Today's term: setting up a kill fee

Today's term: setting up a kill fee
A kill fee = money you keep if the brand cancels after you've started. Without it, a canceled deal can mean hours of work for $0.

Set it up in three steps:
— Decide your trigger ('once I begin filming')
— Set the amount (25–50% of the total is common)
— Add one line to the contract

Example: '$1,000 project. If canceled after production begins, a 50% kill fee ($500) applies.'

This isn't aggressive — it's standard in professional work. Brands cancel for reasons that have nothing to do with you, and your time still cost you something.

Your move: add a kill-fee line to your contract template once, and it protects every future deal automatically.