In my 20 years of experience within the creative industry in the UK, I’ve witnessed a disheartening trend that is detrimentally affecting talented professionals and independent businesses alike. The prevailing practice of requiring free pitches and unpaid “interview projects” from agencies and freelancers has become an overwhelming burden, often leading to unpaid labour without any guarantee of fair contracts or compensation. And in some cases, the stealing of IP.

This so-called “industry standard” is not only unjust but also extractive, exploiting the creativity and hard work that should be respected and recompensed. Creative talents are asked to invest significant time and resources into developing pitches and projects that may never bear fruit. This not only discourages innovation but places an undue financial strain on individuals and small businesses that cannot afford to work without pay.

Brands and businesses should not be allowed to ask agencies to embark on work for their business as part of a pitch or project without paying them for that service, and signing a contract to protect their pre-payment IP. Business intelligence and creative IP are being extracted by brands and businesses in some instances, and work that has been created “for free” is being used without engaging the agencies the ideas were stolen from.

Free pitching undermines the value of creative work and perpetuates a cycle where only the most financially secure agencies and freelancers can survive, stifling diversity and decimating small, independent businesses that are the backbone of the UK’s creative ecosystem.

We are calling for unpaid pitches and interview projects to be banned in law, so that brands and businesses must remunerate agencies and freelancers for them, or use other ways of selecting whom to work with. Brands could look at past work, pricing and reputation as grounds to engage them, as you would in other professions, such as trade.

We advocate for the establishment of fair working standards wherein professionals are compensated for their time and expertise during pitches and interview projects, and wherein ideas and IP shared in either stay with their creator unless paid for and agreed in writing. Such regulations would help ensure that creativity is valued appropriately, and that agencies and freelancers are not exploited under the guise of competition.

By signing this petition, you are supporting a call to action for the government to intervene and protect the rights and livelihoods of creative professionals. Let us demand policies that recognise the intrinsic value of creative work and the IP within it, and ensure fair compensation and respectful treatment for all.

IN SHORT: WE ASK THE UK GOVERNMENT TO...

Ban the “industry standard” of unpaid labour in the UK creative industries, including, but not limited to, pitches and interview projects. We believe the “taking” (aka stealing) of ideas and IP through unpaid labour must stop: creative work should be fairly paid for, and ideas and IP should stay with their creator unless paid for and agreed in a written contract that protects both parties’ interests.

Please sign this petition and help bring about the change that is desperately needed.