Chicago, great city. Except if you want to do any entertainment related business. Case in point:
Only in CHICAGO Could you run this ad:
Need someone to transcribe interview footage for our house music documentary. We have about 20 hours of interview footage. This is a non for profit project, we cannot pay but you will receive full credit for your work.
And have someone have the nerve to respond with this:
You're kidding right?
20 hours of transcription for no pay? I don't care if it's a not for profit project, but doing 20 hours requires about 40-50 hours of someone's time to type it all out at a minimum of $1 per video minute.
So that's my bid: 20 hours of transcription at $1 per minute, for a total of $1200.
Mind you, we already had about 6 people reply and have already selected the gentlemen we are working with. I know I should have been less irritated, but I responded in typical DJ Black Adam fashion (as you all know, insolence cannot be tolerated):
Well _________, I wasn't kidding.
Fortunately, we have found a person who is kind enough (and smart enough) to donate his time for this particular project.
What I felt no need to add in that little ad of ours, was that we are also working on a for profit feature that pays very well, and that I don't forget people who extend us favors in the spirit of networking or who slight us for no intelligible reason.
In any case, Thanks for responding.
So there it is, the basic attitude in Chicago, and basically this is the attitude that killed the movement of House Music in Chicago, that is: No business sense, no professionalism and a habit of burning bridges that you don't know where they lead and for no real reason to burn!
Now don’t get me wrong people, if I saw someone asking for “free” labor and talent I might think they were joking too, but I wouldn’t be stupid enough to reply back and say that, I’d just move on to the next ad. The Chicago attitude however, is to respond, as if the person is professional, showing a total lack of professionalism in doing so... I'M JUST SAYING....
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