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Need help…
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Hi Matt,
I’m in the same boat here, 20ish and trying to run a business while doing the college thing…
Whenever you take a gig, make sure that it has value to you in some way. For me, it’s one or a combination of the following:
1) It’s good money. It could be the most boring job, but it pays well enough that I just don’t care.
2) It’s a new, exciting, and braggable opportunity. I’m doing something that I haven’t done before, and it’s going to turn out amazingly, even if I go without sleep for a little while.
3) The people are great to work with, or they’re people that I care about. These are people I love to hang out with anyway — and if we can do a project together in process, cool.
If you’ve got a lot in one of the three values and none in the other two (like, lots of money but the people suck, or it’s a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity but you’re losing money), that’s totally okay, but that can get old pretty fast unless you have a life outside of work. Generally try to make sure you’ve got 2 of the 3 values in a project (like, boring job but it’s good money and you like the people, or great opportunity and fun people but no money, or great opportunity and great money but the people drive you insane).
If you’re just doing boring, irritating, and low-paying gigs just to keep yourself busy, stop. Be a little pickier. If you’re going to do something, make sure it has value to you monetarily or personally.
One of the hardest things for me about working on my own is finding — or making — free time. Seriously, just plan for time that you WILL NOT be near your computer or video camera. Not gonna touch it, not gonna think about it. Go out for dinner with some friends, play Halo, whatever. Just because you CAN work all the time, doesn’t mean you should. Life can get pretty dismal and uninspiring if you sacrifice relationships for the sake of work. There’s a balance.
On the other hand… we’re young! We can work and learn more right now because we don’t have as many financial and relational responsibilities… Carpe diem! Try something new!
Good luck, man. Hope to see you around more on the COW!
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“One of the hardest things for me about working on my own is finding — or making — free time. Seriously, just plan for time that you WILL NOT be near your computer or video camera. Not gonna touch it, not gonna think about it.”
It’s been 25 years, and I’m still working on this one!!
Dual 2.5 G5, IO, Kona LH, IO, Medea Raid, UL4D, NVidia 6800, 4Gig RAM
Octocore 8 GB Ram, Radeon card, MBP, MXO
Windows XP Adobe Studio CS3, Vegas 8.0, Lightwave 9.2, Sound Forge 9, Acid Pro 6, Continuum 5, Boris Red 4, Combustion 2008, Sapphire Effects -
[Mark Suszko] “Another way to go that keeps you in one place would be to work for a local hotel as their on-call Av tech.”
With respect Mark, this is not a job you can just jump right into. I just left a director level position at a high end conference and wedding center. I wouldn’t even consider hiring someone without a few years experience in the industry or a 2 year degree from a trade school or college. To suggest he can just waltz right in to a place and get a position like this is very unrealistic. Most hotels and conference centers have either a highly skilled tech crew or contract out to a national company like Swank AV. More realistically, he might check out these company’s web sites for ENTRY LEVEL opportunities. The pay and hours suck, but they will hire just about anybody for entry level, as long as you have a high school diploma.
Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media -
Mick, I thought it was pretty clear were WERE talking about entry-level opportunities, there was no intention to say what you do is so easy a 19-year-old can walk in and do it all…
OTOH, I don’t know what market the kid is in, but while you are absolutely correct on big hotels in big markets, in smaller towns its a complete grab-bag as to how AV services are handled. I’ve seen many a hotel across my state in 20 years. Outside of the major markets, the service is quite spotty and standards are low. If you know what end on an XLR cable is what, and how to change a projector bulb, you’re in. If the hotel actually ahs PA systems installed on premises, almost no one knows how they work or if they work, and tapping into them is an adventure.
I have always wondered why hotel management does not aspire to better service to guests in these support areas. In big hotels in major cities, they handle this better, using the sources you mention. In small markets, you are usually on your own as a presenter, and the best the hotel will do is give you the number of a local rental outfit.
“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”
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[Mark Suszko] “Outside of the major markets, the service is quite spotty and standards are low. If you know what end on an XLR cable is what, and how to change a projector bulb, you’re in.”
Well ya got me there. A sad but true scenario. And although my old job was in a mid market facility, the owner had the foresight to put an emphasis on technology. Sadly the facility has not been able to fill my position due to below industry standard pay. I fear the department I built will crumble without a high caliber tech and will deteriorate to the scenario you describe above.
Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media -
Years ago interviewing for an editing job, after about 10 minutes of chit-chat they brought me into the back, through a tape in and said “all right, just set the bars correctly”. Felt sort of bad for them that they actually had to see that done…must of been some really bad previous applicants.
Johnny Cuevas, Editor
http://www.ckandco.net -
[Matt Giancarlo] “I was wondering if you would be able to tell me how to get some of these jobs, and/or how to get a busier schedule.”
OK – here you go, you wanna get busy, frightfully busy? Forget the brides and concentrate on the banquet halls in your area – all of them. Offer to do a drop-dead perfect video (free) for each if they send you brides. Just do one – the rest fall like dominoes. If you’re good, stop charging 300 for a wedding, that’s embarrassing. Get with it.
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Bruce,
May I ask, what was that video made in? How long did it take?
To the original poster: I wouldn’t even hit the record button for $300! Good luck…
http://www.mediaartsolutions.net
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