The week Entertainment Studios was wrapping up, I decided to reach out to everyone I knew in the film industry. I sent them an upgraded resume and an email letting them know what I have been doing. One of those emails came back with a job offer as a temp office manager at a production company. I had known this woman for five years. I helped her mother at the toy store. She was so thankful that she gave my information to her daughter so that maybe she could help me find a job one day. I emailed Franny, her daughter, and Franny offered me an internship. I was excited and hopeful. Guess what? Their internship program closed down a week later because of some legal problems. Since then, Franny and I have been emailing friends. Now, after all those years, she had a job for me. An office manager position at a production company seemed like a good idea. The hours were rough, though. Depending on the day, I’d be working twelve-hour days and sometimes more than that. As excited as I was to find my next gig, I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had just notified the restaurant that I would be fully available, and now I had to change it again. They had already scheduled me for the following week, and I had already received another job offer. So, I covered my shifts the best I could.

I started my new job the following week. I was only going to be there for a month, hoping I could find my next gig from this job. I was trained by the previous office manager. She was not very kind. I got a weird vibe from her, and I was afraid to ask questions. My overall job was to manage the office by answering phone calls and emails about the office. I was to order lunches for everyone and then send a P.A. to pick it up with twenty credit cards. I was to order supplies for the kitchen and the office. I was responsible for assigning driver passes to employees and keeping a database for inventory and people the company might want to cast. It was easy yet boring stuff. Sometimes that’s what a job is, though. I was told the office would be quiet when everyone was on set. Guess what? Everyone was on set when I started. I made friends with the office coordinators because they were always there. I made friends with the building maintenance guy because we always ran into each other. I made friends with the janitor, a Hispanic lady who knew no English. I would offer a soda or a snack. She was lovely. Once building maintenance was going on, I was to come to the office at 4am to let the maintenance people in. It was cold and dark. I went up to the office and put the alarm code in. Then I slept on the couch for the next three hours. The most exciting day was my first day when we did a table read of the show they would film. After I had been there twelve hours, the table read was going to happen when I was supposed to leave. I was asked if I could stay a little longer, and I did. Also, I found some new food options. Fire Subs offered to bring free sandwiches to the office for everyone. They wanted us to try it out and maybe order in the future. The production coordinator told me to order it for the office. I did, but Franny found out and was a little peeved about it. She would have preferred ordering it for everyone on set. If it was your birthday, you would receive a birthday cake, and everyone in the office would sing to you. One of the editors approached me and said, “I want pizza for my birthday…I know it’s supposed to be a surprise, but that’s what I want.” I said okay. I was yelled at for not getting parking passes to new employees too. I was told to watch their shows too during my free time. Occasionally, I’d see someone from a movie or show come in. It was boring and mindless. I felt like I was useless. Don’t get me wrong, it was easy, but I wasn’t doing what I wanted. It took the previous office manager two years to move up, and she was a hell of an office manager. I would only be there for a month since I was a temp.

Cheers,

Frshta