production blog

Often times we get wrapped up in what we do day to day and forget about some of the opportunities that helped get us started in the field. I can say with total certainty that I’m in the profession today thanks to a program in Bloomington, Indiana where I grew up. As part of the DETA program, I was able to leave elementary school one afternoon a week and spend it at a “real job”. I chose to spend the afternoon at local television station WTTV. It made a big impression on me at a young age….and I was hooked.

Coming up on May 6th in Chicago our partners at Hootenanny are hosting a benefit for Free Spirit Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to giving under-served urban youth an opportunity to gain experience in media production and post production. If you can’t be there, you can still buy a ticket or make a donation to a fantastic organization.

Today, the fxphd and Hootenanny crew joined forces and spent the day working with about a dozen youth to film, edit, and post a short spoken word :30 piece which will premiere at the event on Thursday evening…..

It was a total blast, beginning on the fxphd stage shooting green screen where I eventually turned over direction to the teens and relegated myself to PA status. All of us had a great time, including Jim Annerino having the pen pulled out of his hands on the Flame….and Graham Metzger having some demanding clients while working in After Effects.

I’ve been working way too much since before NAB….and on the verge of burnout. I’ll admit that I was hesitant at spending yet another day — another weekend day — at work. But within minutes I realized that it was the best decision I’ve made in months. I was incredibly inspired by the creativity and energy of the crew, their serious desire to ask a ton of questions and spend time learning about our craft, and simply watching them have fun. They reminded me how much I totally love what I do….that at times it is such fun that it seems like a scam that I get paid for working. I was all smiles…and still am. I learned or relearned as much from them as I did from myself.

So take a moment to remember where you came from and spend the time to give something back. I definitely remember my first comp back at WTTV. It was old school, live, and in-camera.

A painted model of the Starship Enterprise, pulled with a black thread over a starfield of tinsel and a black velvet background. And all recorded to a black and white reel to reel video deck. Yeah, that dates me and I probably could have left that fact out. But that’s where I was hooked and knew what I wanted to do when I grew up.

And it’s all thanks to a professional in the field who took the time to share with a kid.