How Community Helped Me in 2020

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”– Chinese Proverb

That quote sums up how my 2020 was built by community and relationships I built years ago. It also serves as a reminder that if we want growth and change in our lives or the world, then there's no time like the present. I'm mixing metaphors, but still.

In January of 2019 I wrote an article called "How Networking Gave Me One of the Best Years of my Life." It told the story of how exactly one year before, I left my full-time "dream job", made a list of what I wanted to create in my life, and set out to make it happen.

That year, I directed a music video for a band that I love, worked on the crew of a national TV show on my favorite Hollywood studio lot, directed three videos for the Techstars Air Force Accelerator, produced 3 events (women in tech, marketing, animation) in Boston and Los Angeles, and traveling to my favorite places on a monthly basis, among other goals.

It wasn't as easy, as simple, or as perfect as it may sound. Nor did it happen without a fair amount of sacrifice, disappointment, privilege, luck, outside help, pain, and surprises.

But nearly everything that I set out to accomplish came to fruition in 2018 (and 2019). But as I mention in that article, the main lesson I learned is that what matters most in life (at least for me) is not what I accomplish or experience, but who I get to share my experiences with and how I learn and grow as a person along the way.

How Past Decisions Can "Ripple" Over Time

It's been ~2.5 years since I left my "dream job." As I write this on my birthday, looking back on 2020 and the start of this journey back in 2018, I'm encouraged by the progression of positive experiences and continued connections I have today that grew from an uncertain and difficult beginning.

Noticing the positive results that were built and continue to "ripple" from the decisions I made, the actions I took, and the help I received the past few years (and longer), remind me---despite how it can sometime feel---I believe we are all connected, good can happen even when it doesn't seem like it will, and that there is hope for all of our futures.

Some of the "ripples" are pretty amazing. I thought I'd share some of them since it might be helpful to folks:

Quick Summary (In Case You Don't Want to Read the Entire Article)

Some continuing "ripples" include:

• The same job that I left in 2018 to start this journey ended up hiring me a year later to direct/edit their company video.
• Techstars Air Force Accelerator hired us for three consecutive years (2018-20) of the program to do numerous videos. They also referred us to a few clients in Los Angeles...and those new referrals found our team a couple new clients as well.
• I put on 3 more events in 2019 in Boston and LA, travelled on a monthly basis to my favorite places, and broke my personal record for running every few months.
• This year (2020), I'm production managing a documentary, I wrote a screenplay after getting inspired while attending the Sundance Film Festival, and I continue to work remotely doing marketing for a healthcare software company. (Pre-COVID-19) I hiked, beached, traveled, visited with family and friends, and had a film in at least one film festival for 12 straight years. (More on all this below).

Videos for Organizations

There were a few years when I wasn't doing corporate videos but was still receiving offers for paid video gigs, so I'd refer those gigs to a few friends of mine. One friend in particular won a fair number of those gigs.

When I was getting back into corporate video after leaving my job, he offered me access to high-end video equipment and worked within my budget in order to make my career change and the Techstars, Workbar, and Blackstone Launchpad projects possible. 

He also brought me onto work as a director, project manager, or editor on a number of the corporate video projects he had in his work pipeline.

Annddd...The video for Techstars Air Force Accelerator allowed me the funds to jumpstart my new journey and they hired us for three consecutive years of the program to do numerous videos with them. They also referred us to a few clients in Los Angeles. Those new referrals found our team a couple new clients as well.

The Ripple Effect: Aside from my friend "returning the favor" at a time when I needed it most, working together in 2018 on those first few projects helped us both build our body of work/show reel. Through bringing on clients for us, I was able to "ripple" back to him with a few clients to call his own and leverage to get more clients. 

The effect of our collaborative partnership led to him to "officially" start a video production company of his own rather than doing ad hoc regular freelancing.

Music Video and Documentary

A friend (mentioned above) hired me to production manage a feature-length documentary he is directing about a band he hired me to direct a music video for back in 2018.

It was announced a few days ago that the band were nominated for 2 Boston Music Awards, including Best Rock Band.

This is an accomplishment on it's own, but seeing the band go from relative unknown, to not fully appreciated to be recognized in this way.

Since directing the video, we had a sold out premiere screening and rock show sponsored by Boston Emissions and we were fortunate to be accepted into the Hollyshorts and Boston Underground monthly film festivals. We also got into the Shawna Shea film festival, a variety show at the Somerville theater, and a couple small film festivals. And the band went on to reach the finals of Boston's famed "Rock n Roll Rumble."...and now two BMA noms...cool yo.

The Ripple Effect: After putting "Direct a Music Video" near the top of my list on that fateful NYE in 2017, I would never have guessed that achieving that goal would happen the way it did:

I left my job and my first video client I met through working there. While on set for those videos, I was asked to direct the music video while working with the same crew...recording at the location of job I left...which was also the place where I first met our DP (for both projects) five years earlier...and where another crew member also worked

The idea that the job I left would lead to me directing such a unique video and that close to 3 years later that same team is working on a feature-length documentary about the band...Well, it's an amazing and pleasant idea, but not one that I'd ever predict.

Wrote a Screenplay

I've written a few screenplays in the past and even won "Best Romantic Screenplay" (short) at the Woods Hole Film Festival. After attending the Sundance Film Festival this year where I caught up with a friend from college and met a few new folks, (including one of the stars from a 90's sitcom on FOX), I was inspired to start writing again after about 5 years away from it. Woo.

