Grantblings

Value

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about value. Mainly, what skills do I have that are of any value to anybody else? And yes, by ‘value’ I mean that people would be willing to pay me to utilize. This has been my focus as of late because I’m on the hunt for a regular job and it has been tough going. Getting a ‘regular’ job is one of my goals for 2013.

While thinking about ‘value’ I decided to take a look at the skills I have and see what the current ‘value’ of them are.

• Throwing Toasters (comedy song writing) – I’ve been at Throwing Toasters for a long time. 1995 was the first time I wrote a song and sent it to Dr. Demento. I started performing regularly as Throwing Toasters is 1996. I’ve toured colleges, opened for “Weird Al” and played in Japan. All paid relatively well. That was then, however, and this is 2013. In 2013, the bulk of my shows playing funny songs for money are at Flappers in Burbank. I’m grateful for these gigs, especially now when I have no other regular employment going on. However, when I do play my average take home is $25 per show. I completely understand that this is a LOT in Los Angeles where most shows pay you nothing, and some even make you ‘pay to play’ in the form of pre-sold tickets. But is $25 every week or so enough to live on? No. Also, after playing there regularly for the past couple of years, being booked as the M.C. or featured act for their Uncle Clyde’s Comedy Contest seems to be as far as I’ll ever go at Flappers. They’ve never asked me to feature on a weekend and they’ve never asked me to headline, so I’m not seeing the money coming in from those gigs ever getting better. I have a lot of fun, most of the time, doing these shows, but it seems that the value of my doing comedy is an occasional $25.
• Commercial Auditions – I believe I’ve just passed the two year mark in doing commercial auditions. That is, going on on auditions to be in television commercials. Now, I knew from the start, this is a tough road to go down. It’s a numbers game, you just keep auditioning and then eventually (hopefully) something will hit and you’ll book a commercial. When I signed up people (people being agents and other folks who know me and work in commercials regularly) said, “You’ll be working in no time.” Well, here we are two years later and, aside from a few callbacks here and there, I’ve never been booked on a gig. So after all the auditions, I’d say my value to the television commercial world is $0.
• Improv – I’ve received many nice compliments from people on my Improv and I know for certain I’ve improved since I began. I’ve been lucky to score a paying improv gig here and there but nothing much to even average out to come up with a value.
• Puppetry – Like improv, there just isn’t enough work there to even come up with an average. Last Monday I was very lucky enough to work on music video shoot that actually paid quite well. But these are so far and few between. A puppetry agent may help but there are basically two of them in Los Angeles. The one everybody has and the new one. The new one politely declined my inquiry for representation. The other one that everybody has, everybody tells me not to approach because the agent is awful. I’ve heard enough stories to believe this is true. However, no puppetry agent, no puppetry auditions. So my puppetry value is $0.
• Writing/Creating – When I say creating I mean writing scripts/pitches (Dr. Floyd, Uncle Interloper, etc.). Sadly this also has an average of close to $0. None of the things I’ve written or created recently have lead to any money. Dr. Floyd is the only enterprise that currently earns any sort of regular dinero, but that income just keeps the show online and constantly re-podcasting old episodes. And the amount that comes in is really just a couple hundred dollars a year.
• Podcasting/New Media/Social Media – I’ve been podcasting and creating new media content since 2004. Since that time, I’ve also been using Social Media to promote those and other ventures. None of these have made any real money except for Dr. Floyd (see above), but I’ve had some success in teaching podcasting to others. I’ve also recently been paid to consult on a few projects, but again, these haven’t been enough to come to any sort of average of high value.
• Voiceover – As you know through Dr. Floyd and other podcasts, I enjoy doing voiceovers. For awhile I had an voiceover agent and did a ton of auditions but got nothing. They dropped me after a year. Recently I joined Voices.com and I’ve been auditioning daily (close to 350 auditions in the past two weeks). I’ve booked two jobs and I will say, it’s been awfully nice to audition without driving to Santa Monica like I have to do for commercial auditions. This venture is just too new to determine if it’ll grow to have a high (if any) value, but it’s certainly a promising start.

Now, I’m not going through all this to have myself a big old pity party. I’m just wanted to take a good hard look at my skills and see what they were currently bringing in. I’ve always known the entertainment road is a tough one and unlike just about any other job, you’re at the mercy of someone eventually saying, “Okay, you are allowed to make money from your skills.” The Gatekeepers as Chris Guillebeau calls them in his book.. They exist in every job but in the entertainment world they are EVERYWHERE on EVERY level.

