“The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team.”
-Phil Jackson
Meet some Syndicate Directors and Members
Syndicate Director
The ones who manage projects and teams. The curators of Syndicates.
Syndicate Member
The talent. The ones who are hired to do the work.
TINA, Syndicate Director
Tina is the Creative Director at a mid sized agency in Atlanta. She does loads of food shoots mainly for social media posts. Her dedicated team used to be comprised of 7 full time employees. That proved to be unsustainable given recent cut backs.
Tina built her Syndicate to reflect her needs this year. She has committed to each Member for a percentage of their time. The commitments ranges from 10% to 60%.
Because of The Syndicate App. Tina is never struggling to find resources last minute. More importantly, though, Tina has created a team environment within her Syndicate. Despite her team all being freelance, her Members feel a part of something bigger as well as the responsibility for making the work great. They all take pride in their inclusion within Tina's Syndicate as well as the work they collectively make.Partial Employment | Team Mentality | Reduced Overhead
MIKE, Syndicate Director
Mike moved to SF 3 years ago, just before the pandemic to take on the role of CD at a major tech company. Almost immediately, his creative department was decimated by layoffs. Mike has adapted quickly to the new reality of working with a small crew.
The Syndicate App has allowed Mike to curate and organize his department which is comprised of 1/2 FTE and 1/2 Freelance. He treats them all the same - as valuable members of the team. Likewise, Mike’s Syndicate is loyal to him because he’s clear, organized and doesn’t allow them to spin or waste time. He’s respectful of their time and they’re respectful of his. FT/FL Blend | Team Mentality | Expert Talent
Jen, Syndicate Director
Despite working for agencies for the past 12 years, Jen now finds herself as the Head of Marketing of a cool new fashion/tech/music start-up based in Brooklyn. She has big creative aspirations but is determined to do it in a “lean” way.
The Syndicate App has allowed Jen to curate and commit to 6 very senior, very talented, very professional people she’s worked with in the past. There’s zero chance she could afford to hire any of them full time. So, she’s committed to 15% of all of their time and does a good job of grouping the work that needs to be done. That way, she can give her people lead time and make sure they are available for her. She doesn’t have the time or patience to look for new people every time a project comes up.Partial Employment | Full Visibility | Expert Talent
Alex, Syndicate Member
With only 7 years of agency experience under his belt, Alex is a rare bird in that he gets things quickly, can ramp up in no time and delivers high quality thinking within tight timelines. Alex is part of 7 Syndicates. It sounds like a lot but he’s typically brought in for a few day stints doing platform thinking and headline writing, which Alex says he can do in his sleep. He is a Member of a few comedic writing Syndicates which has made him a hot commodity - others are always trying to recruit him into theirs.
By being on The Syndicate App, and having all of his commitments here, Alex has full visibility into his schedule and every project going on. He has the flexibility to PASS on a project if he is too busy without jeopardizing any future projects from that Syndicate. And the best part is he no longer has to entertain panicked recruiters looking for a team to start “Tomorrow!” only to find out three days later that the project went away. Hired for Expertise | No Chasing Jobs | Work/Life Balance
Ellie, Syndicate Member
Ellie lives in Portland and enjoys being called in on projects that require interviewing key stakeholders and customers of products. She likes to get into the weeds with the client and usually ends up being the biggest fan of the brands she works on.
Ellie is cognizant of her time and prefers to only have 1 or 2 projects going on at a time. So, she’s limited her Membership to 3 Syndicates who invite her to longer term projects. Her allocation is usually only around 70% because she likes to spend time at home doing nothing at all or cooking for friends.
The Syndicate App allows Ellie to let everyone know what her availability is. She also likes being included in some of the more creative Syndicates out there. She is proud of her profile and feels she no longer needs a full time job to be part of great work.Hired for Expertise | Work/Life Balance | Paid Fairly
Rich, Syndicate Member
Even Rich would admit that not every job is right for him. He lives outside of Washington DC and enjoys his time with his family and writing the next great novel. Rich is a Member of 4 Syndicates, all run by past colleagues who know when to put him in - for anthemic scripts, great headlines and to help younger writers when they need a push.
The Syndicate App allows Rich to have everything in one place. All projects, all deadlines etc. It’s been 12 years since Rich had a full time job. Now, with The Syndicate App, Rich feels part of multiple teams and sits in on ‘All Hands’ Team Meetings just to
Rich loves The Syndicate App because he’s being hired for what he is great at instead of pretending to be a 360 creative or whatever it’s called these days.Hired for Expertise | No Chasing Jobs | Work/Life Balance
Rose, Syndicate Member
Rose refuses to be a gun for hire. She’s fiercely independent and has chosen to live in Tulsa with her partner so that she doesn’t have to take part in the rat race. She can earn what she needs and enjoy all of her time.
She’s used The Syndicate to meet others within her Syndicate and has gotten a few other gigs from them. It’s resulted in Rose being a Member of 3 Syndicates with an allocation of 80% which leaves enough room for the occasional side project, usually involving her dachsund, Finnie.Hired for Expertise | Work/Life Balance | Paid Fairly
Freelancers: Help us help you.
Do you know an Agency CD or Recruiter that would benefit from implementing The Syndicate?
We’re looking for smart, responsible Creative Directors who know how to manage a team and give great feedback.
Do you work within a Company’s Marketing Department that is staffed with a blend of Full time and Freelance?
We’d love to meet internal brand departments who have a constant stream of big and small projects needing a consistent team of resources.
Do you know someone who has started a collective, coalition, group, alliance, network or just has access to vetted talent?
Every week another person is curating a group of trusted people with the goal of competing against agencies. We applaud them all. And we want to meet them.
Welcome to The Syndicate
Member Subscription
FREE
Sign up now. Once you are invited to join a Syndicate you will be one step ahead.
Director Subscription
$50/mo
Create 1 Syndicate with the ability to invite up to 30 Members. You can deploy up to 20 projects per month.
Agency Subscription
$500/mo
4 Directors. 1 Syndicates per Director - invite up to 40 Members per Syndicate. Deploy up to 30 projects per month.