(Columbus, OH) - What’s better than finding the right freelancer for your project?  There you are with a great fit, excellent skills, someone who comes in on time and takes direction well.  All you do is cut them a check – no social security payments, no health insurance, no taxes, minimal fees.  Everything works so perfectly that you wind up keeping that person for years.  What’s wrong with this picture?  A lot, according to the IRS.  Companies can get into serious trouble by claiming workers as independent contractors when they are actually more like permanent employees.

Recently federal and state governmental agencies have signaled their intent to more seriously investigate the misclassification of employees as “freelancers” or “contractors.”  Given that the federal government lost an estimated $34.7 billion in tax revenue from 1996 to 2004 due to misclassification, there is motivation for them to enforce existing laws more closely.  President Obama’s budget for fiscal 2011 has set aside $25 million for a “misclassification initiative.”  The initiative creates 100 additional enforcement personnel and competitive grants to help states recapture more of those funds.

The Taxpayer Responsibility, Accountability and Consistency Act of 2009 was introduced in Congress last year, which allows independent contractors to petition the IRS to determine their proper classification.  If passed, the legislation may increase tax exposure for government-estimated 10 million U.S. businesses that rely heavily on independent contractors.  Due to these events, a recent Washington National Tax Services report stated that 2010 will be the most comprehensive IRS examination of employment tax compliance undertaken since 1984. 

Helping companies keep their temporary staffing in compliance has become a featured service for Portfolio Creative, a workforce innovation firm that helps clients identify and tap into the best creative professionals for their needs. 

“We know that the differences between employees, temporaries and freelancers can be confusing.  Having your worker come in on time, take direction and work for you long-term can all raise red flags because independent contractors make their own hours, use their own equipment, decide on their own how to accomplish results and work short-term engagements,” says Catherine Lang-Cline, co-owner and founder of Portfolio Creative.  “Unless a company has taken steps to mitigate the risks they might find themselves owing back taxes and benefits for workers they thought were simply freelancers.”

Portfolio Creative has recently launched a program to raise awareness of their payroll program that allows creative freelance workers to bill their hours in a way that provides them with benefits while protecting clients from compliance hassles.  Workers who log 30 hours or more per week are also eligible for the insurance program.

“We’d like to get the word out to companies that by running their creative temporary staffers through us, they are off the hook in terms of benefits, taxes and compliance issues.  And for the creative worker, they receive benefits like weekly paychecks, health insurance and paid time off, all for a nominal fee,” said Kristen Harris, Portfolio Creative co-owner and founder.  “These are the types of innovative services that we feel can help drive the economy forward.”

An Inc. 500 fastest growing firm, Portfolio Creative offers products and services designed to help companies streamline and innovate their creative work to save time, energy and money.  It is Columbus’ 12^th fastest growing company, and creates new jobs for workers in the temporary staffing and recruiting industries.  Portfolio Creative is based at 3763 N. High Street in Columbus, OH.  Clients and creative talent can call (614) 839-4897.

Portfolio: From the very beginning of your career it seems that you’ve created your own opportunities, rather than waiting for “dream projects” to come to you. What was the catalyst that got you started?

Mikey: I'm not sure there was a specific plan where I was like, "I'm going to make money doing X", It was a little more organic. While I was in grad school two of my friends and I were very interested in the resurgence of handmade gig-poster art. We were fascinated by this, and were eager to try our hand at it. Also, there was a lack of poster art happening in Northeast Ohio, so we took it upon ourselves to fill this void. We taught ourselves how to (poorly) screen-print and gave ourself the moniker, Little Jacket (taken from an LCD Soundsystem song "...little jackets and borrowed nostalgia from the unremembered eighties"). Our goal was never to make money off it, it was just something we were passionate about. You just have to figure out what you like, and start making it.

Portfolio:  How do you decide what to work on? Do you give yourself assignments, or does it come from a point of inspiration?

Mikey:  In the case of Little Jacket, we would just pick concerts that we liked, contact the venue and/or band, and ask if we could do free promotion for them (people hardly say no to this proposal). Or it would just come out of us sitting around drinking a few beers and coming up with weird ideas.
 
Portfolio: Doing your own work has brought you clients with great projects. How did that transition happen? How did your personal work get exposure to the point that clients started contacting you?

