SXSW 2025

Why Are We Still Working For Free?

Description:

Making a documentary is a labor of love, but it’s also the labor that puts food on the table. As the doc industry continues growing in revenue and popularity, sit down with the Documentary Producers Alliance to ask the central question facing us now - why are we still working for free? From the Producer’s perspective, this panel will unpack how the current market encourages free work, what role collective action could play in creating solutions, and tools to negotiate based on the recent DPA Contract Guidelines. Join us in asking the radical questions whose answers we all depend on.

Other Resources / Information

http://www.documentaryproducersalliance.org

Takeaways

  1. Addresses how the industry is set up for free work, and ways we can evolve.
  2. Looks at ways collective action could help focus on solutions.
  3. The panel will provide Tools and Tips to negotiate and protect yourself based on the DPA Guidelines.

Speakers

Organizer

Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA), Producer, Movement Content

Meta Information:

  • Event: SXSW
  • Format: Panel
  • Track: Film & TV Industry
  • Track 2
  • Level: Intermediate
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