"we have lawyers handling legal disputes day in and out" isn't the flex he thinks it is.

Man, this video got me triggered. Kudos for being so professional, it's likely just a matter of time before that company crashes and bunrs.

I recently bought a new desk for my office. And I smashed my f*cking head into it about 3-4 times while watching this video. Well done for your patient handling of the situation mate. It's astonishing how poorly this company handled the simple act of reading an email. A lucky escape on your part!

I'm having a pretty chill afternoon here and just watching this made me angry. Unreal !!! shame on them for bothering you and thank you for sharing some aspects of the reality of working as a content creator, it's really helpful.

You are so lucky that this problems emerge before production. I can't imagine how much of a headache to work with this kind of client.

Yea. Sounds like every single person running said company is 100% illiterate. Did not know that was possible, but the proof is in the pudding 🤷🏽‍♂️

What basically happened is they saw the other video and said "Why hire DSLRguide to do a video LIKE this, when we can contract the channel he linked us to and get the same job and perhaps at a better rate or with more exposure?" This sounds to me like someone who had a change of heart and not a miscommunication.

If they are employing idiots like that I have no hope for the brand. Good luck to them.

This made me angry to listen to and I wasn't even involved! Just bad flashbacks to working with terrible companies in the past I guess haha.

Been there with clients like this, you find it hard to believe people like this actually exist.

I can’t believe this Simon. What on earth, their loss! You handled it like a pro.

Yeah - you handled that very well - this was 100% them being moronic. Unfortunately, there are some pretty terrible humans out there whole love acting like the "big person" when in reality - they are acting very small. That really stinks, nonetheless, and I know I would be incredibly frustrated myself. Well done in demonstrating a professional interaction on your part as it is a good thing for those of us creators to see how others handle these types of situations.

As soon as it said USD I knew this wasn’t going to end well 😩😩 THEY reached out to YOU being “big fans” but when you send an inspo/ ref video suddenly they doubt your ability/ are unsure of your ability to deliver. Really screams brand that just searched up film KZfaq and sent an email to the top 50 results tbhhh

"This is the second time you misunderstood me. There will not be a third." -Simon. Just kidding, lol. It's a shame you had to go through that. Thanks for the transparency.

The fact they were touting "their legal department" tells me they probably don't have one. Looked like a classic bullying situation. Business people lie most of the time.

pretty much a lot of my friends and I have faced a situation similar or like this and we usually just move on from it and never talk about it. And in our minds we'd be like "never working with that client ever again"

I would have at least hinted on the brand in question :D and after a lot of rewriting, I usually do. never been sued. 50% of times got the apology. 20% of times got the service closed. they love you but treat you like dirt. not cool.

What you should do, is name and shame the company who act like this. But I understand why you would be reluctant to do so, seeing that they're so happy to get their lawyers involved.

I have never seen a company so unprofessional like that..just the way they talk says it all

Bah, what a pity. I’m at least glad you are two, handling this together. Being alone, going through this with a big company, must feel terrible. Other then that, I’m glad to see your face again Simon! Looking forward to more videos :)

They probably misunderstood you when they talked to their higher ups and then when the higher ups talked to the CEO (a "purple monkey dishwasher" situation, if you know what I mean) and had to cover their asses by blaming you. Just know that it is not personal. They probably tried to survive by weaseling their way out of the project. I had a client that demanded I fired one of my team members because she didn't use the purple that she saw in her dream. You are not a creator unless you have a good client war stories to tell to fellow creators at parties. Thanks for sharing this though. Love your channel.

If that were me, that would have gone in a whole other direction. World needs more people like you.