Mikey:  While with Little Jacket, we had done about 3 posters for local venues around Cleveland. After that, one of the same venues asked us to do a poster for the upcoming Modest Mouse show. From there we started getting calls from people about doing 'real work'. It wasn't a floodgate or anything, but we started getting little jobs from that point on... whether it be another poster, or a logo. We would do these and it would result in getting more work after that.
 
Portfolio:  Does doing work you care about also mean not doing work you don’t care about? Do you ever turn down clients?

Mikey: I usually try to take on everything. If I turn something down, it usually just has to do with availability. When I was preparing for my lecture [at CSCA], I had to turn down a large shoe company for some t-shirt designs... it was hard, but I knew I couldn't do everything. It's especially hard when you have a 9 to 5 and want  to do fun stuff on top of it. It's hard to juggle everything. On the other hand, it allows me to really pick and choose what I'm taking on.

Portfolio:  You work for a creative firm and seem to really like it, but you still do your own projects as well. Why is that? What keeps you motivated to continue doing your own work?

Mikey:  I really like the work I do at 160over90, but I still like doing my own stuff. Mostly the kind of stuff we don't do at 160over90. I like doing things that are more illustrative; I want to get more work doing editorial illustration. So I try to take on things that will perpetuate more of this work. -- Most of all, I have a letterpress, and I want to get it set up so I can start making stuff all the time.
 
Portfolio:  Any advice for fellow creatives about creating or finding work they care about too?

Mikey: 

1) Figure out what kind of work you would love doing.
2) Do self-initiated work catered toward that goal
3) Take on any opportunity
4) Stay Frustrated - Don't be happy with the work you made, and always strive to make something better
5) Love what you do.

(Thanks Mikey!)

We're excited to partner with their latest membership opportunity, CareerTrack. CareerTrack will help professionals and college students develop skills, network with peers and promote themselves within TechColumbus' business community. Individual membership benefits will include: resume posting, connections to HR and talent placement partners, access to member database, CareerTrack events and more.

To learn more about how TechColumbus can help you, a CareerTrack launch party is being held on Thursday, January 28th from 5:00-7:00 pm. Click here to find out more and register.

In a year of decreasing arts funding, Couchfire Collective is borrowing an idea from some very friendly folks in NYC and having a dinner party which presents a grant award to an artist, performer, or person with a creative venture that they are having trouble funding. The event is intended to be a partnership between artists, a restauranteur, and the community and serves as a democratic funding mechanism.  For more info and to enter the show follow this link.

Touchy Feely- Participate. Engage. Interact.

Opening Saturday February 27
6pm - 10pm
at the Ohio Art League Gallery
in the South Campus Gateway
1552 N. High St.

Couchfire presents a hands-on exhibition, literally.
Viewers will take part in an interactive exhibition where they can pick up the artwork and experience it hands-on. Pieces may be functional, decorative, narrative depending on the artists desires. The whole point is the experience created when an audience gets in touch with art.  For more info and to enter the show follow this link.

Check out ART CRIMES: Heists and Forgeries (CE200.31), taught by Portfolio talent and CCAD instructor, Brian Williams.

This course is a comprehensive history of stolen and forged art; who does it, why, and how. Students will examine famous cases of museum heists, and explore the debate of institutionalized theft: one country, government, regime, or institution stealing from another. Offering an insight into the controversial reality of the art industry, this course will examine the often hidden side of private and public collections. Students will explore processes professionals use to determine whether an art object is real or fake. This course will include lecture, discussion, interactive activities and extended time at the Columbus Museum of Art.

The Keys to Success Award Program showcases Ohio’s leading women-owned businesses and rewards their personal achievements, economic power and financial/operational strength.  This program has recognized and honored women-business owners since 1996, and was formerly known as the Governor’s Excellence Enterprise Awards.  Portfolio Creative received the “Rising Star” award, which is given to one recipient who has been in business less than five years.  To be considered for the award, businesses must be majority female owned, have sales greater than $250K, be Ohio-based, in operation for at least one year and be well-established, growing and profitable for the 2008 federal tax reporting period. 

Portfolio Creative attributes its sustained growth to long-term client relationships as well as a depth of knowledge of the market that enables them to carefully place associates who are able to deliver a solid return on investment.  In addition to connecting clients with creative talent, Portfolio Creative also helps companies streamline and innovate their creative work to save time, energy and money.