Within two months of launching, the team has reportedly handled more than 300 requests from individuals wanting to join and secured more than 40 requests from companies.
The newly set-up freelance relations team at twofour54 Abu Dhabi has reportedly secured more than 40 briefs for freelancers in their first 60 days.
The dedicated team was set up to assist freelancers and connect them with government entities and the 470-plus partners at twofour54.
The service reportedly connects partners and freelancers, helping partners secure the right talent for their projects and helping freelancers get more work opportunities. The team also handles issues that freelancers face, such as visas, billing, and VAT, which enables both partners and freelancers to focus on their work.
Within two months of launching, the team has reportedly handled more than 300 requests from individuals wanting to join and secured more than 40 requests from partners and other companies looking for freelance support.
Freelancers can obtain a sole proprietor 12-month licence for $1,225 (AED 4,500) a year or a six-month licence for $613 (AED 2,250). This fee includes three licensable activities and the process can reportedly take 10 days.
All registered freelancers have access to project briefs with partners and affiliated entities via the twofour54 Briefing Room a portal where clients can post briefs and the community can respond. In addition, twofour54 offers flexible working environments. Freelancers can work from home or choose to work from one of the available hot desks. They can also access the #thelab a physical space where community members can meet and share projects with twofour54’s 13,000-strong youth community.
Freelancers can also benefit from access to twofour54 networking and community events, such as the Connect series, which has reportedly seen a record turnout in the first half of 2018.
Currently, there are more than 580 freelancers registered with twofour54 with more than 60 sectors of the industry represented. twofour54 freelancers cover a variety of media, such as PR & marketing, film & TV services, web development, animation, graphic design, social media, and videography and photography. A registered twofour54 freelancer could potentially work for any one of the 470+ international and regional partners, including CNN, Sky News Arabia, Cartoon Network, and Ubisoft, among others.
Elaborating on the work being done, Naji El Halabi, the teams Commercial Manager, said: Our pool of freelancers has always been a vital part of our media ecosystem and a major draw for partners looking to set up here. And we are here to help with everything from setting up as a freelancer to finding business and even handling your billing and payments.
Noura Tabikh, Freelance Relations Manager at twofour54, added: This year, weve seen our incredible talent pool grow even further as a result of the delivery of key projects, such as the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi, and major film productions like Race 3, Saaho, and Mission Impossible: Fallout.
And as we see our industry get bigger and bigger, particularly with new developments coming online such as twofour54s new, larger state-of-the-art home on Yas Island and Studio City at Mina Zayed, demand for freelancers is only going to grow even more.
On the opportunities for freelancers, Hiba Hassan, a registered graphic design freelancer, said: Its key to my business to have the support base provided by twofour54 Abu Dhabi. Many freelancers are naturally focussed on their day-to-day work so having a network behind you enables you to concentrate on your clients and the work youre doing, and thats a real benefit that you might not find in other cities. Its helped me to set up in Abu Dhabi and grow my business since starting it in 2016.
