New Video! Please Watch. Cricket Media SCAM

ArtistErin

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Wow Nyrryl this is so dumb. Great video by the way. I am tired of scammers! Obviously have had my fill and I have yet to see if Cricket will pay me. They told me the same thing, pay comes 8 mos or so after publication, which would be February 2025 for me. My illustrations were for a story in the upcoming May/June printing. In fact, I heard Lee mention the trouble he ran into with them in one of the 3PP episodes, as I was thumbnailing for this project. I pressed on regardless, figured this would just be exposure for me if anything. It's been disheartening trying to get seen as an "unknown" illustrator. Keeping my chin up though. I wonder if the friend you mentioned in your video is Lee. I know he put on auto-remind through his email settings to bug the crap out of them until he got paid.

Katt

@Nyrryl-Cadiz good video, thanks for sharing. That sucks that happened to you. I am curious to see what will come of it, especially since you had mentioned SCBWI took down the article.
I have a little experience on the freelance writing side- reaching out to an editor is always an experiment, and after the experience I ask myself "Do I want to work with this person again? Was it worth the stress etc.?"
I think it is helpful for you to share the story though, and I do think some companies prey on newer artists/writers/ones who are hungrier for any job.
Love the garden illustration and the babies Btw.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@ArtistErin hi Erin! Right? Scammers are everywhere these days. I don’t know what genius in their company thought that “yup, this is a sustainable business practice”.

oh no, I didn’t know you worked for them too! I genuinely wish that everything will go smoothly for you. Also, I didn’t know they also got Lee. Do you know which video he mentioned it? Thanks. Again, All the best to you.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@Katt thanks Katt! I’m glad you find this helpful. Everyone deserves to know how scummy they are being right now.

ArtistErin

@Nyrryl-Cadiz I will try to find that episode... I think it was aired sometime in January, so I'll get back to you as soon as I find it again. Yeah, he mentioned he had done a few covers for them. It became a real sore point regarding getting paid, that he determined to never work with them again. There's an issue of their magazine with his flying hearts on the cover that he shows on the screen. Anyway, thank you again for getting back to me! Love your work BTW!!

ArtistErin

@Nyrryl-Cadiz FOUND it... the Episode here: Titled "Help! My Client Never Paid! And they are addressing Cricket Media specifically. Worth listening to again.

Let me know if you learn anything else regarding this particular client. Like I said, I am foreshadowing a bit and taking into account their past behavior is predictive of future behavior and I am preparing myself in the event I have the same nonsense. I will take @NessIllustration 's advice, and create a 20 ish email invoice reminder, probably will give them an opportunity to pay. If it exceeds 2 mos past the contract then I'll start this process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_0wmo-RvYA&t=1429s

Nyrryl Cadiz

@ArtistErin thanks Erin!

StudioLooong

On your comment that SCBWI may have chosen to or been forced to take down their statement about Cricket Media as part of a cover-up, they didn't.

SCBWI re-did their entire website last year and were understandably selective in what they migrated over to the new site. Migrating content for a site that large to a new CMS is a huge undertaking. They chose not to migrate over ANY of the content in their "news" section where the statement on Cricket Media lived. You can still read the post in the internet archives here: https://web.archive.org/web/20221222092723/https://www.scbwi.org/creator-beware-payment-problems-about-at-cricket-media/

Here is another news post from around the same time that has nothing to do with any sort of scandal, just an obituary for an author that passed: https://web.archive.org/web/20221209153655/https://www.scbwi.org/remembering-ellen-wittlinger/

You can see that if you try and look up that URL (outside of the internet archive), it gives you the same 404. So does every news article URL created prior to their site migration.
https://www.scbwi.org/remembering-ellen-wittlinger

They did not choose to take down or cover up the cricket media thing. Their statement at the time was very clear on their stance, they just updated their website and two-year-old news articles didn't make the cut.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@StudioLooong phew! Good to know.

Laurel Aylesworth

Oh man. I knew they were shady, but I took a couple assignments from them anyway because I'm still a newbie and I thought the exposure and experience would be a good thing, even if low paying. Do you think it helped at all with getting you some exposure to art directors/editors from other agencies? My husband is a lawyer so maybe I'll have him draft something nasty for me to email to Cricket everyday once my invoice is due.
Great video. I'm sorry you had to make it, but thank you for making it!

Nyrryl Cadiz

@Laurel-Aylesworth thanks Laurel! Honestly, I got zero projects from my “exposure” from cricket. A whole waste of my time, effort, and resources. I would love if you guys could take them to court or something. What they’re doing is just disgusting and illegal.

Nyrryl Cadiz

So... Cricket just paid me. there's a lesson to be learned here. If a client won't pay you, make a a YouTube video dragging them through the mud lol

NessIllustration

@Nyrryl-Cadiz LOL that's hilarious! Too little too late though if you ask me!

Jeremy Ross

Interesting @Nyrryl-Cadiz ! Payday is always a good day!

Did they ask you to take down the video, and if not, do you intend on taking it down?

Nyrryl Cadiz

@NessIllustration right?!

Nyrryl Cadiz

@Jeremy-Ross I totally agree. they didn't ask me to take it down tho. but even if they did, I would not take it down without a fight it's staying up as a warning to anyone who wants to work with cricket

NessIllustration

@Nyrryl-Cadiz They would have no right to demand that - the payment is in exchange for the illustrations which you have already delivered! They're free to offer something else in exchange for that if they wish, and you'd be free to refuse

Laurel Aylesworth

Congrats on getting paid! I have an alert of my calendar in June to start pestering them about payment.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@Laurel-Aylesworth all the Best to you Laurel. Keep us posted. ️

ArtistErin

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Congratulations Nyrryl!!!! That's my decision also! Pester them. @Laurel-Aylesworth would you mind posting your pester letter when you have put together? I may need it!