I spent the day nursing the flu so try and try as I may, I could not sleep. My mind kept thinking about this or that. And one thing I continually came back to was my desire to work in television.
Since leaving the farmlands of Normal, Illinois (yes, that's the name of the town) in '96 for the political charged Bay Area my focus has always been film. While others spent their Spring Breaks on the beach of Mexico engaging in debauchery I watched movies from sun up to sun down (I think I graduated college having watched over 3000 movies). When my friends would go party in the City, I worked weekends in a video store. Some spent their college grants on things like school, or clothes, or trips, I spent it on making my short films.
I studied film in college and had an awesome internship with a small production company, which allowed me hands-on experience with producing, production, and editing, and the opportunity to meet bands like Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Dishwalla.
The summer after I graduated I went to New York city and attended NYU's summer film program. And when I returned I had big plans. I had a couple of gigs in LA, I had a prospect to get into music video directing, some side editing work. I was set. And then...nothing.
The music video thing fell through. It got harder and harder to find work. Money was tight. I ended up working in a restaurant. I met a wonderful woman with an equally wonderful 2 year old son. We got married and had more kids, for a total of three. I left film work to get a full-time job with health benefits and regular hours. I started assistant coaching my sons' soccer team, feeding our beautiful, 9-month old daughter, looking over my sons' homework, And there's always discipline, reading books, washing dishes, and laundry. I go to PTA meetings and schmooze with other parents. Plan covert date nights. And in my head I conceive of a television show or work out a film idea, and that's as far as it goes.
"Where am I going", is the question. Is my dream to work in television just that, a dream? Will I end up a fireside filmmaker, full of ideas and criticism but never putting them into action? I'm reminded of "Livin' on a Prayer". Seems about right.
Since leaving the farmlands of Normal, Illinois (yes, that's the name of the town) in '96 for the political charged Bay Area my focus has always been film. While others spent their Spring Breaks on the beach of Mexico engaging in debauchery I watched movies from sun up to sun down (I think I graduated college having watched over 3000 movies). When my friends would go party in the City, I worked weekends in a video store. Some spent their college grants on things like school, or clothes, or trips, I spent it on making my short films.
I studied film in college and had an awesome internship with a small production company, which allowed me hands-on experience with producing, production, and editing, and the opportunity to meet bands like Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Dishwalla.
The summer after I graduated I went to New York city and attended NYU's summer film program. And when I returned I had big plans. I had a couple of gigs in LA, I had a prospect to get into music video directing, some side editing work. I was set. And then...nothing.
The music video thing fell through. It got harder and harder to find work. Money was tight. I ended up working in a restaurant. I met a wonderful woman with an equally wonderful 2 year old son. We got married and had more kids, for a total of three. I left film work to get a full-time job with health benefits and regular hours. I started assistant coaching my sons' soccer team, feeding our beautiful, 9-month old daughter, looking over my sons' homework, And there's always discipline, reading books, washing dishes, and laundry. I go to PTA meetings and schmooze with other parents. Plan covert date nights. And in my head I conceive of a television show or work out a film idea, and that's as far as it goes.
"Where am I going", is the question. Is my dream to work in television just that, a dream? Will I end up a fireside filmmaker, full of ideas and criticism but never putting them into action? I'm reminded of "Livin' on a Prayer". Seems about right.
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