Alright, so January of 2016 left me wondering what my next steps will be in my career. To my surprise, the toy store stayed open for one more year. The landlord couldn’t find another tenant. I was annoyed. Here I was, trying to figure out how I would pay my bills and take on odd jobs so I could have an income in January, and the toy store ended up staying open. Honestly, I was over the store almost two years prior. My goal was to get my degree and leave the toy store. I waited way too long. I was loyal to a fault. I stayed after I received my degree because they told me they would close in six months, so I thought I’d wait for the six months and help them close. I knew it would be hard for them to find another manager, and at the same time, my boss was suffering from breast cancer. She was going through chemotherapy, and the last thing I wanted to do was abandon them during one of their most challenging times. I knew the owners didn’t do it on purpose. How were they supposed to know the landlord would keep them for one more year? Honestly, I was a completely different person back then. I can’t even explain to you how loyal I was. I never called out sick, I spent all day at the toy store, and there are a million reasons why. One of the reasons was that I was highly depressed and just wanted to be busy. But the time had come to put all that behind me, and I wanted to spread my wings. Spending time working at other random jobs and internships helped me grow, and I was ready for a new adventure.

I had to make a decision. I could stay another year or figure out my life. I decided to apply for Substitute teaching. The money was good; at least I would use my degree. I called my boss, and I let him know that I would be leaving. To be honest, he pushed me to go. The owners wanted me to spread my wings too. I asked when was a good last for him, and he asked for three weeks. I agreed. I also felt a little ashamed for staying so long at the toy store. Many of my ex-coworkers would make fun of me. They would say that I would be there forever, and a part of me felt like that too. Maybe it was their energy rubbing off on me? Remembering and analyzing those five years at the toy store is hard. I try my best to avoid thinking about the negative, but I dream about the toy store and the owner a lot. I learned the most prominent lessons at that toy store and went through some of the most challenging moments of my life working there. I was figuring out how to be an adult.

It wasn’t hard quitting. It felt right. I was ready to move on and let go.

I was hired at LAUSD as a sub. I remember going to the Beaudry, the corporate office, for paperwork, and I felt so depressed. The building was old and boring. I spent a couple of suffocating hours at that building. I felt like I was giving up on filmmaking since I was taking another job, but in reality, I was being clever. I needed some income. It was depressing for me because I was applying to many film jobs then, but nothing was budging. I wouldn’t give up, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bummed about it.

My mentor Eric reached out and connected me to one of his buddies who could help me get a job. Eric connected me to Dean Lim via email. Dean and I scheduled lunch in Culver City. He bought me lunch and gave me advice. He also talked to me about specific behaviors, like asking questions without sounding like I was interrogating someone. Dean liked me. He worked as the director for syndicated court shows run by Bryon Allen. The company was called Entertainment Studios. Dean connected me to the show producer, Patricia Wilson, but we all called her Ms.Wilson.

To be continued…

Cheers,

Frshta