Why has it become the norm to pay freelance creatives late? From missed rent to mounting debt, the consequences of late payments are far-reaching and damaging, and are an unfair financial burden holding back many talented freelancers. If creatives want a single problem gone, it's late payments.

In 2023, we want to fix payments for freelance creatives. First, with creatives on Contact with selected clients, and then for all freelance creatives through a dedicated Contact payment platform. The fix? Creatives can choose their payday and get paid the day after they finish a job.*

No more waiting 30+ days for a paycheck. Financial stability is a right, and creatives need more respect for their talent. Read on to discover the future of freelance payments.

A new study has revealed that "self-employed people working in the creative industries are owed a staggering £1.1bn in late invoices" (Freelance Corner, 2021).

Our research shows that over 80% of creatives have been paid late at least once since they started freelancing, with 36% consistently facing late payments for almost every job. 28% had to wait up to six months to get their paycheck - with 9% of respondents claiming they've waited a year or more. These are unusually long delays, characteristic of the creative industries, haunting freelancers each year.

Things are even more challenging for models. They're notoriously known for facing harsh and unfair payment conditions, putting them in tricky situations, especially when starting out.

In an article for WWD, Simone Aptekman, a model with The Industry Model Mgmt and co-creator of the Model's Bill of Right, says that "unless you ask to be paid, they won't take the initiative to pay you" in the modelling industry. Sara Ziff, founding director of the Model Alliance, also states that "most agencies do not pay their models unless the models ask for their money" (Lockwood, 2019). Although this is usually because agencies also face late payments with their clients.

Indeed, since models are hired by the client, not the agency (the agency acts as a middleman), their pay depends on when the client pays the agency. And the agency can only pay models once the client has paid. So agencies face similar payment issues as creative freelancers in the fashion industry. In an ideal world, if clients paid agencies on time, models would also receive their pay on time. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, so the repercussions affect both modelling agencies and their models.

Similarly, independent creatives not represented by an agency are also at the client's mercy. They have to chase payment themselves and lack the legal protection of an agency.

Working for a large client doesn't cover freelancers from late pay either: invoicing processes are often outdated, prone to lengthy timelines before getting approved, and invoices can get lost or simply forgotten about.

Late payments are at the forefront of creatives' day-to-day stress. So in line with our mission to empower freelance creatives and help them get paid fairly for their work, we're releasing Contact Bloom: a payment solution that allows talent and agencies to get paid the day after they finish an eligible job.

It's super easy for you to use. Once you've completed an eligible job on Contact, you'll see the option to unlock early payment for a small 4.9% fee.

The 4.9% fee will be applied only if you select to be paid early.

If you can afford to wait 30 days or more for your paycheck, you’ll get your full pay home. The choice is entirely up to you. You're in control.

Imagine being a freelancer and getting paid early for your work...It's a dream come true. Get the compensation you deserve, faster than any full-time employee could ever hope for.

For a job to be eligible for Contact Bloom, the client will need to pass a vetting process when they confirm a job and choose one of the Bloom-eligible payment methods. This is to make sure they have the funds available to pay, and that we can advance the money to you on their behalf.

If the client has chosen a payment method that doesn't unlock Bloom, we'll chase the payment for you. You'll get paid automatically as soon as the client pays. We take care of the admin stuff so you can relax and focus on what matters: your work.

With Contact Bloom, you're in control of your payday. Getting early payout can help you when:

If you're already on Contact, you don't have to do anything. The team will let you know when it'll be available and how to use it.

If you're represented by a modelling agency, tell them to partner with us (it's free). They can then add your profile to the Contact platform so you can get discovered by our network of 2000+ brands and casting directors. Just send them this link and if they're interested, they can get in touch with us. Once they put your profile up on the platform, you'll be eligible for Bloom.

If you're not on the platform and aren't represented by an agency, sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop. You’ll be the first to know when it’s available for you.

Do you own a modelling agency? With Bloom, you can get your commission payout the day after one of your models completes a Bloom-eligible job. This is the fastest way to get paid in the industry, only available on Contact.

You and your talent will both get the option to get paid early. This means models will have control over when they get paid, and you'll get to choose your preferred payout date, depending on your immediate agency business needs.

Choosing Bloom to get your agency commission paid early can come in handy when you need to upfront operational costs for example, and need the cash quickly.

Contact Bloom will also enable you to empower your models to get paid fairly for their work and unlock financial freedom. And happy models often mean better performance. The long-term effects of financial stability can help models work better, stay mentally sane, and live longer, healthier modelling careers. This, in turn, can help you build better relationships with your clients and make sure they come back to you to work with your models.

So if you're not on Contact, partner with us - it's free to join.

With Bloom, we’ve streamlined the payment process so it benefits clients, agencies and talent on the platform. 

If you’re a client using Contact to hire creative talent for your projects, you’ll see new flexible and secure payment options appear when it’s time to confirm your job with your shortlisted creatives.

You can pay for your job in multiple ways:

If you choose to pay by invoice, creatives won’t be able to get instant payment, as the invoice will be generated for you after a job completes, with our standard 30-day payment terms.

Our “buy now, pay later” payment option launching later this month will allow you to spread your payment over 30, 60 or 90 days instead of making a single lump-sum payment upfront.* This can help you if you’re working with tight monthly budgets or anticipating other expenses soon, or if you need to hire mainboard talent that you can't afford in one payment.

If you pay by bank transfer or by card, we’ll hold your funds securely until the job’s completed and you confirm everything has gone according to plan. We’ll then release the funds to the creatives.

It always helps to know you're making a positive impact on an individual's life. By simply choosing to pay for your projects with a Bloom-eligible payment method, you're taking a stand for a better and fairer industry. You’re revolutionising how payments work in the creative world by helping us lift one of its heaviest bottlenecks - late payments. 

It’s a ray of hope for freelance creatives. One that will make the fashion and creative industries kinder, safer and more welcoming to people from all walks of life.

F. (2021, July 15). Creative industry freelancers owed £1.1 billion in unpaid invoices, according to new study. Freelance Corner. 

Lockwood, L. (2019, September 12). The Model Conundrum: Waiting to Be Paid. WWD. 

We ran a survey about late payments in the creative industry in January 2023. We received 1054 responses from creative freelancers. We contacted only creative freelancers, mainly, models, hair & makeup artists, set designers, independent brand owners, and photographers/filmmakers.