May 17, 2018 3 min read

The 10 Most Popular Cities for Freelancers Outside of the USA

International freelance work has never been so plentiful, with opportunities covering the globe. Spanning across three continents, these…

International freelance work has never been so plentiful, with opportunities covering the globe. Spanning across three continents, these ten cities (outside of the United States) are the hottest spots for freelancers on the Storyhunter platform. In some places, media and entertainment are one of the largest sources of income for the city; in others, incredible local stories attract journalists.

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1. Mexico City

Mexico City and the surrounding areas are filled with colorful art and culture best captured on video. You can see the beauty of the country in this video filmed by Mexico-based freelancer Xavier C. in Pachuca, a town an hour northeast of Mexico City. His short doc for Great Big Story is about the community, which came together to promote peace by painting a mural on over 200 houses. Since it was painted, the crime rate in the city dropped.

2. São Paulo

São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city. With such a large audience, brands and media companies can continually pump out video content. According to Statista, the media and entertainment market in Brazil is expected to grow to 48.7 billion U.S. dollars by 2020.

3. London

London is one of the largest media industries in the whole of Europe. Though the market is competitive, all of the UK’s major media organizations are based there, giving freelancers in the area more opportunities for gigs.

4. Berlin

Germany has the fourth largest economy in the world and freelancers can find an incredible amount of commercial and documentary work in the capital. For example, Germany-based freelancer Katja D. worked on this Great Big Story video featuring an incredibly talented German unicycler.

5. Paris

Paris is the most important center of economic activity in France, accounting for about 30% of the French GDP. Agence France-Presse, the third largest news agency in the world, established its headquarters in Paris, with many competitors following suit. There are countless opportunities for journalists and video professionals alike, with a nice balance between artistic and informative work.

6. Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is the sixth most populous city in the Americas and is home to Globo, one of the largest media companies in the world. Freelancer Kadeh F., based in Rio de Janeiro, worked on this AJ+ video which features the migration of Venezuelans fleeing the economic crisis, looking for a fresh start.

7. Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourist, economic, trade fair, and cultural centers, and its influence in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities. Freelancers can find a number of varying jobs here, both as commercial shooters for brands and journalists for news.

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8. Nairobi

Nairobi is the largest city in Kenya, acting as a media hub for the region. Home to thousands of Kenyan businesses and over 100 major international companies, Nairobi is a center for business and culture. Freelancer Alex P., based in Nairobi, worked on the thought-provoking short film The Power of Home.

9. Madrid

Headquartered in Madrid are a plethora of organizations like the World Tourism Organization, the Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Public Interest Oversight Board. The city is a hotspot for freelancers looking to work in news and journalism. Industries based on advanced technology are acquiring much more importance there than in the rest of Spain, and video production monitoring this progress goes hand in hand.

10. Istanbul

Istanbul is the historic, cultural, and economic center of Turkey. Viewed as the bridge between the East and the West, it hosts about 15 million residents. Turkey-based filmmaker Mahmoud G. helped with this documentary by Adorama on a Turkish landscape photographer.