Classic, I have had problems like this before, and it happens almost all the time when anyone corporate is involved. Those are often office weasels that gave away their dignity long ago and know nothing. It's never their fault as taking responsibility for their mistakes would look bad in front of their god/boss so they shift the blame downwards into the hierarchy until it reaches you, rinse and repeat. I remember filming corporate interviews during an energy summit for a big company, I was a sub contractor for a production company they hired, every day I was there early, very polite and even wore a suit as I like to dress formally. On the other hand, the client's reps were always late by hours and very unpleasant. When their lateness fucked up the schedule their bosses sent angry emails to the production company saying it was my fault because I was always late and even had the guts to say that I didn't dress formally on top of that. The people that wrote the email probably never even saw me nor knew who I was. It's just that the weaklings reps went crying and lying instead of owning their lack of professionalism. Cowards in suits, the lowest of the lowest.

This reminds me of an email back and forth that I had a few years ago. I was booking a location for a shoot and the lady who was handling my requests was off work in the days leading up to the shoot. I was passed over to a man who asked me what it was that I had been told I could do. I replied but I was unsure of exactly what I had been told I could do and so I said something about the time and the day that I was going to be using the space and then finished the sentence with "I think I have that right". I meant that I think that I have those details 'right' as in correct. He took it as me saying 'I think I have the right to do use your theatre for what I want to do'. So he sent an email to the company I was working for, he sent a horrible email to me and he made sure that I wasn't allowed to use the space. Two weeks later the lady I was originally dealing with got back to work and read the email thread, saw that it was clear that I wasn't saying I had the 'right' and made him apologise to me and tell the company that I had been working for that he was mistaken.

Well done mate. You've been so fair back to them. And kept your cool. Deep breath and move on. Thanks for sharing. Hope your current project is going well.

Thanks for the share, Simon. Another flipside to sharing other people's work as a reference (if this must be done for whatever reason) may be to just ask the client if they've seen any existing work that they like the look of already.

This made my blood boil, especially after reading their second last email. I would have lost the plot so kudos to you for writing such a polite and professional response.

I love how this is one of my favorite video of yours! And yes, as a freelancer, messy situations like these happen, and I'm always happy when communication was clear or not at all misleading on my end looking back. But even so, a lot of people struggle with taking accountability for their actions that have led up to the point, and just want to blame others to remove all fault. Kudos for staying calm and professional!

Simon, this is such a terrible situation. It makes me think thrice before ever working with a brand now. So sorry you had to go through this. This company is just awful!

This is a great example of sharing your story, great learning lesson for all on the importance of WRITTEN COMMUNICATION. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, stress and disrespect you received from this unprofessional business.

Encountered this kind of incompetency before with clients, although never to the point of going to court! Happy you posted this video, reminds me that us freelancers are not alone in this.

This really seems like somebody not so high on the chain of command made a simple mistake, not understood an email correctly, but then proclaimed to their superiors they had secured a great brand collaboration, and when they realised their silly mistake, decided to spin the narrative and try to intimidate you into resolving the issue for them before they got into any real trouble with their superiors. I’m sure that if the CFO and CEO mentioned in the emails see this video or come across this email thread that the person or people that you were in contact with would be either sacked or at the least be asked “wtf were you thinking digging this hole after you made such a stupid mistake?” Good to see someone has a level head on their shoulders and you kept it professional throughout. On one hand I’d love to see the brand named and shamed! 🤣

I was even riled up just listening to your story.......you handled it really well.

Aw man, that brought back some memories of horrible clients. Being the passive aggressive guy that I am I think I might have gone with "Yes, please involve your company lawyers and have them read the entire email thread. Spend your money wisely.". Also love the fact that you compose and delete 15 letters before sending out one :-)

This is why “per my last email” actually means “can you fu$&kin read???”

If you didn't sign an NDA in regards to keeping the business name obscure, I'd love to hear it and make sure to avoid them. Although it already sounds like a novelty brand that I already don't go for

That whole sponsorship debacle is part of the reason why I started a Patreon - so that I can make more videos with less advertising! patreon.com/DSLRguide

Thank you for this look behind the scenes. Experiences like this happen to everyone and you really handled yourself well. I hope other freelancers can learn from this and maybe some companies see this and learn how not to handle their business operations and conversations with freelancers.

