to endorse the document over the coming months.

It is estimated that about 65% of people working in the broadcast, technical production, content creation and live events industry are employed on a freelance basis. From an employer’s perspective, freelancers provide access to skills and fresh perspectives that help an organisation be more competitive and complete projects faster, without permanently adding to their overheads.
While freelancing is a fulfilling career choice that has many perks, it also has challenges and not everyone is suited to being an independent professional. It's important to remember that all freelancers are business people and so the simplest way to be successful as a freelancer is to use good business sense.

This Guide looks at the regulatory framework within which freelancers work, and provides advice on how freelance professionals can set themselves up to secure more regular work, better-paying jobs, and career advancement opportunities.

The Guide is supported by an industry tax guide prepared with the assistance of Galbraith Rushby, specialist tax consultants for the entertainment industry. When read together, these Guide’s address many of the questions commonly asked, both by freelance professionals working in the entertainment industry, and by those organisations who use freelancers in their business activities.

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