Freelancing means freedom

Instructor Jenny Hontz tells cherubs about
the freelancing way of life

By Marissa Mumford

Cherub instructor Jenny Hontz dove with sharks for the Los Angeles Times, drove cattle in Australia for The Washington Post, covered a pedophile priest scandal for The New York Times and investigated sweatshops and slum lords for LA Weekly.  Hontz is a freelance writer in Venice Beach, Calif.

“I can set my own schedule, write about what I want, and I get to look at the beach every day,” she said.

Hontz led a free-lance writing workshop “to give cherubs practical advice on generating and selling story ideas,” she said.  Hontz talked to cherubs about life as a freelance writer and the positive and negative aspects of self-employment.

“You have to be really self-motivated,” Hontz said. “You have to be comfortable spending time alone.  You have to be an idea machine, and it helps to have a little money in the bank.”

Hontz said she also wanted to teach cherubs how to market their stories to various media outlets because they “have their fingers on the pulse of teen culture.”  After learning how to pitch, cherub Ana Cosma from Riverside, Calif. said it would be a lot easier for her to have her stories published in her local newspaper.

Esther Zuckerman, a cherub from Encino, Calif., said she took the tutorial because she wants to write long-form investigative features for magazines that do not hire many permanent staff writers.  She is confident she will be able to pitch stories the right way. 

“I saw what I was doing wrong,” she said.

But Zuckerman also sees that freelancing has its drawbacks, including not having a predictable income.
 
“Right now, I’m not worried because my parents support me,” Zuckerman said. “I’m sure the real world will change my mind, though.” 

To other cherubs, however, an office job is not appealing. 

“I want the freedom that comes with freelancing,” said Erin Vickrey, a cherub from Virginia. After working in a corporate environment as vice president at Disney’s TV studio, Hontz said she was attracted to the idea of working at home, where she could set her own schedule. 

David Tintner from Cooper City Fla. said he found a Hontz’s attitude of being “up for anything” intriguing. 

“I would like to try new things on a newspaper’s budget,” he said. 

Cosma also said freelancing would enable her to become an expert in a number of fields. 

“I love to learn, and if I was a freelancer, I would have time to learn more about things that interest me.”

Hontz said freelancing keeps her life interesting. 

“Every day is different,” she said. “If I’m on deadline for a big magazine feature, I may not leave the house for two days, but I try to take enough time to do yoga or rollerblade every day.”