For a TV series which amassed 1.5M viewers for its first episodes and had a whopping 30M households around the world tuning in, it doesn’t seem that paying a salary to the people who made it happen should be a big deal. After all, Netflix’s Love Is Blind is not just a show, but a full-on powerhouse putting the dating show concept into a whole new spotlight.
But the screenshots below tell a very different story when it comes to the show’s producers. When photographer Megan Saul received an email from a producer of the Kinetic Content production studio, she couldn’t hold in her excitement. The producer asked if Megan would be interested in acting as a wedding photographer for the show, which would mean taking photos for 5 weddings in total.
But after Megan inquired about the studio’s budget for the project, the answer shocked her, to say the least. Turns out, the Love Is Blind producers think it’s totally enough to pay in “exposure” instead of cash.
Netflix's TV show Love Is Blind has become a viral sensation overnight with 30 million households around the world tuning in
Image credits: loveisblindnetflix
Love is Blind is one of Netflix’s most popular shows in 2020 and made it into being a number-one trending show. The program's concept is something between The Bachelor and Bachelorette, and Married at First Sight, where a group of 30 men and women come face to face on a speed date but they’re not allowed to actually see each other.
After the men propose to the women they wish to marry, as they learn about their romantic interest through a series of blind dates, only then are they able to see one another. The goal is to answer the question of whether love is really blind, as the show ends in a series of real weddings for those participants who haven’t called them off.
But the photographer Megan was left speechless after a producer for the show offered her unpaid work to shoot 5 weddings
Bored Panda reached out to photographer Megan Saul, who received the unpaid job offer from Netflix’s Love Is Blind production company. Megan is a Midwest and United States-based destination wedding photographer who describes herself as a person with “an infatuation with human connection, anthropology, travel, and great outdoors.”
When asked about what’s her take on this distressing situation, knowing that such a powerhouse megacorporation has the audacity to offer people a demanding role for no pay, Megan said she’s first and foremost really sad. “I’m a small business. The 4 other photographers (that I’m aware of) in my area who got the email are small businesses and talented ones. Photographers are always overlooked and undervalued.”
Having said that, Megan also stressed that she truly doesn’t think “Netflix or the production company is to blame, but the trends that have been instilled in the industry for so long. I also doubt Netflix is aware people are being offered an outrageous unpaid opportunity. Netflix has values.”
Megan shared the email screenshots that shed light on how shady and unethical the Love Is Blind production company really is
Image credits: Megan Saul
Megan added that “I think a value that they should consider is people are paid a fair wage to work on shows and movies they put their logo on. Just because they’re a major company doesn’t mean I can be taken advantage of or any photographer should. I know my worth.”
When asked if she’s heard from the producer after the incident made headlines, Megan replied: “I haven’t and truthfully, I don’t think I want to. It’s not their fault they weren’t given a fair budget and we have nothing to really discuss. They shouldn’t be blamed, but they should recognize that I and the others who were emailed were offended.”
The photographer hoped that “it would open a discussion on how they can do better and not offend hardworking individuals whose businesses have been dramatically impacted the last year,” and added “If they want to talk to me about worth and how they can do better, I’m open to discussing that.”
The photographer went on to explain how working for free would mean her donating all the resources to a mega corporation to profit off of her
We also asked if it was the first time Megan has been offered work for "exposure," to which she replied jokingly “I wish I could say that.” “Over the years I have definitely been emailed by influencers, magazines, businesses for unpaid work in exchange for exposure or a social media shoutout. This was just the first one I responded to.”
Meanwhile, Megan also wanted to say “how much I hate how viral this went. The truth is, my business was impacted by covid and it was a slap in the face to be recognized as worthy enough to be considered by a production company to potentially be the photographer to capture these moments for an Emmy-nominated show but to not be good enough or valued enough to be paid for it. It was an honor to be considered up until it was unpaid.”
“Second,” the photographer added: “I have read a lot of what people are saying who are not photographers regarding exposure. Exposure is not guaranteed to bring you business no matter the places they mentioned. You don’t see the photographer in the credits from last year. Sure, their name may be alongside an image on an occasional article, but you don’t think they signed over their rights? Their name isn’t plastered everywhere it deserves to be. You have to intentionally be looking for it.”
The offer is also profoundly offensive as one should always be paid for their work, no questions asked
Image credits: Megan Saul
The photographer said that exposure can possibly open doors, but she also wondered “what if it doesn’t? It’s a gamble. It’s just not guaranteed and truthfully, other couples and businesses shouldn’t be responsible for paying for the 5 weddings the photographer didn’t get paid for.”
Megan concluded that she honestly has “so many thoughts on the matter, especially having this go viral on Twitter and Reddit now. I just want my colleagues and myself to be recognized and be able to continue paying the bills. This was just a low blow to an industry that has been really impacted in a negative way this last year,” she concluded.
To see Megan’s amazing work, be sure to check out her portfolio on her website, and show her some support she really deserves!
And this is what people had to comment on the whole situation
