Today is the first day of the last week of my Entertainment Business Graduate program at Full Sail University and I can't help but feel very reflecty. Yes, "reflecty" is a word that I just made up for the purposes of this blog post. How else do I describe my mental and emotional state after one of the hardest years of my adult life.
In May 2012, I was laid off of the best non-film job I ever had. I had two of the best bosses I have ever had. Before being laid off, I was really happy even though I wasn't doing film work. Since I have worked everyday of my life since I was 17 years old, I didn't know how to be unemployed. I ended up taken the first part time office job that came my way. On the surface it was a good job at a nice place, but I never felt so degraded as an employee before. I had to find a way to get myself back into film. No more working for working sake. But I was 34 years old and graduated film school 9 years before. How do I break back in? How about following one of my other dreams, getting my masters.
I was the first person in my family to go to college and graduate with a B.A. But I always wanted to get my Masters degree. I didn't think after years of being an adult, having a husband, and a mortgage that I could go back to school, so I didn't. But after the lay off, and working at this part time job I felt unappreciated at, I said "that's it, I'm going back to school." I chose Full Sail because it was well known for entertainment, had a convenient online program, and it was accelerated. I could get through it in a year. There were times it was hard to balance but I stuck with it, kept my grades high, and even while my personal life was being neglected and nearly fell apart, I stuck through it. I can't say how happy I am that I did. I started my first class on September 24th, today is September 23rd a year later and I am days away from having a Masters degree. How awesome is that?
As I wrap up my final assignments for school my head is turning towards Director mode. On Saturday, I go into production on my short film Origins, which I have talked about a few times on this blog. This has been a project 5 months in the making and I cannot wait to get started. My producing partner Chris Tobiaz, and I have marketed this short film like it was a feature. We have gained a lot of attention in New England, and we hope, after it is finishes to gain a lot of attention on the festival circuit as well. Since our film is gotten some attention, we have been contacted by several people to jump on their films. Which is pretty exciting because after I finish Origins, I may have some real film opportunities.
The goal is to not return to an office job, unless it is at a production company. I will spend the next year freelancing to see if I can make a living at it. If it becomes too difficult, I will find a flexible day job such as substitute teaching that will allow me to take the time I need to work on my films. Either way, I have learned that it is important to follow your dreams, even if it makes life uncomfortable for a period of time. Taking the risk to return to school after a decade and learn more about the film industry was important. I can already seeing benefits from going back. Now it is time to build a career starting with my own short film.
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