Behind-The-Scenes: Our Writers' Honest Opinions of Working Here



Full disclosure: We here at DailySuperHero.com want to be as transparent as we can when it comes to our work ethics, integrity, credibility and especially how our unpaid writing staff is treated. In order to achieve this, a decision has been made to share behind-the-scenes information and our writers' opinions with our readers.

DailySuperHero.com is privately owned and operated by one guy who started the website as a hobby blog and in the years since its launch, it has been built it into a source who is recognized as press by every major convention and expo in the U.S. This included: San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, Disney's D23 Expo, Star Wars Celebration, Toy Fair New York, Wizard World and others.

To this very day, I still have a full-time job while DailySuperHero.com is still my first true love, but the truth is even I don't make any money from the site. My real job pays my bills while me passion fuels my love for super heroes, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, toys and all the other things covered here at the site. However, I am lucky enough to work from home most of the time which allows me to also run and write daily breaking news on the DailySuperHero.com.

While I am still building this website, slowly, intentionally, into a legit place where readers can come and read about Marvel, DC, Star Wars and more, we are not at a place right now to pay our writing staff. This is why I write approximately 98-percent of all the content you see published. No joke.

Personally, I have written for blogs, sites and news outlets in the past (mostly in the sports media world) and some were non-paid. I have felt how an online writer can feel used and abused without any compensation from several of my past writing gigs. This is not something I want any of the writers at DailySuperHero.com to ever feel. Each writer volunteers for their respective coverage beat for the site and requirements are extremely minimal, comparatively speaking, when you look at other sites/blogs who have unpaid writers. Especially when you compare it to many of the other sites who require their unpaid writers to produce multiple posts per day to maintain their "status" or to get front page exposure for their work. That is highly manipulative and something I do not require here and those types of sites should be ashamed of themselves. I can't take advantage of writers like that which is why each of the writers here at the site have a minimal requirement of one post per week, or even one every two weeks... that's it.

Sometimes I may ask a writer if they want to tackle an assignment, but it's not that often, and usually when I ask a writer their answer is an immediate 'Yes!' response. I try to make sure there is no pressure on any DailySuperHero.com writers outside of their minimal coverage duties for their writing beat.

Anyway, there are some people out there online who think DailySuperHero.com abuses its own writers and this is a false assumption with no truth to it at all. If I could pay writers, I would but they would be required to write more, too. Simply thinking that you can create you own blog or website through Blogger or WordPress, or where ever, and then sign up for Google ads to make money is a fact but one that is much easier said than done. Especially the making money part, through Google ads which is not as easy as many think. You need to have approximately 15,000-20,000 pages hits per day to make more than a few cheeseburgers per month with Google ad placement. Seriously.

I'm trying to be as honest as I can be in disclosing info about ads and affiliate links you see on DailySuperHero.com. These make enough revenue to maintain our servers each month and I spend a few extra dollars (literally and sometimes out of my own pocket, too) on monthly social media campaigns to constantly grow our social media presence. Social media is one of the strongest tools for growth so maintaining a presence is a must in today's digital media. Growing to a larger social media presence will eventually increase daily web hits thusly eventually increasing ad revenue. This is the basic business concept of DailySuperHero.com right now and part of the reason our writers cannot be paid.

But enough from me. Here's testimonies from many of our writers with their take on writing for DailySuperHero.com. These quotes are unedited except for spelling, grammar and punctuation and if you don't believe that, then ask each writer on Twitter yourself. They have nothing to hide or lie about because this is their unfiltered opinions of writing here...


DC Films Correspondent Tim Miller (@timjmills):

"My experience in writing for Dailysuperhero.com has been overall very positive. It has been really great to be involved (even if only a little bit) in a world I have been following for years. DSH is a great community to be a part of and you can tell all the contributing writers are passionate and just love Superheroes and movies, which is something I think sometimes a professional critic loses a little bit. That’s easy to do when your job is pick things apart day after day. I’ll admit it can be a little hard to get motivated at times to write/work for an unpaid role but two articles a month really isn’t a whole lot of work at all. 
"As far as expectations go, I really didn’t have much of an idea as what to expect since I have never done anything like this before. It is interesting to see the process of how an idea/pitch becomes an article and gets posted, nothing like seeing your work out there for the whole internet to read. The direction/advice provided on the articles really helps but the 'hands off' approach of letting me try to make the role my own is also very good. It is not like anyone should be surprised what the role entails, the writer’s contract was very clear and straight forward.  
"Personally I have never felt abused or used in the slightest, I wouldn’t even feel right getting paid for the articles as I have no real training in writing and am happy to contribute to the site writing about topics I love. Also, I’m guessing people that are looking to make writing their main job are probably happy to get the experience while still being able to pursue other options/jobs. As far as the future, I’m not sure if a career/role in writing is necessarily for me but has more to do with my ability/availability than anything else. This site and role have been very good for me and have definitely considered this an excellent experience."


LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Beat Writer Mark Storey (@STOREYSTOREYSTO):

"My experience in writing for The Daily Superhero has been a lot of things. Numerous words come to mind. But if I had to choose one word to sum up my time writing, exploring and reporting on topics and media that I care about passionately, the word would simply be 'FUN.' Reporting on the television show Legends of Tomorrow for the CW and other projects when they come up has really helped my writing and my use of deadlines. It’s also helped me dissect stories and characters in a way I didn’t think I knew how. All of this wouldn’t be possible without Mr. Wolf and The Daily Superhero. 
"Mr. Wolf’s direction with me as a writer has been a very open and productive relationship. He’s been open to listen to every idea I have had since Day 1. There is also a lot of understanding for other responsibilities that may occur within the team of writers. Much of my expectations for the position when I originally started didn’t consist of me plugging my own ideas and giving my honest opinion on topics I care extremely about, but I can earnestly say the opposite has occurred. For someone who currently has a lot going on in their life right now in more ways than one, working at the Daily Superhero has made me feel productive and really made my writing matter."


THE FLASH Beat Writer Kaitlin Roberts (@Kaitmrober):

"My experience writing for The Daily Superhero has been nothing but positive. I knew going in that the position didn’t pay—it was plainly spelled out all the way back in the original job posting— and that didn’t deter me at all from wanting to join the site. I already had a paying 'real world' job, and I wasn’t looking for another one; rather, I wanted an opportunity that would allow me to express my love of the comic book genre and to sharpen my skills as a writer. And that’s exactly what The Daily Superhero has given me.  
"Everyone on staff has always been polite and personable in our interactions; I’ve never had an assignment or deadline that was unreasonable. Honestly, the idea that I’d feel taken advantage of by site feels strange for me to even consider. And I don’t say that to dismiss the many unpaid writers who have been used and exploited in the past; I’m merely trying to convey that my experience working as a beat writer has been so affirming and so low-pressure that it’s hard for me to picture feeling differently. More than anything, I’m just grateful for the platform by The Daily Superhero I’ve been given that allows me to share my writing while discussing an area of geek culture that I’m passionate about."


ARROW Beat Writer and MCU Correspondent Nick Whitney (@Whitniverse):

"I dream of being a writer. Now yes, I dream of being a paid writer but I'm smart enough to know it's not some fluffy vocation where you're simply 'creative' for a few hours a day before taking the rest of the day off. Real writing is hard. Professional writing is hard. Pro writers are at their desk everyday, just as most of us are with our 9-5 jobs. When I say I dream of being a writer, I mean I want that. I want to hone this thing I do for fun into my craft.  
"I'm lazy by nature. I'm also terrible at managing my time. But learning writing as a craft needs structure. The beat writer gig forced me to adhere to the one golden rule of writing. Whether you want to be the next JK Rowling, craft poetry or the win the Best Screenplay Academy award you need to know this one thing; If you want to write, then write! Write often and regularly. Write to a brief. Write freeform. Write about something you love. Write about something you hate. Write. WRITE. There's no cheat here. There's no quick trick. The only way to get good at writing is to practice-practice-practice. Even if Arrow was driving me mad with it's complete lack of respect for a.) it's original premise and b.) it's audience's intelligence, I have been forced to write. To come up with constructive ways to articulate my thoughts on the show.  
"Do I think writers should be paid? Yes. Resoundingly yes. But not at my level. Not yet. I have read recent stories of longform investigative journalism in for-profit prisons costing $300,000 but only yielding a few thousand in ad revenue. Writers (and content creators full stop) should be compensated for their work. I, and I must stress this is just me, am perfectly content with my position with Daily Superhero as it's allowed me to grow, develop and learn. I thank Daniel for his guiding hand and the opportunities The Daily Superhero have afforded me, including covering New York Comic Con this October. I hope to help Daily Superhero grow. I hope to grow and improve as a writer (watch this space). I hope that Arrow either massively improves in Season 5 or Daniel has me write about something else. We shall see."


SUPERGIRL Beat Writer Carly B. (@TVFanatic360):

"When I first applied for a opportunity for writing for The Daily Superhero, I didn't think I'd get the gig. I was just starting out as a college freshman and I still had room to improve. I worked hard through the assignments that our editor Daniel Wolf gave me and he liked what he saw. He gave me a chance. Starting off as a beat writer for Agent Carter, I was a little nervous, but Daniel worked with me and still does. He goes over every article and advises me the little things to do to improve my writing, coaxed me into being more opinionated with my pieces.  
"Even after the possibility of a third season of Agent Carter was left in limbo and eventually cancelled, Daniel immediately offered me another TV beat to write for and my pick of them. I am now writing for Supergirl. The switch between Agent Carter and Supergirl was within a week or so of the finale of Supergirl, Daniel gave me a chance for a break [too]. He's never asked more than a few articles a month and always giving us the opportunity for a chance to write more for the site. He is understanding about each of our own personal schedules and is never pushy about having an article from us...  
"I've been writing for The Daily Superhero for about a year and I love it. Daniel is very instructive and supportive of our writing. I couldn't have picked a better boss to help me start off as a writer and to help me grow. I owe it all to him."


