Hello everyone,
Time for a status report.
I had my first day working again this weekend. Hurrah! There are few things more liberating than knowing you can do to provide for yourself. It has been a blessing to say that my friends and colleagues are all finding ways to support themselves; they continue to be in my thoughts as time and circumstances evolve. This particular employ will likely be one of three jobs within my own Personal Employment Network (or PEN for short). I also have secured a living space in downtown Jersey City. Fortunately, that town is a far cry from its dirty, crime-infested ways of not-so-distant memory. AND I won't need a car: totally bi-winning.
This PEN I'm referring to is crucial. In fact, its been necessary to perpetuating my professional aspirations. So, allow to me elaborate.
The PEN is a collection of jobs, usually temporary (long term or short), seasonal, or personal enterprises,where good relationships have been established between yourself and those with which you do business. It can also be a a much longer-term commitment where you have a pro-actor boss that supports what you're doing. If you've worked there previously, and you feel the relationship with said organizations is good, it falls under your network.
For instance, I worked at a warehouse the year before last shipping Halloween costumes out of a need to get "cash now" (those commercials drive me nuts!). I worked their again last year because they remembered me and liked the work I did. The same with a local bookstore when they needed extra help with student orders. Or a few years back with a local school when the custodial staff needed assistance. See the trend here? It should sound an awful lot like keeping up relations with casting directors and arts organizations that you also seek employ. It's all the same idea. The PEN becomes a spider web, woven from your goodwill with others, to give you financial and scheduling support when you need it. You're on a project that just got out, but you're stuck waiting 5 months before you can get more acting work--no problem. You have a temp job in construction, or office work if you're not the hard-handed-of-Athens type, and all you have to do is call that person up, because you put in 1-2 years worth of equity there and this is the time of year they really need someone.
I have a PEN because I spent over 5 years developing it simply out of necessity. I also continue to expand that network. I continue to get training. I continue to dive into my contacts and resources to know what the various industries are doing. As my interests evolve, then so does my network. And your collection of working experiences will highlight certain strengths and capabilities. For me specifically, I have great diversity. I think I've held over 12 different types of jobs over the life of my PEN. The various tasks you will perform as being a part of entertainment will cross over and give you many opportunities. Those have been essential in helping me make noise in NYC once I got back. (Huge hint: THE WHOLE NEW YORK METRO AREA RESTAURANT WORLD IS HIRING.)
As a responsible member of the Biz, you should already be looking in backstage, playbill.com, entertainmentcareers.net (thanks to a good friend for this one!), actorsaccess.com, and castingnetworks.com. But, you should also bookmark craigslist, find at least one or two temp agencies, like this one, and flashing some good ol' fashion detective work pounding pavement and using those ever-so-precious people skills you've cultivated. That sounds like a lot, but make it your goal that in one hour's time you find five high-value work situations for yourself. With so many sources, that's not so hard.
Asking. That's how my Journey began. That's why it's gotten this far. You don't wait for something to happen. The universe will give all on its own, but it also gives because you give back. Just as an experiment, I walked down Lexington a few weeks ago...and got several interviews without an appointment. I've learned to push and pull to make wakes in the collective pool of awareness and because I know those waves will be felt. Effort set things into motion. I've only been back in New Jersey for about a month, and I'm working again. During the Great Recession. In one of the most competitive job markets there is. The job's I've found may not have been my FIRST choice, but I've seen plenty of reasonable ways to make a living.
Totally unrelated--really like Game of Thrones. HBO (and AMC) continue to own it when it comes to T.V. series. Check it out if you find the time.
-Ben
P.S.- Beware scams! My mom always says to never shop for groceries when you're hungry. The same thing should be said for job hunts. You may really need cash, but there are a lot of people out there, especially online, that want to make you quick and easy promises...only to lure you into spending more money or giving out important personal information. Ask for a company name and one form of official contact information. Do research on any place you look to work. No job should require you to pay BEFORE you are employed.
