Today was the second day of work I’ve had so far this year. It was a two-day temp-job provided event support to Education Through Music Los Angeles and their “Music Unites the World Festival”
Tag: job search
MY VOICE ACTING GOALS – 2024
1 – Full Time Job
2 – Make myself known to Casting Directors
3 – More Regular Voice Over Auditions
4 – Book Voice Over Roles
5 – Start a regular Stream
6 – Be part of an Improv Group
7 – Play at least one Dungeons & Dragons game
8 – Be able to afford more VO training
9 – BLOG MORE
My 2020 vision is clear, and goal is unchanged, but the New Year has thrown a few obstacles my way.
I started the year off with a sever cold. Actually I first got sick early in December, and the cold came back right before Christmas and though I thought I was getting better with the New Year I am still suffering a terrible cough and sore throat. The later of course is preventing me from doing any real vocal exercises, reading aloud, or even singing.
Hopefully this will pass in the next few days.
The next obstacle that got tossed my way was when I went back to work after the New Year, only to find out that the part time position I’ve held for 9 years is being eliminated and that by the end of January I am being laid off.
I was quite surprised by this bit of news, but at the same time not horrified. The position had been part-time since the beginning and there was every intent that I would be finding a full time position elsewhere. It is more surprising that nine years have passed since I was hired on. The position has evolved and changed entirely from what it was originally intended to be. I have been very blessed by the position, the knowledge I have gained from it, and the friends I have made.
Over the last few years I had come to decision that it was time to move on, but I couldn’t do that until I had a stable position lined up. So I thought. With less than two weeks I have to kick my job searching into over drive. It’s not easy, because I have to find new places to look than I have in the past. Staying very positive that a job will come soon.
On a more positive note, I attended my first IMPROV workshop. My ongoing cough didn’t allow me to participate as much as I would have liked, and the scenes they set up were more complicated than I had expected for my first attempt, but all the same it was a great learning experience. Had a good time.
I had plans to be part of a one day Voice Over workshop in February, but with my budget suddenly haltered I will have to postpone that for a while. However, I had already put a down payment on a six-week course starting in March before the New Year, and have saved up the rest of the money separately for that.
So all things considered I am still have 2020 Vision on my goals for this New Year, and to be learning all that I can of Voice Over Acting.
For now I must also have an equally clear focus on finding full time employment.
Hopefully my voice will clear up soon, and I’ll be speaking clearly. If for nothing else, than a few wallas.
I appreciate all your support.
As I write this, my father is heading to the doctor’s office, five days ahead of his appointment. He’s okay, but has had an odd rhythm to his heart beat for the last couple of weeks. He had a pace maker for several years now and maybe it just needs some adjustment. His regular doc said to see the heart specialist a little sooner just to be certain.
I mention that in starting this blog out of concern for my father. He has supported his son for so many years, far more than what should be expected of him. I love him and the rest of my family very much.
I’m at the point of my life that I should be taking care of my parents, be married and have a family of my own.
But that’s not how things are.
Am not blaming this ‘economic down turn’ or recession, or whatever you call it, for the situation I’m in. I’ve been here a whole lot longer then that. Certainly cannot comparing myself to so many people out there who are suffering far worse.
But I feel guilty not being a better support to my family, or to my fiancée. A fiancée who has been so patient with me, that if it wasn’t for my financial situation I would have married her years ago. Should be at her side constantly, but I’m not and that makes me feel terrible.
I am blessed with the current job I have, but it’s only two days a week and will end in February. I don’t know what I am going to do next.
Also, don’t know what else I can do to find a job that I’m not already doing.
I’d prefer a job at one of the studios, especially in animation, but it doesn’t have to be; “I’ll bring my own broom.” A long-term job does need to be in the Burbank/Glendale area so I can be near my fiancée and she can keep her job once we’re married. Suggestions?
Don’t mean to run down this path again and complain to you all about my problems, I’m just in the mood to write this out as I wait for my dad to get back home with a report from the doc.
You know, as bad as yesterday’s headache was (I see people are regularly reading the blog about my killer headaches), it’s really nothing compared to worrying if your parent’s heart is going to stop.
My dad just got home. The doctor was able to explain to him what the odd rhythm is, and that the pace maker has recorded a whole lot more of them. He also explained why my dad has been feeling them more often recently.
It turns out not to be anything to really be concerned about, thank God. So with the answers provided the anxiety is gone.
But that doesn’t stop me from worrying about him and the rest of my family and praying that I can do more for them.
Thank you Lord.