I've come across similar situations and I feel your angst. But, you've provided a great example of a way to remain calm and out of trouble. I'm glad you posted on this.

Very professionally handled on your side! As some people here already assumed the guy probably fucked it up because of his inability to read carefully and then had to cover his ass towards his boss. I remember back in the days of analogue photography an agency lost a set of slides that I shot for a long time customer. Instead of owning up to it they wanted me to tell the customer that I screwed the shooting. Getting worse more and more with all the trainees doing „creative“ jobs.

For the best of reasons, this video just proved to me what I've always assumpted: you're really as professional as your work shows. Thank you for sharing these transcripts along with the frustration, Simon! And long live your passion and work. You're one of the biggest reasons I do what I do today.

What a shame you had to deal with that - you sound very sensible and coherent - your emails didn't seem misleading or confusing at all. It's a shame that people jump to using lawyers so quickly. Call me next time and happy to assist to level the playing fields... ;-)

The sad truth is sometimes you have to spell it out for the client to fully understand what you want to achieve. Glad you got out of it unscathed. and thanks for your work, I've certainly learned from it over the years.

I think it all comes down to reading comprehension. Amazing how all of this can unfold because one person can't read properly... Glad it got solved, Simon. I've recently rediscovered your channel after not watching for a while and I'm enjoying it as much as I did a few years ago when I found it. Keep working hard and inspiring, mate!

You are so patient to have the time to deal with possibly stupid or illiterate people.

the written conversation can be so deceiving.. sometimes picking up the phone and talking with the person can be so vital for the sake of clear conversation

Good job man. Some clients are absolute nightmares. I think you handled yourself very well.

That's is frightening! I am so glad that you decided to share this incident with everyone; my eyes have definitely been opened! And kudos to you for keeping your cool and staying level-headed regardless of how you felt!

Honestly, keeping law students or interns on your social media team can help a ton! These kinds of problems seem to send a lot people scratching their heads and fear for the worst when a law student can clearly boil down the facts and let you know if and when you need to be bothered or not.

Simon, you are always rational and kind and considerate and forthcoming - such a refreshing change in our crazy world. Thank you for sharing and never change who you are.

Someone give this man a trophy. He told all this in zero bad words. If I were him, I'd be swearing at the end of every sentence.

Your patience is inspiring. I would’ve called them and say some things I would maybe regret down the line.

Oh man, you handled it so perfectly. Congrats for your temper. Unfortunately there are a lot of people that don’t even value our time as freelancers and think we are always available. Thank you for posting this storie, I think this is important knowledge for everyone that’s handling clients on their own.

This is crazy man, thanks for sharing it helps me be on the lookout for stuff like this as I grow. Crazy to think companies really do this to individual creators and businesses like yourself.

The video is quick, straight to the point and very informative. You've handled the situation perfectly and it's a good lesson for everyone.

Well done Simon. The hardest people to deal with are the ones who have no conscience. Combine their lack of integrity with their high level of incompetence, and dealing with them could easily have become a protracted nightmare. You've done well to quickly extricate yourself from the relationship, rightly holding your head up high throughout.

Thanks for sharing. It’s always frustrating when someone attacks your integrity.

It was totally worth you making this video. Clients can so often be like this (especially the "throw their weight around" types - ugh). As a creator going through a situation like this, it can be so helpful to hear similar stories from other creators - especially a story like this, in which your handling of things was exemplary. i hope anyone whom your story might help gets to see it, and i wish you all the best on the next one!

Man. So aggravating! Helpful for knowing what type of people to look out for. Sorry you had to go through that.

I feel your pain! It is good that you related your story not only to close this uncomfortable chapter in your production career but it also gives others a heads up of the complexities of miscommunication especially when money is involved!👍🏾🙏🏾

Thank you for making this video. This will definitely help me avoid not being clear enough when in talks with potential clients.