Traveled to My Favorite Places

From March 2018 to March 2020 (due to COVID-19 restrictions), thanks to my remote working/gig work career, I was fortunate to be able to travel to visit family and friends in Vermont, Connecticut, Palm Springs, Essex, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, Utah, Idaho, Martha's Vineyard, and NYC.

Beyond that, I was able to split my time between Los Angeles and Boston pretty much every month.

I mention this as part of a "life update" but to also illustrate that when you find something you enjoy fully and you focus on finding ways to continue doing that, sometimes momentum can build and opportunities can arise in ways you wouldn't expect.

A Few of My Favorite Photos I Took Over the Past 3 Years

Taking a break from the storytelling aspect of this article, thought I'd share a few photos from my journey over the past 2.5 years. If you scroll past the pics, you can read about my part-time marketing job, my events work, podcasting, and so on...but these photos are pretty cool though:

Temescal Gateway Park 2018.

Hollywood Hills, date unknown.

Essex River 2019.

Wyoming June 2018.

Wisdom Tree, Hollywood Hills, Fall 2018.

Venice Beach 2018.

Santa Monica 2018.

Women In Tech panel events, Cambridge, MA. 2018 & 2019.

Indie Filmmaking panel event, Hollywood. Spring 2019.

Essex, MA. 4th of July 2020. The moon and fireworks.

Cross Island, Essex 2019.

The crew for our Blackstone Launchpad video at UCLA. Spring 2019.

Woo. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog article.

Lessons from Doing Events, a Podcast, and Running

I enjoy podcasting but mainly I found that I enjoy getting to know people and asking questions about their lives. Podcasting is something I may do in the future, but I don't really need a podcast to learn about people.

Running is great metaphor for a lot of things in life. Even as I turn 47, every few months I am faster and can run further than I did before. It's a great reminder that what we think our limits are and what we think we can achieve is always changing.

Regarding events, I created and organized 9 years of a film festival that screened at three venues. I built the website, helped shape the logo creation (with a great graphic designer), got businesses to sponsor us, promoted it door to door/on social media/print ads/online adds, etc. I have also put on events with The Boston Calendar, Workbar, City Awake, Aeronaut brewery, and at WeWork locations in Boston and LA. Offerings included DJ's, bands, free food, free storytelling, improv, and an art bar. I've done women in tech, future of animation, indie film and marketing panel events, I've even done birthday parties.

The experiences were all great and taught me a lot. But again, I've learned that I like bringing people together and offering them experiences or ideas that are new to them, and at this point, (unless I'm getting paid), I don't really need events to achieve those goals.

Marketing for a Software Company

At the time that I accepted my "dream job", I was working full-time at a healthcare software company that a friend co-founded. It was difficult for me to leave, but it was for a job that seemed truly perfect for me, so I felt I had to make the change.

After coming to the realization that the new role wasn't a fit anymore, about a year later, I caught up with my friend from the software company, and he offered me a job back at the company doing marketing.

In my time away, the business had gone through a number of changes and continued to show strong positive progress, so it was a new opportunity and challenge at a company I loved, working for with some of my favorite people. Plus, it was a flexible and remote position, so I would be able to continue to travel and work on my other various endeavors.

It's been about 2 years since I rejoined the company, and working there has gone great. It's provided me a healthy and supportive working environment and new business challenges for me to sink my teeth into.

It also gives me the ability to plan my finances in a way freelancing and side-hustling never could, as well as giving me the opportunity to help grow a business I believe in together with a team I enjoy working with.

The Ripple Effect: If you told me years ago when I first started working part-time at the company that I'd be working there off-and-on for a better part of a decade, or that one of my roommates in LA back in the day would later connect me to a job that I'd work at for so long--I'd believe you, because why would you lie? --But I'd be surprised by how many random connections and decisions started back then would ripple to this point today.

Film Festival Screening for our Music Video

Looking back, I noticed that at least one indie film I produced or directed has gotten into at least one film festival for the past 12 years straight. It's something I'm proud and happy about, and I am grateful and a big fan of the fests that accepted our work, but please bear in mind that there are a lot of film festivals out there, so take it with a grain of salt.

That said, I was excited to screen a music video at the Hollyshorts monthly online (online due to Covid) film festival, a festival I've screened a music video at back in 2013 and had our first music video back in 2008 screen online with them as well.

In Conclusion

All this has shown me that I get to decide how I see my career journey. On one hand, I have succeeded in a number of ways, thanks to the help of friends in my network and my own continual efforts. On the other hand, I could focus on the many years of being turned down or completely ignored with job applications. For this article, and for myself in general, I choose to try my best to focus on the positive while acknowledging it all.

2020 has been one gut punch after another. It has been difficult for us all, devastating to many...and it has hit a lot of people harder than others.

I’m mentioning that here to acknowledge that a list of “feats of strength” when so many are suffering, isn’t what anyone needs right now.

After giving it a lot of thought, I realized that my story (and this blog post) is about how I struggled for the better part of a decade ---With financial instability, struggling with my job search, and a fair amount of time feeling discouraged…but it’s also about how I overcame those challenges, or at least made progress on them.

Ultimately, a blog that shares examples of how things can get better even when they seem like they won’t, how community is the key to true success, and how we’re all connected, may be a story and a message that could have a positive impact for the few folks who read it.--So I thought I'd share. Happy Birthday to me. woo.