Kevin Paul Shaw Broden
Four Names of Professional Creativity
A couple of weeks ago I told you that I finally got a job. I still have it, Thank God.
As I got started it soon became obvious that I’d be doing something a whole lot different than I expected.
While I am a writer with a background in comics and animation and fully intend to continue to do more of both as well as episodic television and my novels, I had gotten to the point that I had to find a job outside the entertainment industries.
In the past, however, anytime I moved off my original path things never went well and I found myself guided back on to the road of my goal.
So what does this have to do with my current job? A lot, actually.
Through people I know personally I got an interview at my local community college. The very college I got my AA in Drawing and Painting. What I understood the job to be was as an office assistant, using Word and Excel and answering the Phone. Well, that’s not quite right.
What it turned out to be was managing and writing the Alumni News Letter.
Wait, did you read that right? I’m writing. I actually have a job writing. You don’t know how thrilled that makes me.
Not only am I just going to be writing the “look what’s happening on campus” and the “we need money” articles (I’ll do those too), but I’ll also be writing more creative articles about the people and the history of the campus.
It’s not animation or comic books, but its still back on the path where I belong.
I’m a writer, and I’m writing. It’ll only get better.
My point in all that ego boost is that many times you will hear that no matter what you need to stick to your dream. If you love it, no matter how hard it is, you’ve got to keep at it no matter how hard it may seem.
And this is where I return to the road I began on. Where you want to go, your goal is on a long narrow road. As long as you keep moving forward you’ll reach eventually. Sometimes that road has a lot of bends and curves in it, and it feels like its taking you far from your goal but what its really doing is taking you on the scenic route so that you’re all the more prepared for the goal when you reach it.
Enjoy the road, its an adventure.
Okay now you guys are forcing me to actually write something for this week’s blog. In the last hour the site has received 14 visitors, 27 in the last day. That’s more than I’ve had at once since I began this blog.
Do I really have anything to say that’s worth reading? I’m humbled.
Now, where was I?
I did promise you something about how my job search is going, so I should keep my promise.
Even mentioned in one tweet that I thought my search was jinxed. Don’t really in that. But sometimes it sure can feel that way.
Here are a few examples:
Once I “unofficially interned” with a producer at a 3D computer animation house. I helped him with a few scenes of the show he was on while he helped me assemble a good portfolio of work to submit. I modeled props like guitars, trashcans, and buildings, and even lunar traveling tanks. I also did composite work that had a space ship fly along a street not too far from my house. I then submitted the work to the company he works at. A few weeks later I got my tape back and a letter saying I wasn’t ready. Disappointed, true, but the bad part was that very same day while I was there everyone else received their pink slips and the company shut down.
It’s not my fault, I swear.
Another time while working through a temp agency, I got to work for several weeks in the consumer produces division of one of the major studios. After which I received a glowing letter of recommendation from the studio’s rep of the temp agency, they looked forward to working with me again. Not long after that the representative left the agency and I never got another job from the studio or any other company.
What did I do?
A third example was when I had a job interview at another one of the studios. It was to be in a department that handled advertising for the television network and its Internet presence. I met with two executives. The interview went really well, and everything looked like it was going to happen. They really liked me. Then a week later a hiring freeze came down on the entire company. Not only did I not get the job, they didn’t hire fill a position they desperately needed to.
Yes, I know everyone is suffering in this economy and there are a lot of people out of work. I have no right to complain, because I have a family who can take care of me. But the truth is, I’ve been struggling on this job search a lot longer then this ‘downturn’ has been happening. I’ve been searching for a job for a whole lot longer.
I knew the freelancer’s life was going to be hard. I wasn’t fooling myself. If I’m going to be a writer and artist there are going to be times when there isn’t work. So I’ve been looking for a “day job” which I can do when not drawing or writing. I’d prefer to find one of these jobs in the entertainment industry someplace, but I’ve been looking elsewhere too.
Guess what… it’s just as hard as finding that writing assignment.
They say it’s “who you know” that will get you a job. Well, I know quite a few people at several studios, production houses, and comic book companies. But that hasn’t made it any easier. Plus the fact everyone you talk to wants you to apply online makes it hard to be personal and sociable while trying to convince them to hire you.
So whether it’s jinxed or there just aren’t any jobs out there, it’s real frustrating to feel like I’m so close but the doors just won’t open.
Yet, I don’t give, and I can’t really complain because I know there are others who are in far worse shape than I. Did you know that 1 in 7 American’s are in poverty.
My mother is on the board of FULLERTON INTERFAITH EMERGENCY SERVICE that helps family in the North Orange County area. Watching these family line up for two bags of groceries reminds me that I’ve had things pretty good, and I’m quite blessed.
