Oprah Wants People To Realize Their Self Worth By Working For Free

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tay

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When local hula hoop performer Revolva was contacted by Harpo’s event company to perform at Oprah’s “Live the Life You Want” event stop in San Jose earlier this winter, she was beyond thrilled.

Thrilled, that is, until Harpo conceded that they wouldn’t be compensating her for hours, effort, or travel.

Unfortunately for Revolva (and many, many other creative workers), the Harpo organization didn’t feel that they should pay her, despite the fact that tickets cost attendees anywhere from $99-$999 just to get a foot in the door, and that the tour is headlined by one of America’s wealthiest.

Rather than accepting the gig, Revolva penned an essay about the ordeal, explaining that a line must be drawn when it comes to expecting artists to work for free:

Back to that spiritual lesson you had in store for me, Oprah. Maybe it’s because my car broke down, and I’m struggling. Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing this for 12 years, and after all the requests for free or discount work, the one by a billionaire’s tour was the straw that broke my back. But I thought it through, and achieving “the life you want” is not always easy. The risks we have to take, to transform this culture into something more nurturing, involve looking at the way things are and saying, “Hey, wait. That’s not cool!”

Even if we have to say that to Oprah Winfrey.

We’ve reached out to the Harpo organization and the event producers and they have not yet responded.

And, since you won’t be able to see Revolva at the Oprah event, here’s a video of what you’re missing.


http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/12/30/oprah-promotes-realizing-self-worth-asks-bay-area-performer-to-work-for-free-revolva-sap-center-san-jose-harpo/








www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhg_9-Pl5k8&feature=player_embedded








 
Angstrom

Angstrom

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The exposure The show could have given "Revolva" may open opportunity to make millions.

If Operah asked for a free book to show to the audience would you tell her only if you pay for it?

Revolva is essentially getting free televised exposure to the biggest audience that consumes everything Operah.
 
Blackleaf

Blackleaf

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Oprah's ancestors had to work for no pay, so now she's expecting us all to do that.
 
T

tay

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Angstrom said:
The exposure The show could have given "Revolva" may open opportunity to make millions.

If Operah asked for a free book to show to the audience would you tell her only if you pay for it?

Revolva is essentially getting free televised exposure to the biggest audience that consumes everything Operah.
Click to expand...





If you read the whole article at the link provided you would realize the exposure would be limited to the smuckle heads paying $99 to $999.00 to be in the audience.


If she was going to be on TV with Oprah dribbling on to the 400 pounders in the crowd and at home about how they too can achieve anything they want (yuk,yuk) if they dedicate themselves such as Revolva, that may require deeper consideration............






I should have known that, in the phone call with your producer, there was a deep spiritual lesson in store for me. Here is our paraphrased conversation:

Producer: “Your stuff sounds great. Are you interested?”

Me: “Hell yes! Oprah! Oprah!”


Producer: “Okay, so just to be clear, you’d be on a stage outside the event. And, you know, just to be clear, Oprah will not be on that stage. Oh, and just to be clear, this gig isn’t paid.”
 
Praxius

Praxius

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Blackleaf said:
Oprah's ancestors had to work for no pay, so now she's expecting us all to do that.
Click to expand...

For once I agree with you, the irony in the report is mind boggling.

Oh yeah she could have gotten a bunch of publicity by doing her thing for free for Oprah.... And it might not pay off at all and she'd be more out of pocket.

As the lady wrote, she's been doing her thing for many years now and has dealt with many people wanting her to do it for free with probably the same expectations that it would pay off later when she's referred by the ones she did it for free for.... Obviously that hasn't worked out well and in the end, you only get referred to more jackholes who expect a free service or at a low cost that makes it not worth doing.

I tried doing freelance graphic design and despite my many years of doing it and my various papers saying I know what I am doing, many people expect you to still do 2-3 jobs for free for them with the chance of getting paid ones later on or being referred to their friends or others in the industry.

If it's not that then they expect you to do x3 the amount of work in one day as you would in a normal office scenario... And at a pay that is well below minimum wage. If you refuse then they will just send their work to some guy in India who will do the same job for $5.... And there's a lot of those type of people in China, India or elsewhere who will offer to do the job for pretty much nothing.

And the person seeking the work to be done doesn't care if the end product it absolute second rate sh*t a monkey smeared on a newspaper, they paid $5 for it. If they send the job to five of these people at the same price each they still have a decent chance at getting something they can use and only had to spend $25. To get a formally trained, experienced designer in Canada, US, UK, Australia, etc. Would be give or take $25 an hour.

The last few businesses I have work for charged clients $90 an hour for any design work. I get paid between $20-25 per hour.

When I did freelance for a short time I even charged a low amount of $15 and eventually $10 per hour thinking that might get my foot in the door. Then I would see these 3rd world country guys offer to do a week's worth of work in about 24 hours non stop for something like $12 total.... There's no way to compete and make it worth your time and cover your own expenses. You might as well go work flipping burgers at McDonalds.

I am behind this lady 100% for her stance against Oprah's corp. Free publicity is not free, there's always an expense and as noted in the OP, these expense would have been hers for travel, time, accommodations, other missed opportunities, etc.... And the payoff is not assured to come.

Giving Oprah a copy of your book is one thing, that doesn't require travel, food, accommodations, etc. It's a minor expense overall.

But anyways she doesn't need to go on her show now. She got the publicity she would have originally gotten in the first place and all it cost her was the time to write up her essay. We all know about her now, we know what she can do and the Oprah Empire thought she was good enough to come on their show.... Apparently she's too good for their show.

Good on her.
 
Angstrom

Angstrom

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tay said:
If you read the whole article at the link provided you would realize the exposure would be limited to the smuckle heads paying $99 to $999.00 to be in the audience.


If she was going to be on TV with Oprah dribbling on to the 400 pounders in the crowd and at home about how they too can achieve anything they want (yuk,yuk) if they dedicate themselves such as Revolva, that may require deeper consideration............






I should have known that, in the phone call with your producer, there was a deep spiritual lesson in store for me. Here is our paraphrased conversation:

Producer: “Your stuff sounds great. Are you interested?”

Me: “Hell yes! Oprah! Oprah!”


Producer: “Okay, so just to be clear, you’d be on a stage outside the event. And, you know, just to be clear, Oprah will not be on that stage. Oh, and just to be clear, this gig isn’t paid.”
Click to expand...

Under that context circumstances change.
 
S

Sal

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Sep 29, 2007
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And upon the backs of the poor is the real money made.,,,and we folks are the poor.

I hope this goes all over the media. Winfrey's humble beginnings should well allow her to understand that the cost of travel to some individuals and the work required would be prohibitive. And she wouldn't even be a part of the main venue.

Then again, with the size of Oprah's empire she likely didn't even know about it but she will now.

Cannuck said:
Looks like they both lose.
Click to expand...
Oprah hasn't lost a thing

and had the woman performed Oprah likely would not have known either
 
#juan

#juan

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How does Oprah realize her own self worth? Her net worth of almost three billion $ must help some.
 
S

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
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#juan said:
How does Oprah realize her own self worth? Her net worth of almost three billion $ must help some.
Click to expand...
multiple houses, a network of her own, an army of people working for her...

yeah, must be tough
 
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