Ten Golden Rules Growth Strategies for Law Firms Podcast

A warning to fellow videographers, freelancers, production companies and creative vendors: Do your due diligence before accepting work from Ten Golden Rules. I want to share our experience working with Ten Golden Rules and its CEO, Jay Berkowitz, so other content creators can make informed decisions before committing their time, equipment and resources to a project. Ten Golden Rules hired The Digital Team to produce 12 Q&A videos for a law firm in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The project scope and compensation were laid out in writing: a total of $1,440 for the agreed-upon work. We completed the production work, delivered the requested materials and submitted our invoice. Then came more than 60 days of nonpayment and repeated attempts to get a response and resolve the situation directly. Ultimately, the law firm we produced the videos for stepped in and paid us directly because, as they explained to us, they felt bad that we had been left in this position. Let that sink in. The business that hired us to perform the work did not resolve our invoice through payment. Instead, the law firm whose videos we produced ultimately paid us itself. We were also told that the law firm intended to pursue reimbursement from Ten Golden Rules and Jay Berkowitz. We cannot speak to the outcome of any subsequent discussions or efforts between them. While we are grateful that the law firm stepped in so our small business could get paid, this should never have been how a straightforward vendor engagement was resolved. Independent content creators are small businesses. We invest in professional equipment, travel to client locations, dedicate hours to production and editing, and deliver work in good faith based on agreed-upon terms. We shouldn't have to spend months chasing payment—or rely on the end client to step in—to receive compensation for work we've completed. If you're a videographer, photographer, editor, designer or other creative professional considering working with Ten Golden Rules, please take this experience into account and do your own due diligence. Get your payment terms in writing. Consider requiring a deposit. Establish clear payment deadlines. And don't assume that a professional-looking company or a recognizable client guarantees you'll be paid on time. We have retained the original project email, written pricing, invoice, delivery records and payment correspondence. I'm sharing this not to speculate about anyone's intentions, but because other independent businesses deserve to make informed decisions about whom they work with. Our experience is documented, and other creators should know what happened before deciding whether to take on similar work.