Monday, June 14, 2010

Mondays

I am sitting in my cubicle wishing I knew where I had put my headphones. I couldn't find them this morning and didn't want to wake my roommate, but now as I sit in this eerily quiet office I wish I had them so I could play some music while I work. Mondays are slow in the afternoon since the bulk of my job was accomplished earlier in the day during the taping of Top 20. And right now I really need to play some music, not just to get away from the silence which is only broken by the clicking of multiple keyboards, but also to keep me awake. Although it is only Monday I feel like I have already worked a full week. Which in a way I guess I have since I really haven't had a break since the Tuesday of last week due to the CMT Awards and CMA Fest. While I did go home for Thursday evening and Friday, I feel like I didn't relax or rest at all and then I came back and worked two more full days and then had to be up early this morning in order to go to the store to pick up craft service for the in studio shoot earlier this morning. And now I have seen to hit a wall. And usually some upbeat music cures this, but alas I have no headphones. So I am sitting at my desk with heavy eyelids trying to figure out a way to keep myself from falling asleep at work. Which is also why I am writing this blog. It gives me something to focus on and keep from staring off into space like my body obviously wants to.
Despite my tiredness and my lack of headphones I do have some positives for this blog. This past week of work, while long and tiring, was extremely fulfilling. I got to see how a huge, live award show is run and participate in backstage activities as a talent escort which gave me the opportunity to be close to all my favorite country artist. While I had to remain professional and could not take pictures or ask for autographs (even though a small part of me desperately wanted to), it was still amazing to be so close to so many amazing people. Also I got to experience how those type of shows are run. And let me tell you, it takes an army of people to pull off what you see on TV. Because it is the only exact number I know, I can tell you that there was 60 talent escorts. These are the people who escort the artist from the red carpet to their seats, to a dressing room, to the stage, wherever they need to go. If there was 60 of those people (who spend most of their night standing around waiting until their artist needs them) think about how many producers, camera people, stage managers, crew guys, production crew, etc. etc. are needed to make the show run smoothly. Like I said it takes an ARMY! I am so fortunate to have been a part of something so HUGE!
I also had the opportunity to help out at CMA Fest which is, as one of the executives so elegantly stated in an email, the Mecca for country music fans. The four days of CMA Fest was chalk full of events specifically designed for country music fans. Concerts, fan club parties, meet and greets, autograph signings, etc. I worked at the CMT booth which on Saturday was hosting a Rascal Flatts meet and greet that drew hundreds of people. It was insane, and I had to stand in the same spot all day, but there was something about seeing the smiles on everyone's faces as they exited the meet and greet which was rewarding. Maybe that's why the artists also do it. To see the smiles on their fans faces. That experience may have nothing to do with my immediate career goals, but it is something that I can take with me. No matter what you do in this industry (TV, Film, Music) you need to appreciate those who help you reach your goals, the people that are behind you, because they are the ones who get you where you are. Also it taught me about communicating professionally with those outside of my co-workers, because I had to deal with the fans who weren't fortunate enough to snag meet and greet passes and whom were willing to climb over people to get closer to the band members and when talking to these people I had to remember whose name was on my T-shirt and who I was representing as I chose the words I would say. And in the end, it was worth it because the meet and greet went smoother than we had anticipated and Rascal Flatts even invited all the staff to come up on stage for a picture. Which I have hanging in my cubicle.
Everyday when I come to work I am just so grateful to be here. This is a hard industry to break into and even just being here in an unpaid capacity, with no guarantee that I will land a job after it is over, is rewarding. I get a closer look at the inner workings of a corporation, I get to see how different departments work together to not only produce the shows, but also to sell the CMT brand and even work with the music labels and the artist to better market them. It really is a circle of us promoting them, which promotes us so we can continue making our shows. It is just astounding to finally see how it all works. It also feels nice to be falling into a routine here. To know what I am expected to accomplish each day and doing it without my boss having to tell me or having to ask what it is to be done. Especially after my experience at the award show I am more confident that I could do this job (or a similar one) for a living. I could even handle the stress of working bigger shows than the one I currently work on. Dealing with all the people and the bigger production scale. While working on a show the size of Top 20 would be a good fit, I could see a production that is more detailed than one host in a small studio with three cameras, as a good fit as well. The energy that a big scale production brings was so much FUN for me. It made me feel so energized and important to be working on something of that size. Not that I don't enjoy my show, I do, but if I ended up working on a bigger show wherever that might end up being, I would be okay with that. My options are definitely open.

No comments:

Post a Comment