Worthless. That is how Shannon R. Hammond regards runners.

Because this producer has become somewhat notorious of late for her habit of constantly peddling work for no pay to new entrants to the industry. And she is currently at it again, busy recruiting unpaid workers for her new production, a feature film called “Jingle All the Way” (yet to trouble IMDB with its existence).

For this film Hammond has advertised numerous positions which applicants then discover to be “offered on an expenses-only basis” as she considers these are “entry level position(s) and more of an assistant role”.

Shannon is firmly of the belief that no junior workers like this need paying for their work and is more than happy to ban people from her Facebook group who might question that while declaring that unpaid work is “the way of the industry”.

It’s clear that, despite her claims to be “a versatile Producer with nearly a decade in the creative industries” however, Hammond has clearly been hiding under a rock for some while, given that most people realised long ago that by restricting entry to the world of film work only to those who can afford to work unpaid is extremely socially divisive. And that is without factoring in the small matter of it being a requirement of the law for all workers to be paid at least the legal minimum.

But that matters very little indeed to Shannon, not as long as she can fund her and other productions with the free labour of those who are desperate for any opportunity to gain a foothold in the industry (and to cover the small matter of their rent and food bills). She is clearly more than happy to undercut one and all by declaring that the hard work that runners and assistants put into film shoots has absolutely no value whatsoever.

One to watch clearly: Shannon R. Hammond, freelancers beware!