Originally, I wrote my memoir to describe a career I found both challenging and wonderful. I felt energized every day because I worked with some of the best and brightest in the intersection of technology and mass entertainment. My career over forty years ago when the business, particularly its technology, was in a very different place.
I both loved how TV shows were logistically created and the opportunity to learn from the people who knew how to do that best. It was clear to me that my computer skills were a ticket to collaborating on the inner workings of an industry I found fascinating. As the years went by, I realized that the most intriguing of all were the people who invited me into their world. The ability to produce high-quality television week after week is a skill I quickly learned to admire. The fact that I was part of the team – albeit a technical, storytelling-adjacent one – didn’t make me feel any less excited to be there.
Working in Hollywood is, in many ways, no different than working in any other business. There are both good and bad styles. I met people who are helpful and also those who launch road-blocking power grabs and even those who fight progress at every turn.
In my case, I found my way to satisfy my passion for working with invigorating industry leaders. By indulging my curiosity about how it all worked, I rarely doubted my direction, even when my specific place at a given moment wasn’t quite right.
Now that the memoir is finished, I’d very much like for a wider audience to meet some of the people I knew. They are most definitely among the best in the entertainment business and worth emulating, not just to find the passion that will hopefully drive careers, but also to serve as idea-generators for how to make it happen. I will focus in another post on some of the specific qualities that result in fulfilling careers, as demonstrated by the people in Outside The Spotlights.
These same qualities can propel those wishing to enter today’s storytelling arena. Those who prepare can look forward to emerging careers in traditional roles or perhaps in virtual production, streaming technology, augmented/extended reality or location-based entertainment. None of these existed for me in the beginning, but each of them provides opportunities to join the teams of storytellers working today.
Good luck! Be prepared for the opportunity you want to come knocking. If you’re prepared and if you learn how to nurture your reputation with pros like you, the opportunity will find you.