Ready to Name Names

[foodnfoto]

I have really had it!!!
I did some freelance work for a well-known company that publishes some very respectable (yeah, right) magazines last March, May and June (2001). The work I performed was food styling and recipe development. After having been told I'd get paid for my services after 60 days, I, reasonably, expected payment. I didn't get paid for the first job until the end of July and am still waiting for the work I did in May and June. I've been lied to, promised payment and only recieved a small check for a little portion of the services I provided. Meanwhile, this dirtbag company is using the photos and recipes right and left! After 60 days, I started adding a 5% late fee to each bill for every 30 days they remained past due.
Last month I filed suit in NYC small claims court to, hopefully, get paid. I wrote a letter to the editor-in-chief asking, one last time, for my pay and suggested that it would save us all a lot of time and trouble if they would just send a check for all the charges. As yet, no reply.
I'd like to warn all potential stylists and developers out there of the sleazy tactics employed by this company and also to suggest to any pastry chefs or bakers that if they are approached to have their work published, they should ask for pay up front. I warn you!! Do not give away your talents for free! These dirtbags think they can use your talent and ability to fill up pages in their magazines without having to pay you for it!!!!!
It's a matter of public record at this point. If you can't figure out who it is, just ask. I'm just ticked-off enough to tell!!!!

[chrose]

Just call me dense! But do tell! I can't figure it out. If you would prefer e-mail it to me. I'll be happy to support you by not supporting them if they're going to treat my comrades like that. Perhaps a well placed letter or two as well.

[foodnfoto]

The low-life publisher is Haymarket Group who produces "Pastry Art and Design" and "Chocolatier". I've got photos and recipes in the past 4 issues of each and have yet to be paid for my efforts.

I'll let you know the results of the lawsuit. I know I'll win, but whether I'll collect my money is a different issue.

[chefboy2160]

Chocolate is the same color as mud which is just wet dirt . Do not let them treat you this way ! Let us all lend support . Of course thats just my opinion .

[pollyg]

That really is crappy. I feel for you. Let us know how it turns out.
Good luck, polly.

[foodnfoto]

Thanks for the support, my fellow Chef-Talkers. Do me one more favor, cancel your subscriptions and stop buying these magazines. The sooner they are out of business, the sooner another business person will start one up to fill the void and the sooner stylists, developers, photographers (I understand they owe their photographer $40,0000 in past due bills) and pastry chefs will stop being taken advantage of. Of course, if they do fold (a boon to us all) it's unlikely I'll see payment. But that would be okay with me-I can always write it off my taxes as a bad debt.

[cape chef]

foodnfoto, I am sorry to hear of this misfortune.
I get both these publications for my pastry chef.

I will share this with him,and we will look for other publications to fill this void, Again, sorry to hear of this mess, but thank you for sharing it with the community
cc

Oh Chocolatier

The one who makes political analysis in his editorials about the Arabs.

Go for them my dear. Good luck

[chrose]

I suppose the bright side if there is one, is that the majority of the people probably don't realize this, so it's still a good feather in the portfolio cap, and that can't hurt.

[panini]

did you have a contract or work order with the $$ amounts?

[chiffonade]

You'd like to think they're a "Knight in Shining Armour" for the small businessperson. This is not entirely true. Although a party must be in court, small claims cannot collect for you.

We got so burned in small claims court here in SW CO. The entire court system here is a joke befitting The Dukes of Hazzard only with altitude. The judge did not see it fit to let us out of a kitchen space lease with a bar whose patrons did so much methamphedamine that they never ate. What is obviously one person's justice is not always viewed that way by others.

Good luck!

. o O (Glad I didn't start that subscription to Chocolatier)

[foodnfoto]

Thanks for your concern, Panini.
In answer to your question, most freelance food styling and recipe development work for editorials is done with a verbal contract. The editor calls you up and asks if you are available for a specific shoot date and you agree to do the shoot. Then they fax you the recipes and you start shopping a prepping. Then you show up at the studio on the agreed upon date and do your work. It's this way for photographers and prop stylists, too. When you get into TV and film, production unions become involved and then you usually get a written contract.
My work for Chocolatier and PAD was done under verbal contract as I have done with many other magazines (Redbook, Country Living, Biography, First for Women, Women's World, Ladies' Home Journal. etc.) with no problem at all. This particular company, though, has a bad reputation (I learned after the fact) for being slow to pay. To me, "slow to pay" would mean paying at 90 days instead of the aforementioned 60 days. It's now going on EIGHT MONTHS that I've been waiting and the compounded late fees are almost equal to the original fee!
Please- don't buy these magazines. Pound the nail into the coffin for me. Go to your library and copy the recipes you want. Or ask me for them, I'll email them to you. Got them all right here at my fingertips.
*&^$#!#%*&^*(^*&(^Dirtbags!

[chiffonade]

I just got my monthly issue of a magazine that shall not be named. This magazine's parent company has a discussion board I used to frequent. In the past, the participants of the discussion board have cited instances where articles would be printed in the magazine which closely reflected our discussions. We wrote it off to coincidence, but this time it's too close for comfort.

Not long ago, I asked for feedback on how/where participants stored their pan lids. My lids look like a bad commercial for one of those plastic organizers that never seem to work. Imagine my surprise when there was a two-page spread with illustrations on this very topic several months after I raised the subject.

Unfortunately, you put in serious hours and deserve your rightful pay. However, publishers seem to pilfer ideas from a host of places. It never occurred to me that they may have begun the discussion board for the purpose of creating an information pool?

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[Athenaeus]

I wish you luck foodnfoto.
I checked before I post. Verbal Contract is as valid as a written one in the State you work.
In fact courts of Law are more severe when verbal contacts are broken.

In the mean time you are right! Not bying the issues is one step. Embarassing them in public forums is the other one.

Ok. This is radical but here is an organised community of people that take Food seriously. What if we started sending e-mails to those the just don't do their job as they should?

[momoreg]

FNF, I'm so disappointed to hear what they're putting you through. When it comes time to renew my subscription, I may send the little notice back to them , detailing why they don't deserve a renewal from me (that's without me naming names, of course ). That is inexcusable!

I would be interested in hearing how this matter progresses.