kind of a weird position to be in and not sure how to think about it. been freelancing for about four years doing mostly film and commercial work, decent client list, make okay money but its inconsistent and the slow months stress me out more than i let on probably

a mid sized production company i've done a few jobs for basically offered me a staff position. salary would be less than my good months but obviously more than my bad ones, benefits, the whole thing. they do a mix of branded content, some documentary stuff, and corporate work so its not like id be doing boring jobs necessarily

the thing thats holding me back is i feel like ive put so much into building my own thing and going staff feels like... i dont know, giving up maybe? even though logically i know thats not really how it should be looked at. also not sure how it works with keeping my own clients on the side, would have to ask them about that

anyone been through this decision or have thoughts on how to even weigh it

the non-compete situation is the first thing id figure out before anything else honestly. some production companies are pretty relaxed about side work especially if its not competitive with what they do, others will want you completely exclusive. that answer alone might make the decision for you

i did a staff role for two years before going back freelance and i dont regret it at all — learned a ton about how productions actually run from the inside, built relationships i still use today, and the steady paycheck during that period let me upgrade gear without the guilt spiral. left on good terms and they still refer me jobs. so even if it doesnt work out forever it doesnt have to be permanent

the "giving up" feeling is so real but i think its kind of a freelancer brain thing where we attach a lot of identity to being independent. a staff job at a production company that actually does interesting work is not the same as like going back to corporate cubicle life, youre still doing the thing. also benefits are genuinely not nothing, health insurance alone as a freelancer is kind of a nightmare depending on where you live