Simon, this is way too common in the industry. I am so so glad that you made this video. So many companies just have no idea how to be an actual person and it shows so much in these emails. I'm sure many of us know how you feel, including myself, which makes this so relatable. Thank you for putting this up and letting us all know we're not the only ones. You're a trooper my guy! - Jorge

Name and shame. It seems unprofessional, but this sort of thing happens to small independent contractors ALL the time. The only real way to protect us is to use collective action. At the same time, I also work with many small contractors myself and I know the risk that includes. You make the choices best for you, but this is ridiculous.

Thanks for enlightening us with this, Simon! As a young creative, there are so much scary depths in the sea that I have yet discovered - wishing not to. Good on you for being so professional!

Thanks for continuing to share your filmmaking journey with us. It helps!

Wow! Who brags about being lawyered up? Definitely a red flag and seems like they have a history of disputes. You dodged a bullet in regards to working with that client-sometimes it’s frustrating at the moment, but looking back on it, you were probably saved from something that could have been much worse than a misread email. Appreciate your transparency Simon, always nice to get notified of your uploads ✨

Thanks for sharing! You have handled this awkward and infuriating situation in a very professional way.

Got anxiety just hearing this story. Unfortunately this is what some people/companies are like. You were right to share this story for people who have not yet experienced it. To be honest I think the problem stemmed when you sent them the link to someone else’s video, HOWEVER, the way they treated and spoke to you shows that you would never of had a good experience with them even if you had gotten further with them. Lessons are learnt in every experience, not always fun but you learn! 💪

This is beyond frustrating! Man, props to you and your professionalism. Everyone should see this video. And for that company, I hope you see this and learn something. As JSL said, it is a matter of time before you crush thanks to doing business like you do.

Thanks very much for taking some time to make this video. This is a difficult topic and most of us weren't prepared for it when we started and your way of dealing with it is a good example for new fimmakers to learn how to do it. To them: It's not something to be afraid of and in time you'll be able to tell if someone is trouble for you just by changing some emails, like they did.

Thanks for sharing that! You are a great example for the way you handled that!

That's my life. In business you meet more bad people and less good ones. But it is frustrating every time to deal with such idiots.

I cannot believe you managed to maintain such professionalism through this. Huge respect.

I grew up watching your videos. This filmmaking thing is beautiful because of people like you, true hardworking talented fella.

This video really hit home. You kept it much more professional than i have sometimes.

Glad you handle it with chill mindset. This is why I don’t like e-mail after e-mail communication. Because the other side can woke up with the but in the air not willing to process the written and you have to go in explication mode.

working in a healthy and uplefting enviroment will for sure leading for special results ... clearly they are so far from that .. keep it rolling man , U R AWESOME !!

"Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!"

It's amazing that this is the first time Simon had to go through something like this. Fighting over money and miscommunication with awful people is the nature of business.

just watching this has me angry but at the same time i appreciate you making it! it's so important for freelance and creative people to talk about these kind of experiences so companies cant get away with pulling this shit. im just glad that you were able to get out of the situation without them causing legal problems as well, i cant imagine the stress that would have been.

Firsly, thank you Simon for making this video. I have been watching your videos since 2013 when I was just starting with my filmmaking journey. Now I have already completed my Masters in Film and working on building my film and video production company. This is the best business video I needed at the present moment of my career. Thank you again for creating your channel and making valuable contents for filmmakers. Huge respect. 🙏

I understand your pain sir... My gut feeling is that the person procuring the work has presented things to their boss in the mis-understood way, possibly over-hyping so they can win the 'yes' from the boss, and now they find out they misunderstood they can't bring themselves to admit THEY made the mistake, so is styling it out with the boss and simply blaming you (probably saying you said something you didn't in the zoom call, because that isn't traceable). Of course, if that company really is dealing with legal battles 'day in and day out' then maybe that's an endemic problem at the core, but that could be another fib to try and make themselves persuasive (or feel important). As always, thanks for all you do Simon :)

I'm so sorry to hear about that, it was incredibly helpful to get your full experience and thoughts. This a situations that would totally happen to anyone and for my understanding you are correct. Assumptions are the roots of self-destruction, and for what their behavior showed it was better to not even work with them. Again, thank you.

you did the right thing. you paused, lost your rag privately and then responded properly in a way that helps your long term goals. Which is the most important thing. Emotional responses are never good in business. Well done for that. People who are rude and dishonest will always get their payback some way or another. Dont sweat it.

