The future of freelance part 1: ‘This is a gift of time’

As a community that’s heavily made up of freelancers, real-life experiences and endurance tales of the pandemic are pertinent to say the least. We teamed up with Tortoise Media, the news platform that delivers slower, wiser journalism. Tortoise Media cofounder James Harding, the former Director of BBC News and Editor of The Times newspaper, and four members around the world dive deeper into what the creative economy will look like post-COVID-19.

In the first of three highlights from the in-depth discussion, which you can watch in full here, we hear from DJ, writer and event producer, Arthur Bray, a member of Soho House Hong Kong, Nana Acheampong, a fashion stylist and Soho House London member, Shamiro van der Geld, a Soho House Amsterdam member and the city’s Night Mayor, plus the photographer Paul Octavious, who is a member of Soho House Chicago. A recurring theme on the call was that this is a moment to take stock in all industries, but specifically that of the pace-driven gig economy. Find out what their present looks like and how Acheampong in particular is seeing it as ‘the gift of time’ in this initial snapshot from their conversation..


Meet the panel below:

Arthur Bray: founder member of Soho House Hong Kong, editor and creative event producer, who started music collective, Yeti Out, and its record label, Silk Road Sounds. 
@arthur.bray

Nana Acheampong: Shoreditch House member, stylist and shopping editor, who regularly dresses the A-list for red-carpet appearances.  
@styledbynana

Paul Octavious: committee member at Soho House Chicago, photographer and videographer. He is self-taught and has worked with a range of global brands, including Nike and Cards Against Humanity. 
@pauloctavious

Shamiro van der Geld: committee member at Soho House Amsterdam and the city’s Night Mayor (a spokesman for all things concerning nightlife in the city). His experience of championing the night-time economy of Amsterdam provides him with a unique insight into the complex challenges facing the industry in the months to come. 
@shamirovd020

Watch the full event on Open House