A year ago, I pressed the reset button on my career. With a complete switch of industries and no real contacts/network, I made the deliberate decision to build a career in the United States (as a Canadian.. more on that to come).
Let me preface this by saying: I know nothing. I have no stats or concrete evidence. I’ve learned to trust my gut feelings by constantly reflecting, adapting, and asking questions. Seventy percent of what I do comes from my gut, and it wasn’t always like that.*
Okay boom, how it all began:
I knew that I wanted to write film and television - either for kids or adults, both routes were perfectly fine with me.
I wanted to tell stories, drive emotion, and ignite action.
I wanted to encourage impactful conversations and shift opinions; create beautiful hypocrites.
ALL. THROUGH. ENTERTAINMENT.
Not much has changed since then, other than my openness. I realized that I didn’t love working on ill-prepared sets (hence me becoming a producer), I didn’t love having my work watered down (I’m always here for a good punch up, but hate a red-line), and I might want to go about all of this as a creative entrepreneur.
As of right now, my mission is being carried out via audio production and writing - everything from interviews and conversations to storytelling and sketch comedy. My demographic spans from kids and tweens to adults. My subject matter is a DEEP range of goodness, but everything’s got my sauce and considerable flavour (if I do say so myself).
Let’s Talk Location
Location and environment are so meaningful in terms of access to community, building networks, and overall vibe. The tumultuous weather situation that Toronto has going on… iT jUsT dOeSn’T wOrK fOr Me. The city is booming for like 5 months out of the year, which offers us a limited amount of time to build a sustainable, growth-positive foundation for artists and creative entrepreneurs (in my opinion).
Cities like Los Angeles with a more mild climate are operating year-round with festivals, events, conferences and opportunities. LA has been way easier for me to navigate. Not to mention, the partnerships, collaborations and influx of people working towards similar goals. The energy in the air is palpable, personalities are wild, audacity is high, and I live for it.
The Messages In The Madness:
Do you. Nobody cares.
Fail Fast. Fail Forward.
The more you tap into your gut feelings , the better you get at reading them.
Reflect as often as possible - ideally every day, take notes, and try new things.
Be willing to pivot when it makes sense for you.
Just because you change direction or let go of a project doesn’t mean “that’s it” - put that shit on the backburner and come back when you have the resources.
Whatever you do… KEEP MOVING!
* I can’t wait until I get to 90-100% gut feelings
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