For so many years now (at least 20) I have noticed the decline in written and read communications and I agree with you, that too many people so not read things through well, nor do they write clearly (not aiming that at you) and that's not even to mention oral conversations that lack clarity. I'm also bugged by the number of people that prefer to text rather than speak on issues that require more nuisance. Basically, in an age where technological communications are at an all time high, there are a shocking amount of people that can't communicate. Even in the communications industries. Madness. Best wishes for the future and thanks for sharing your experience.

The only thing worse than someone that makes a mistake and doesn't admit to it... is someone that makes a mistake, then blames the person who hasn't done anything wrong and to just add a little more salt into the wound does all of this without respect or professionalism. You handled that so well and completely deserve an apology from the company at the very least.

Ugh, I hate it when people are this blind and miss blatantly obvious details like that. Sounds like you handled it as well as you could and I'm glad it turned out okay in the end.

i am so sorry you had to go through that kind of bullshittery. Thank you for sharing the experience though so that we know to make sure there are no misunderstandings if we ever deal with sponsorships, affiliations, or commissions.

Thank you for sharing this! It helps to see that we all deal with these situations no matter what level we are at in our careers. You handled it very well!

Thank you for setting a standard for handling business the right way. It sounded very difficult to keep your composure so jsut wanted to say great work brotha!

Ugh I'm so sorry. Been in a lot of weird situations like this. This can be the problem with email. As much as I hate it, 90% of these weird wording and misreading disputes can be handled with a phone call

Good job on keeping your cool and remaining professional when you were clearly dealing with an unprofessional employee. I felt offended on your behalf just reading his/her snarky emails. Good grief! Anyway, I always learn something from your videos and will take the advice to spell things out in minute details (and reiterate!) when dealing with clients. Thanks for the video.

I feel your pain, man, and I do think it's good that you shared the story! It's a great lesson that I've learned through my own experiences that it's always better to OVER communicate. People are busy, skim emails, etc. and these days, I always make sure that I repeat any important details multiple times over multiple mediums (phone call, email, text, etc.). Thanks for the reminder!! It's a blessing in disguise to have this happen to you. Just imagine what REAL problems could've arisen later on if you actually signed a contract with them and they pay this little attention to detail, are willing to bring in lawyers fast, and just don't seem like the type of people you want to collaborate with... deep breaths haha. Thank them for the lesson and PEACE see ya later!!!!

Hi Simon, well I think you handled the situation very well. Please always remain as humble and professional as you have always been. Hoping this will soon be all resolved and all the best for your upcoming projects!

Sadly, this happens more often than not, where producers want to hear/read what they want to hear/read. I feel your pain, brother. Thank you for sharing this. It's important.

that company can’t even READ emails properly 😂I doubt they even have lawyers.

Big ups to you. I would have been livid and shown my frustration so easily.

It's unfortunate Simon, what you had to go through, horrible! My take away from this would be your calm and professional attitude through out. That is what they are after, that is what they want to destroy with their power : your poise, your spirit! Very inspiring! Thank you!

You handled it great, and you're right- this company is not one you'd EVER want to work with. Too many people in positions of authority and decision-making simply do not know HOW to read an entire document. Something that I would hope their attorneys would kindly point out to them. 🙂

A cautionary tale. Thanks for sharing. I haven't seen any of your videos for quite a while on my feed, but I'll have a look and see what I've been missing.