I’m just coming to the realization that none of these skills, in their present forms, are going to make me enough money to live on. Now, I’m not giving up on any of these, except for maybe the commercial auditions because I hate driving to Santa Monica. I’m just trying to focus and think through how I can earn a living using the skills above outside of trying to tackle the entertainment world.

I’ve applied at a ton of places as Social Media Coordinator (or similar title) and have had a response here or there. I did score one interview to do social media for a financial company, but I got the impression I was a little too ‘creative’ for their tastes. And seeing as they haven’t called me back, I believe that is true. When I realized they weren’t gonna call back, I thought to myself, “Would I really be fulfilled doing social media for a financial company?” The answer is , “Probably not.” But it would be a job and regular money would be coming in.

I will say, without mentioning any names, I would love to be handed the social media control for an entertainment company I work with regularly. It is sad seeing such a creative company being left in the dust by every other entertainment company out there. I know I have strategies that would help them spread the word of the projects they are working on but whenever I pitch these ideas I’m told, “No.” or “We’d NEVER do that.” Well, then they are going to be left behind. And it’s sad. But what can you do when the gatekeepers are stuck on being gatekeepers?

Anyway, the search on how to earn a regular income from these skills continues. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

There’s always retail (and yes, I’m actually looking there too).

Thanks for reading.

Guns.

One of the ideas for a project for release later this year, which I’ve talked about here before, is The Tales of Deputy Guppy.  It’s be an audio drama in the same vein as Dr. Floyd but a western.  Underwater.  With fish.  Turning the idea I created in high school into an audio drama was an idea I had while listening to the old-time radio westerns like The Six Shooter and Wild Bill Hickock.

I love westerns.  Cannot get enough of them.  The longer the slower the film, the better.  My ultimate favorite is How The West Was Won.  See it if you haven’t.  Or ask me, I have the DVDs.  I’ve just always been a huge fan of the genre.

I actually have 5 episodes of Guppy written and I think they are fun and in the spirit of true westerns but the reason I haven’t moved on producing them yet is there is a bit of a problem…guns.

How can I have a western without guns?

yet…

How can I have a family friendly audio drama WITH guns?

Especially with all the horrible goings on in the news recently.

I’m not one to glorify guns at all but I do feel that six shooters are an integral part of westerns.  In the scripts I have now everyone has guns, even shotguns, but they are never fired.  They are never fired because I was thinking parents would hate it.

*SPOILER*

The worst that happens in any of the scripts so far is that the bad guys get clunked on the back of the head with the butt of a gun.

*END SPOILERS*

The problem with this is I feel it’s selling the western genre short and, to me, aren’t as fun to write as it would be to do a full-fledged western.

As I see it, there are a few possibilities on how to handle this.

First…just have guns.  It’s a western after all.  It wouldn’t be gratuitous or glorifying, but there would be guns.  I don’t believe anyone would ever die, because I don’t think I could bring myself to do that in a family show.  However, in a ‘quickdraw’ situation, Guppy may fire his gun and wing his opponent in the hand…er…fin…forcing them to drop their weapon.  In this version of things, I would rely on the fact that I watched things with guns as a kid (westerns, Star Wars) and I grew up okay.  I also feel that parents have some responsibility in listening with their kids and discussing these issues when they came up as my parents did with me.  Also, I wonder exactly how many complaints I’d get?  WIth Dr. Floyd we got very few complaints, in fact, I can only think of one strongly worded letter about an early episode arc that, looking back, probably could have been handled better.  Would the deluge of angry emails start with the first gunshot?  Or would people be smart enough to realize it is part of the genre?

Another idea I have is to follow the path that The Six Shooter and Wild Bill Hickock did for most episodes and that it, even though there is gun play, most of the time no one is ever killed.  Kind of the old G.I. Joe Animated Show or A-Team formula.  Guns are used, but no one ever is hurt by them.  This one is a a little trickier as there would be a lot of gun play but no one would ever get hit or hurt by them.  This leads me to think…what’s the point then?

Yet another option I’ve been toying with is a different type of guns.  I was thinking since the whole thing takes place underwater, they could have ‘pop guns.’  Basically, guns that shoot bubbles.  This idea tickles me a little because I think that sound effects in in a big shootout scene would be pretty fun.  Bubbles are harmless, but they still are guns.  For a bit I had toyed with the idea of using ‘fish hook’ guns.  Guns that shot fishhooks hoping to ‘catch’ the fish the cowboy was shooting at.  But then I thought that sounded even more gruesome than regular guns.