(I’ll go into FIES in more detail another time.)
So I keep moving on. Maybe the “day job” I’m suppose to have isn’t anywhere near the entertainment industry, but I’m not giving up.
No matter what keep going, keep doing. Even where we are at now, we’re all successful, and no jinx is going to stop us from succeeding.
Okay. Done. A day late, but done.
Thanks everyone for reading. I’d like to know your thoughts.
Best,
Kevin Paul Shaw Broden
Four Names of Creative Professionalism
That’s how I’m looking at it.
Even with a killer headache on the First of the Year (wasn’t able to enjoy the party), and a knee that was in extreme pain for a couple of days after that (have no idea what caused it, and it’s not connected to the headache), this year has started off really well.
This first real week of the year saw me talking with many new professional contacts across the internet. A meeting with a young producer from back east, and a job interview that included a story board test for a Revisionist position at an animation company.
Looking forward to what God and the next week brings.
From facebook:
Shannon Muir wrote on your wall.
“Hey, you need to update your blog!
(Hey for that matter I need to update mine. 😉 Seem to have reduced my life to Facebook updates.)
We’re writers, we should be WRITING,…”
She’s absolutely right, I need to be writing more here on my blog, but I find writing a blog, or journal to be harder then writing anything else, would like to hear what your thoughts are on that.
That said, I’ll give it a shot.
A few years ago, during one of those rare moments that it rains in Southern California, I was heading towards a job. As when it does rain here, it was coming down hard, flooding streets and houses were sliding down hills (we’re thinking of making it an Olympic sport, House Sliding), and I was caught in the middle of it.
I had been called by my temp agency to head up to one of the studios to sit at someone’s desk. I’d prefer being hired on permanently, but I can’t turn down even the smallest job if it will get me closer to working in animation. So happy to have even a one day job, I jumped into the car and headed North towards the valley of the studios.
Heading up the 5 FWY, the rain was getting heavier, but that didn’t stop everyone in the cars around me to try and keep as close to the speed limit as possible. Moving at a “safe” speed I came to a place in the FWY where it drops down under a railroad bridge.
That’s when everything went crazy. The water was building up in the lower area of the road, and I hit it and began to hydroplane.
I lost control of the car and it flew across the road and spun around and came to a stop in the fast lane facing backwards. Realizing I had come to a stop I was able to take a breath and look over to see my passenger door only inches from the wall that supported to bridge above. Then I looked around to discover that there wasn’t one care on the road, when there had been many only moments earlier.
I began to thank God for protecting me, from hitting the wall, and for having cleared the raod so that no one else was caught in the accident.
The road remained clear long enough for me to turn the car around and get moving again, but it wasn’t long before others were traveling along side me once more. It was as if they had vanished from the road and now reappeared.
I remember pulling off the road into a parking lot to let my heart slow down, but once settled I started moving again and headed for the job.
A job, like I said, was a temp for only one day; but it was in or related to the animation industry that I kept going even after a near crash.
Though it has been a real struggle for e to find employment, especially in animation, I am so dedicated to it that nothing is going to stop me from working in it.
Now to get a long term job in animation, no car accident will keep me from it. I just need to find it.
Kevin
Hi all,
Really didn’t want to take this long to get back to posting, but it happened all the same.
Here are a few things that I’ve been up to.
The final page of Issue 9 of Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory. I’m currently painting the cover art for Issue 10 and hope to have it up with in the week.
I am also in the process of redesigning my website, but won’t post the link here until it’s finished. Will be really stressing my animation development and production work there.
Things seem to be going better in my pursuit for work. Though I not hired yet, I have been meeting with people from several different studio who are really interested working with me. Yesterday’s meeting could really turn into something fantastic. I also got to pitch another series idea and expect to hear back on it in a month.
Looks like I may be in a gallery show next month, will post all the appropriate information when it’s ready. Have to actually finish the art work itself first. 🙂
Speaking of art, as bonus for sticking with my quiet moments here, I’m posting drawing that will eventually be part of new website. I do most of this type of work, like I do the web comic, on my computer using Painter. So these “pencils” were actually done digitally, I will then “ink” it and paint it the same way.
When I wrote the Title line for this blog, I was thinking in one direction, and then I realized what I really wrote. Don’t know about the rest of you, but thought my writing and art work is done for a job, it is also done out of enjoyment. I love animation, that any hard job is also enjoyment. Creation is Recreation. What do you think?
Stick around, I hope to have more postings soon.
Best,
Kevin