Fredrick Brennan free interview rider
Hello! I do almost all interviews, certainly many more than others involved in the space. In 2019 I gave almost 100 interviews / quotes for free. Be that as it may, there are certain things I don’t do.
I never do these anymore:
- interviews where the final product will not be in either English or Japanese;
- interviews for new podcasts from unknown or relatively unknown personalities;
- in person interviews at home;
- unpaid interviews over email.
Even if you meet all of these criteria, a free interview is only for reporters who have a publication date within the next two weeks. (Some flexibility is allowed if you work full-time for a major mainstream media organization.) Otherwise, you must pay a stipend of some kind, because it is not at all guaranteed that you are ever going to publish.
If you want to interview me, the interview with the least conditions is an audio-only interview. It will be over Skype, Signal, or Zoom. If you want me to call a US phone number, I can do that via Skype. These interviews are typically limited to two and a half hours per session.
I never do written interviews unless you pay me. I consider these unpaid writing assignments. Just pay for me to write an op-ed. Written questions are OK as follow-up questions, of course.
For video interviews where you want to use your own camera, these are the conditions for people I’ve never worked with previously as of October 2020:
- interview must occur offsite;
- you must pay for an appropriate wheelchair-accessible vehicle to bring me to and from the studio;
- you must accept that I’ll have my dog Hitomi with me (pictured);
- maximum time with you is three hours or four hours if I can lay down/recline halfway through.
For video interviews that can take place over my own webcam, they must be booked at least 48 hours in advance. This will give me time to look presentable on camera. Also limited to two and a half hours per session.
Looking forward to speaking with you,
Fred Brennan
