Interviewing

After completing my demo reel last week, I applied to a bunch of listings off of Craigslist for editing/video internships and got a few callbacks. One of them was from Essence magazine, another from a boutique marketing firm called iconceptmedia. I don't know if it's supposed to be one word or not.

I met with Essence on Monday. Essence magazine is part of Time Inc, and their main office is in midtown manhattan, at the southern border of Central Park. There are a few media offices on that street, including NBC studios in Rockefeller Center. The Time building is big, with a few different Time publications on each floor. Essence was on the fourth. To get in I had to show my ID at the ground floor desk, take the elevator up which opened to a closed off hall, and then call an extension on a red phone to get let into the office. I got a kick out of the whole process. The woman who originally contacted me let me in, and she turned out to be an assistant to the producer. I waited in the reception area for a while, which was fairly swanky. I felt a little self-conscious and out of my element.

I spoke with the producer, a woman in her thirties named Dorothy who was friendly. Essence.com has a TV channel and they have a lot of extra footage that needs to be cut. Then she explained the pay schedule, I'd be put on a 2 week unpaid trial period to see how I fit in with the crew, and after that I'd be paid ideally 350-400 per week to assist the team, for a period of 6 weeks or so. She also said they worked a lot of hours. I met the crew, three directors who all seemed younger than I was by a few years, but were apparently really talented. She asked me to come in later in the week to speak with the director of the online division and I said goodbye.

On Tuesday I met with the marketing company, which was renting some space in Laguardia college in Queens. It took me a while to get there on the train, and then walking through a college building to get to their space was confusing with all the kids walking around. I kept wondering if I was in the right spot. I found their office eventually, which was a couple of rooms. Two people worked in one, and the CEO was in another. He had no idea who I was (I was scheduled by an assistant who was nowhere to be found) and someone else was scheduled at the same time, which I thought was a little careless. That feeling carried over through the interview, as he pitched his company's vision: an online fashion network, featuring up and coming designers as well as the established, with lots of videos and original content, set to launch in November. He said a lot of business idioms like "build from the ground up" that I found distracting. I wasn't very confident in his ability to build an audience and monetize the site, and wasn't buying how original and different it was going to be. And I didn't believe it was as great an opportunity as he said it was.

He wasn't offering any money, asked if I could shoot for him with my own camera, edit at home on my system b/c they hadn't gotten proper equipment yet, and then recommended I get an income so I could keep doing work for him. I felt like it was exploitation, and the idea that talented people would put themselves out like this made me a little upset. It probably showed in my face because he kept implying I didn't seem interested enough. I wanted to talk about how sad it is that you can squeeze people for all their worth by dangling some abstract incentive in their future, but didn't think it a prudent move. I thanked him and went on my way. Jess later responded when I mentioned my anger, "this is how things are done in NY." Damn.

On Thursday I got a callback from a staffing agency, which had posted an ad for an executive assistant to a prominent producer. I thought it might be a good connection and I sent in my resume. I went in to see them at 2, and man it was a sad scene in that office. Lots of people who looked like sadder versions of me, sitting in their suits looking for work. Of course I thought I was too cool for that place. Being here has reminded me that I have an EGO, haha. Anyway, they made me fill out a whole bunch of forms; it felt like applying to a mix of Target and H&R Block. I was sent to a computer room to test my microsoft word and excel skills (apparently I'm a regular user) and typing speed (104 WPM and no mistakes!). I eventually spoke with the recruiter at 3:30. The whole process took an hour and a half! My big ego was offended.

Then she told me the assistantship gig was for FRANK MILLER, author of the Dark Knight Returns and Sin City and 300 and general graphic novel God Amongst Ants. My disposition made a 180. Hell yeah I'll get book flights for Frank Miller. They wanted someone who was interested in production, and said the previous assistant had moved on to work on one of his projects. It sounded great, and I said I was down, and she said she'd pass on my resume. I came out thinking what a city, where you can hook up with Frank Miller on Craigslist?!

I'm not too hopeful about that potential gig b/c I signed in with about 8 other people applying for that same job, and I think the listing had been posted several weeks ago, so they have lots of people to choose from. Who wouldn't want to work for Frank Miller's projects when graphic novel film adaptations are so hot right now?

I went back and spoke with the Essence director on Friday. This is one of the directors of the site, high on the food chain guy. He was very frank and decisive. I asked him about the site and future employment and his job experience and he was frank about everything. "You're in spring training" he said. "Trying out for the team." Afterwards I spoke with the producer again, and she reiterated how much work it was going to be. Election night is an overnight at the magazine. She made it sound like generally I was going to work through dinner. But she also said after 6 weeks my reel will have a lot of celebrities and that I'll always be able to get a job b/c of it.

I left feeling pretty good, if not overwhelmed. I'm typing this in bed right now, Jess asleep beside me–it's 4 a.m. I'm just excited I guess. I start my new gig with them on Monday.