Not Scheduled or Sponsored | Life
THIS YEAR HAS ALREADY BEEN ROUGH. I did, however, feel like things were looking up. My wife got a new job where she is paid well, and it promised to have at least 30 hours or more a week. She has been looking for a job since we moved to southern California, with no luck. So this was a blessing.
I RECEIVED A PAID SPONSORSHIP from a company that makes sleep masks. They contacted me to create a video featuring their sleep mask, and I was really excited about the opportunity! I have been in touch with them since November. They sent me one of their masks, and I recently finished the video and posted it.
I’M PROUD OF THE VIDEO I created for them. I think it turned out really well, and it was my first paid sponsorship! They reached out to me directly, and we discussed the content and what they wanted me to include. I even sent them the video for review before posting and they said it was perfect. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Or so I thought.
MY WIFE WORKED TWO WEEKS at her new job, and we expected her schedule to be consistent. However, she is not scheduled for any shifts in the upcoming weeks, including during Christmas and New Year’s. They recommended that she consider getting a second job for now and mentioned that she could be on call in case hours become available. It’s uncertain if this will actually happen.
WE WERE RELYING ON MY SPONSORSHIP to generate some income. Recently, I received an email from a representative from the company stating that the video was posted to the wrong channel. They provided a link to the channel it was supposed to be on, but it isn’t mine. It’s a channel I’ve never seen before, although it has the same name as my email address that I use for social media contacts.
THEY THOUGHT I WAS ANOTHER CHANNEL. The sponsorship wasn’t meant for me. They contacted me by accident. I am utterly upset and devastated by this news. Now, my wife isn’t working for the rest of December, and my sponsorship was a complete accident. I wrote back and explained that’s not me or my channel. We’ll see what happens.
MAYBE MY WIFE WILL GET CALLED in for work in the next few weeks. If she does, she might be able to bring in some hours so we won’t struggle financially as we have been for the last few months. Perhaps the company will still pay me, even though I wasn’t the person they intended to contact and the video was posted to the wrong channel. Or maybe they’ll like my video enough to pay me to create more content?
THAT’S BEING OPTOMISTIC. I’m trying to focus on the bright side, but I’ll admit I feel defeated. I was so excited, so hopeful, and so ready to take my work in a new direction. But it was all an accident. I’m upset, heartbroken, and angry.
I’m praying, leaving it in God’s hands, and giving it up to him. But I question and I wonder… why?
**UPDATE**
The company got back to me and thanked me for being upfront about the issue. Here’s their email:
Hello there,
We thank you for being upfront about not knowing about the channel.
However, since Section 1 of the Video Sponsorship Agreement on Sponsorship Rights cannot be met, our agreement with your channel is void and I’m not authorized to request compensation for your channel.
We thank you for your proactiveness in removing the video integration on your channel. We’d like for you to keep the mask as a gift from us to you. We’re also happy to send you another mask as a gift for you or your loved one.
Please let me know if we should send it to the same address.
Again, we appreciate your time and thank you for speaking with us regarding this matter.
So I am not getting paid. I’m so bummed out. I can get another mask, though. That’s cool. Maybe I will take advantage of the opportunity and get one for my wife. Or something. Sigh. Dammit man.
