A day with information-sharing, panels, and networking, celebrating you, the freelancer.
On May 15, 2017, theFreelance Isn’t Free Act went into effect in New York City, creating first of its kind legal protections for freelancers against nonpayment. Since then, we gather every year for Freelance Isn’t Free Day, to celebrate everything the law has yielded, and to discuss what else must be done to forge a future wherein freelancers have all the safeguards and resources they need to thrive.
Join us on May 20 from 12-5 p.m. at Civic Hall for this year's Freelance Isn't Free Day, a full day of panels with labor leaders, educational workshops, and networking with your freelance community.
More details to come — but be sure to reserve your spot in the meantime.
Stay tuned for more updates!
A day with information-sharing, panels, and networking, celebrating you, the freelancer.
On May 15, 2017, theFreelance Isn’t Free Act went into effect in New York City, creating first of its kind legal protections for freelancers against nonpayment. Since then, we gather every year for Freelance Isn’t Free Day, to celebrate everything the law has yielded, and to discuss what else must be done to forge a future wherein freelancers have all the safeguards and resources they need to thrive.
Join us on May 20 from 12-5 p.m. at Civic Hall for this year's Freelance Isn't Free Day, a full day of panels with labor leaders, educational workshops, and networking with your freelance community.
More details to come — but be sure to reserve your spot in the meantime.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Lineup
Rebecca Bailin
Samer Kalaf
John Surico
Justine Clay
Henderson Cole
James Folta
Good to know
Highlights
- 5 hours
- In person
Refund Policy
Location
Civic Hall
124 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
How do you want to get there?
Agenda
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Doors Open + Networking Marketplace + GET PAID HOUR
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Openings + Welcome remarks
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PANEL 1: Creative Workers, Real Power: Rights, Voice & the Future of Freelance
Creative workers sit at the forefront of today’s freelance economy — producing the journalism, art, music, and cultural work that shape public life while often operating without basic labor protections like fair pay. This panel explores the rights of independent creative workers in a rapidly changing economy, from payment protections and contract enforcement to ownership, authorship, and the growing pressures of platformization and AI. Together, panelists will examine what it takes to protect creative labor, defend worker dignity, and build collective power for freelancers whose work is often essential but structurally undervalued. Featuring Henderson Cole, Kareema Bee, and James Folta.