Charater Profile Writer James Philbrick (@JamesPhilbrick2):

"I started off writing for The Daily Superhero in February of 2016 and it has been nothing but positive for me so far. I do not get paid for writing which makes motivation a little hard sometimes but ultimately I love writing for the website. As a college student, I am not sure where my life is taking me and something that I have always had was a passion for movies. I have always wanted to write movie or TV show reviews, but didn’t know where to start. I ended up side tracking my passion for writing and movies by going to school and majoring in Digital Media and Design. Writing for the website has re-sparked my love for writing and I have a fun time doing it. At the same time, I am also looking for ways to expand my writing skills through my school.  
"One of the great things about writing for the website is that I am only required to write one article every two weeks. This is not stressful for me at all and is easily manageable as a full time student. My job is basically to write character biographies on lesser-known characters in the comic book world. I was given a lot of freedom with how to write these articles and what direction to take them. At first it scared me to go into writing for the first time without a guideline of some sort, but I eventually came to like it. Daniel, the publisher of The Daily Superhero, was very supportive from the start and made sure to respectfully edit my work and acknowledge the work I put into my writing. Daniel responds to every email with suggestions, compliments, and information on when the article will be up. This makes everything so much easier and improves my writing and motivation to write.  
"I had very little expectations going into the gig and that was because I had no idea what to expect. I was really nervous because was my first time doing any real writing outside of schoolwork. However, I am so happy I did this. My writing has gotten stronger, I have more to add to my resume, and I can continue to pursue my love for comics, movies, and writing. To add to that, I was able to get press credential to Wizard World Comic-Con in Chicago and that was an amazing experience. This gig may be unpaid, but it is so easy to overlook that because it is benefiting me in so many ways and will continue to do so!"


TV & Animation Writer Peter Freeman (@Peter_Freeman):

"Going in to work for The Daily Superhero was a simple and easy process. Daniel is sure to outline all of the expectations up front so there are no surprises. I’ve been with the site for almost a year now and it’s stayed that way the entire time.  
"Working for The Daily Superhero has been great! The workload is pretty light. During the summers I essentially submit an article a month. During television season it’s a few more than that, but it’s fun to be able to write about the shows I’m watching and deliver interesting critiques and reviews about that.  
"Daniel is pretty good about communication. Never really had to wait on him to send a response if I ever I had a question or thoughts about an article. Overall the experience has been a great one, something I’ll definitely be putting on my resume." 


Retro Movie Reviewer William Staton (@WilliamStaton80):

"It’s been a gift to be able to write about the films that I deeply care about. The Daily Superhero, an already accepting platform for superhero culture, has allowed me to write about things that I typically would never be able to write about. Each time that I’ve written a review, I’ve felt very free and open to say what I’ve wanted to say. Daniel Wolf, the superhero of The Daily Superhero, encouraged me to always write exactly what I felt about a topic, never sacrificing my honest opinions.  
"Strangely enough, I was actually a fan of The Daily Superhero for a while before I even started writing for the team. The site was my one-stop- shop for superhero news; I even had each tweet sent to my phone as a notification. When a position to write opened up, I quickly applied, excited about the opportunity to join the writing team. I was worried going in that I might be over my head and starting something that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with. I quickly realized, though, that isn’t the case. I was immediately shown that this would be a pressure-free, fun environment that puts our experience and our writing over anything else.  
"For anyone who is interesting in attempting to write online, for whomever or whatever it may be, I would say that you absolutely should. It’s an amazing platform for people to express themselves, while also informing and communicating with people who share the exact same interests as you. I heavily appreciate my time writing for The Daily Superhero. Not only has it furthered my ability to write in this way, but it has also been an engaging and incredibly enjoyable experience. "


So there you go... a little behind-the-scenes look and some truth within the confines of DailySuperHero.com and thank you to the writers above who took the time to share their honest experiences with the site. Without you, I'm not sure I would have to time to cover and watch all the shows and write all the profiles, and more, outside of all my breaking news coverage and new movie reviews — because I certainly don't watch everything we cover and I unconditionally trust and deeply appreciate their commitment and written work on all the topics these great people provide to the site in a pressure-free digital environment.

Written by Daniel Wolf, Founder & Publisher, DailySuperHero.com