So here, and a couple posts after, I will fill in the blanks
I got back to my parents house the first week of September, and while most people would want a couple of weeks to maybe decompress from everything, as much as I needed to decompress, I didn't.
I started work almost right away for a small production company, as Associate Producer, working for free, which at the time sounded like a good idea. It sounded like it had a lot of promise, it was going to go for about 3 months, and if things went well for said company's projects, maybe just maybe after those 3 months the job would be extended and I could get paid. Just for the record I wasn't the only one not getting paid, essentially we were all hired as free labor.
The working for free situation lasted 3 weeks, and by that I mean, in that span of 21 days I probably went to said job 7 times. I figured I was working for free, I didn't (and wouldn't) go everyday. Even not going every day was costing an arm and a leg.
All ina all it was costing me more money to go into the city, and almost as much as the rent I was having trouble paying for before I moved back east, than the whole situation was worth. Not to mention that even though I wasn't being paid I was expected to be available at all times, on my blackberry to answer emails and phone calls at all hours. This concept wasn't new to me, in fact it wasn't any different than other jobs I've had in production, the difference being, for those other jobs, I was decently well compensated, was working for shows/productions with pretty fast coming actual deadlines, and I knew (for the most part LOL) what I was getting myself into. When I agreed to work for free, I didn't realize a freelance gig for no pay was going to take over my entire life.
For various other reasons other than just no pay (and there were plenty) I put myself out there and broke up with my freelance boss over email, asking her to call me so we could discuss me maybe still helping out from afar on a couple of things I had pitched to her. Not my most mature move, but I'll end this short story with this... "when in Rome..."
So, I was back to square one on the job front, though after my short experience with aforementioned job, I honestly felt like I hadn't ever left. But, not working at job for no pay also meant I wasn't spending any money on going into NYC, and wasn't spending money on lunch and food as I wandered the city. So maybe, being at square one was a good thing. I could go back to my original plan of visiting friends and family on the East Coast, while looking for work kind of all over, and then hoping that certain jobs I wanted would become available sometime after the first of the year.
I will tell you now (because I know you are all dying of suspense, and if you read the post before this you already know) that’s not what happened.
A phone call from a dear friend in Boston offered a new, albeit short but lucrative, opportunity that I jumped at. It meant not only would I be able to meet new people in the production world, in yet another city, it also meant I could catch up with said friend, another very good friend, and visit my grandparents and yet another very good friend in Cape Cod.
Like everything else in recent months, it was it's own adventure.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Putting my recent history out there
If I were to make a resume for myself for the last 8 months if would look like this. I will give you all the back story later.
Jennifer Lastname
Various Locations, USA
Cell Phone #
Education: B.S. Television/Radio Communciations. Ithaca College-2006
Large Company-CT-November 2010-Present Day
*New Position Just Recently Created in a Department I Have Never Worked in Before
Monitoring incoming and outgoing feeds for multiple networks to assure that content is clear for broadcast. Working very strange and ever changing hours. Apparently impressing upper managment while staying organized and on top of other assigned projects. Volunteering at a really excellnt yearly event. Living in a small town in the middle of no where, while not exactly putting myself out there in as many ways as I could.
Small Production Company-Boston, MA- 4 Days in October 2010
*Script Supervisor
Responsible for maintaining internal continuity and recording the production unit's daily progress in shooting. Taking notes on each take for editing purposes. Eating craft service while crew set up shots, waiting for the sun to move behind a cloud so shooting could continue, getting lost in the city of Boston,never being untime for work and constantly erasing my poorly hand written notes in the script.
Even Smaller Production Company-New York, NY- 3 Weeks (6 days) in September 2010
*Unpaid "Associate Producer"/"Apparent Fund/Capital Raiser"
Researching topics, people and lifestyles for potential reality docu-shows. Preparing research materials for Producer to write pitches of new shows to networks. Trying to find topics, people and lifestyles based of the Producers, ever chaning, poorly worded, and vague descriptions of what according to outdated memos was what networks wanted. Listening to Producer have very private conversations/arguments very publically in the middle of the work day and office. Answering emails, voicemails and phone calls at all hours of the day night and morning. Not working on the documentary I was hired to work on, and trying to find funding for documentaries and local cable access shows despite having no experience in doing so.
Special Skills and Achivements:
*Staying up all night or Waking up at 4am or Sleeping till Noon
*Getting Lost in the city of Boston
*Getting very excited about visiting Penguins
*Packing on the pounds
*Not dieting
*Not going to the gym even though I had a lot of time to do so
*Not blogging even though I had no reason not to, and a great many reasons to do so
*Not dying while driving in the city of Boston, MA
*Quitting a job after 3wks/7 days
*Reconnecting with old friends, and a good chunk of my family
*Painting my bathroom
*Purchasing a new tv
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