Agency Automatic, AKA Pitch One, AKA Five by Seven Media, all run (and then quickly shut down) by Ron Williams are scam "agencies" that run on the backs of unpaid freelancers. After being hired as a video editor by Ron Williams, I was asked to work for an extended period of time without pay, as I and the rest of the freelancers (between 3 and 4 other creatives) would supposedly be paid as soon as the contract was worked out for a major client.
The client never materialized, but "Pitch One", which changed it's name to "Agency Automatic" during my time there gleaned a good deal of spec work from myself and my fellow freelancers, and while I don't do web design, I watched the web guys put in weeks of work for which they were never paid.
Ron Williams also repeatedly asked me to help him rip copyrighted video materials from the show reels of companies like BMW and Home Depot, to be used as his own sample work. After realizing that no legitimate work was being done, and that my requests to be paid were being ignored, I left. Multiple phone calls and emails to the office manager, Kate Page, (the only person at Automatic / Pitch One I ever received contact info for) have been ignored. Her last email to me suggested that she'd distanced herself from Ron and didn't really know what was happening with the company. I don't fully believe this, as she refuses to answer any of my attempts to make contact. Ron Williams still owes me close to $500.00. Judging by the amount of work I witnessed others put in during my time there, I wouldn't be surprised to hear he owes other freelancers much more.
Ron Williams also runs a business called "Tree Frog" that creates sticky vinyl wall art from printable images, which he markets to schools and businesses.
0 comments