Becoming a Freelance Illustrator for Marvel, Disney and DC: Doaly

How does a creative side project turn into a decade long freelancing business working with the biggest names in pop culture, like Disney, Pixar, Marvel, DC Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures?All good super-heroes have an origin story. And this interview tells the series of events that took Doaly from working for a company in Birmingham, England, to the front page of comic covers seen all over the world. Signing at Comic-con events. It's quite the transformation.Tarlochan Doal, AKA Doaly, spent 15 years as a full time in-house web and UX designer. Illustration was the side hustle he did to scratch a creative itch, designing movie posters for films he loved.Then one Saturday morning, Doaly woke to an email from a movie studio. And his whole script changed.This episode of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland covers:- Why he filled his portfolio with the work he wanted to be hired for, and how design blogs and social media got it in front of the right people- The passion projects that catapulted his career — including a Wonder Woman piece that sold 1,500 posters in a weekend and let him quit his day job- Using UX contracting to bridge the financial gap in his first year of full-time freelancing- Building a garden office to separate work from home - because when you love what you do, you'll work all day and night if you let yourself- How a random 45-minute conversation at a New York convention led to his first Marvel Comics cover- Multiple income streams across movies, comics, book covers and advertising - so no single client base can sink you- The weekly phone calls with a fellow designer that serve as his informal co-mentoringIt's one hell of a story. And you might think - well, I'm not trying to work with Marvel, how will this freelancer's story relate to me? But there's so much relatable freelance advice and business tips to be drawn from his experiences. --EPISODE SPONSORThis episode of the Being Freelance podcast is supported by Ecamm.For years people have asked how Being Freelance live shows look so good. Well, this is the secret.Ecamm is a video studio for your Mac. Give anything you do with video, a pro look in real time.Presentations, screen shares, webinars, video calls, demos. Plus livestream/record in landscape & vertical at the same time, perfectly designed for both formats.Visit beingfreelance.com/ecamm to try Ecamm for free and use the code BEINGFREELANCE on that link to save 15% on your first payment.JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.