If you’ve searched for freelance TV jobs lately, you already know what the data shows — they’re vanishing.
Projects are stalling, budgets are frozen, and experienced crew are scrambling for work that simply doesn’t exist.
That’s why Action for Freelancers matters — or should. It’s being positioned as the industry’s coordinated response to the freelance crisis. But is it addressing the issue head-on? Or just reshuffling the same talking points while the jobs disappear?
This is my opinion and after a long and ongoing career in TV I hope someone listens.
Do You Have a Critical Friend?
A critical friend tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. They challenge you — because they care. They speak up, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I first came across the idea in school governor training. It stuck with me. And right now, as a lifelong freelancer and TV professional, I’m offering that same role to my own industry.
Because the stakes for the freelance community have never been higher.
The Reality: Freelance TV Jobs Are Vanishing
Hundreds, thousands, of skilled professionals are now out of work. This isn’t a quiet patch. This is a crisis.
Talented freelancers are burning through savings, leaving the industry, or taking jobs far below their capability just to survive.
We aren’t short of initiatives.
We are short of impact.
Action for Freelancers: A Strong Name With the Wrong Message?
When Action for Freelancers (AfF) launched, the name suggested promise. Urgency. Representation. It sounded like something built to fight for the future of freelance TV jobs.
But then I heard this from someone close to the project:
“What the AfF is NOT — and this is so important — it is NOT the freelancers’ voice.”
And again:
“When you say we want the AfF to be the champion for freelancers, that’s what TV Mindset is, that’s what BECTU is, that’s what Directors UK is… The AfF should not replace those things… it is not a representative body.”
I appreciate the honesty. But it raises a bigger question:
If AfF isn’t led by freelancers, doesn’t represent freelancers, and isn’t their voice — who exactly is it for?
Social media has already started calling this out. One user put it perfectly:
“It’s like calling yourself Save the Children… and then saying you’re absolutely not the voice for children.”
That line hits home because it captures the contradiction. The freelance community is made up of headline writers and storytellers — we spot mixed messaging from miles away.
We’ve Been Here Before
The Coalition for Change came first. It was freelance-led. It launched the Freelancer Charter. It got uncomfortable conversations on the table.
Then it folded — to make room for AfF. But AfF launched without:
- Consultation with CfC
- A formal handover
- Any visible partnership
That’s not progress. That’s replacement. And it’s a red flag.
Coordination Is Not Representation
AfF says it aims to coordinate stakeholders across the industry. That includes broadcasters, platforms, and production companies. That’s useful — but it’s not enough.
Because coordination without representation starts to look like crisis management rather than meaningful change.
And outsourcing “the voice” to BECTU, Directors UK, or other bodies — however valuable they are — doesn’t guarantee freelancers feel represented. Many don’t.
My Declaration
For transparency, I’m a member of both TV Mindset and TV Switch Up. We’ve had long discussions about this issue.
I haven’t been able to attend the AfF roundtables yet, but I plan to. I want to be part of the solution. But I won’t shy away from asking the questions that need asking.
This isn’t personal. It’s structural.
Let’s Be Honest
- The name is misleading. It implies representation it doesn’t provide.
- The Freelancer Charter was created by CfC — its adoption by AfF without involving its creators feels disingenuous.
- Freelancers are passionate, capable, and resilient — but they’re also exhausted. Lose their trust and this initiative fails.
Freelancers do not sit in salaried positions with HR and pensions.
They sit in homes they can’t afford, looking for work that doesn’t come, while receiving bills they can’t pay.
For those trying to survive on freelance TV jobs, a seat at the table isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity
So here’s a real question:
How many members of the AfF steering group are currently living that reality?
Can you still argue the name is appropriate? That this doesn’t feel like employers coordinating around a workforce they’re quietly walking away from?
If the industry can’t even protect the availability of freelance TV jobs, what exactly is it organising?
What Freelancers Actually Need – Freelance TV Jobs – and a voice.
- Direct Representation — not just meetings about us, but decisions with us
- Immediate Relief — emergency support for those in financial freefall
- Strategic Reform — including a central creative content agency, like KOCCA in Korea or Creative NL in the Netherlands
- Urgency — the dam has already broken. This cannot wait for another round of consultation
So Here’s My Ask
If you work in commissioning, production, or are part of AfF — please hear this in the spirit it’s meant.
This is not a takedown. This is a call to action.
Let freelancers in. Don’t just organise around us.
Coordinating industry responses sounds good, but it won’t pay rent or generate freelance TV jobs
The future of the industry depends on it.
And if we don’t act now, there may not be an industry left to fix.
I say this with care. But I say it with urgency.
Because a critical friend speaks up, especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Let’s get this right.
—
Jonathan Glazier FRSA
Freelance TV Director and Producer
