‘Is this fair?!’: SG freelancer unhappy with 50/50 split, says he handles production while partner brings in clients

SINGAPORE: A freelance photographer and videographer has questioned whether his 50/50 business arrangement is worth keeping after claiming he handles almost every aspect of production, from filming and editing to delivering the finished work, while his partner takes half the earnings.

In an anonymous post on the r/asksg subreddit on Tuesday (Nov 10), the freelancer explained that his business partner is responsible for sourcing event assignments, showcasing his work on a website and communicating with clients. He, on the other hand, provides the equipment and handles the actual shoots, editing, and final delivery.

“Is a 50/50 split fair when I’m doing almost all the work? He only acts as the middleman for nearly all communication,” he asked.

According to him, clients typically reach out to his partner first, who then forwards the messages to him. He drafts the replies to their questions, which his partner then relays back to the clients.

Finding this arrangement “inefficient,” he questioned: “Wouldn't it make more sense for me to communicate directly with the client regarding technical requirements to avoid misunderstandings?”

To back up his point, he recounted a recent five-hour ROM assignment. 

“Recently, we had a 5-hour ROM shoot. His quotation included a highlight video and ‘full video delivery,’ but he also offered RAW footage without clearly explaining what that meant.”

“After the shoot, the client kept contacting him about the footage. He complained that she had been WhatsApping him for days and said he needed to ‘get her off my neck.’ His solution was to offer me S$100 to simply colour-grade all the footage, combine everything into one MP4, and send it over. This raised concerns about quality control, as there was no discussion about removing unusable clips.”

“Eventually the client reached out to me directly, and I discovered she wanted the unusable footage removed and the remaining clips properly trimmed and colour-graded. She was even willing to pay extra.”

“When I explained this, he told me to settle it directly with her because he didn’t want to be involved anymore and had too much on his plate,” the freelancer added.

This whole experience has since left him questioning what exactly he is getting out of the partnership. “So I'm providing the equipment, doing the production and post-production, supplying the portfolio that helps attract clients, and now also handling client management when issues arise.”

He acknowledged that his partner’s contributions, including maintaining the website, sourcing assignments, and bringing in business, were valuable. However, he questioned whether receiving half the revenue was justified when so much of the actual work fell on him.

He ended his post by asking fellow freelancers and agency owners in Singapore whether he was being “unreasonable, and what would constitute a fairer revenue split or subcontracting arrangement.”

‘Finding clients is really one of the hardest parts’

In the comments, many urged him to either go solo or push for revised terms.

The top comment read, “I think you should start to look for your own clients rather than rely on him. If you don't have any direct business or any subcontractor jobs, be it 50-50 or 60-40, you also need to do bah..If you have your own jobs, you can then hang up and sell…”

Another said, “Seems like you are building up resentment within you. Either renegotiate your agreement or find clients on your own. To be honest, finding clients is really one of the hardest parts. But if you can do it AND also the actual work, then I see no value in engaging your partner.”

A third shared their experience, writing, “I used to be a freelance designer and web developer, and I received proposals from various marketing/sales types of people before as well. It also felt unfair to me, so I rejected their proposals.” 

“I went through such an arrangement before, and it felt like I was the one doing all the work from design to coding etc., while all he had to do was to present it to the client. Then I went out to network and got my own clients myself instead. The 50% is not worth the value that the other person brought.”/TISG

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