Another option is no guns.  They settle things with their fists…er…fins.  Another big part of the western genre is the good old-fashioned fist fight.  Of course, I’d be opening myself to letters about fighting being bad.

Or… there are guns but they are never fired.  Like it is in the scripts now.  To me, this is REALLY a hard way to do a western.  It was okay in the first five episodes, but can kind of see that getting REALLY old, really fast.

The last option is to just do it the way I think it should be done.  Don’t worry about what people are going to say about it.  However I’d hate to put this out as a ‘family friendly’ product and have an instant backlash because there are guns and gunplay.

I just think guns are so ingrained in the genre, it’s very hard to do a western without them.  I feel that can be used responsibly, but even if they are I think people would complain.

It really stinks that this has to take up so much of my thought about this creation which should be fun.  For some odd reason, after the popularity of Dr. Floyd, I feel I have some sort of responsibility of putting out a truly family friendly product that takes these things into consideration.  Part of me, though, says, that I grew up consuming media that had guns in it and I turned out pretty okay.

For the most part. 🙂

It almost makes me just want to leave the project on moth ball for good because it seems like it’s a no-win situation.

Anyway, what says you?  Thoughts on guns in a western audio drama that should be family friendly?

In the meantime, enjoy the trailer for How The West Was Won.  And see it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31C5Ikj7hhE]

P.S.  Still working on my 2013 goals.  Just work has cropped up preventing me form doing so.  I’ll get around to it.  Hopefully before April.

Thanks for reading!

Create, Rebuild, Live in 2013

In the book Amazing Things Will Happen by C.C. Chapman, he brings up the 3 Words Exercise. I’m paraphrasing here but it’s a process where you write down your goals for the new year and begin grouping them into different categories and see if themes emerge. The three that emerge most become your ‘3 Words’ for the year. Over the past two weeks I’ve been working through this exercise and have chosen my three words.

Create. This is one that didn’t need much thought and I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that every year I do this exercise, this will probably be the word that leads off the list. Despite the challenges that come up in my life, I can never NOT be coming up with some idea to work on and put out there in the universe. Podcast, videos, music, etc., I just MUST create. I have a few ideas for projects for 2013, looking at a, hopeful, April launch date for some of them. I have some challenges coming up in the next few weeks that may derail these a bit (ex. Finding A Job), but rest assured (self), I will be creating in 2013! Heck, I created the whole Uncle Interloper Tout thing while I had a broken arm so it can be done! Choosing this as one of my words will focus me into take whatever free time I have to create. Creating is my hobby. I cannot live without it.

Rebuild. This one has two different meanings for me, both outward and inward. Outward, I want to try and rebuild (or come to peace with) relationships with a few people. 2012 was a roller coaster of a ride in this department and I’m long overdue in making things smooth out for a bit. This is something I started working on in earnest in the final quarter of 2012, but this work MUST continue into 2013. Hoping that by making this word a focus word it will keep me on track. This area is one that ‘takes two to tango’ though, so my goal is to do my best in rebuilding things on my side and if the other person is not as amiable, I will rest in the knowledge that I tried.

Inward, I would like to rebuild the way I think about certain things. Several times during 2012 my brain let things get very dark. This was most prevalent during the time when I was dealing with the broken arm, but it began rearing it’s ugly head in the months before that (part of the reason I deactivated my personal Facebook account). 2012 saw a huge influx of professional jealousy. Just pure, green-eyed jealously when listening to news of peers successes. I want to focus on beating this back in 2013, shrugging it off. Ignoring. Rebuilding my thinking towards it. Or like Lolly Lardpop says in her show Wake Up Your Weird!, “I need to rethink my thinking.”

Finally in the Rebuild category is rebuilding my relationship with my body. Get back to the goal weight. Not use food to solve problems. This one is already on track in 2013 too, so so far so good.

Live. Finally on the list is the live. Now, before any rumors start let me assure you that I am very much alive. What I mean by ‘Live’ is to start living the life I want, not the life that other think I should be living. Yes, seems stupid for a 38 year old to type that sentence out, but this past year there was a lot frustrations in not being able to live my life how I felt I should. This is both professional and personal. And the blame for me NOT living the life I want resides 100% with me. That’s why in 2013, my final focus word is Live.

Professionally, I work in an industry where there are a lot of ‘gatekeepers,’ as Chris Guillebeau calls them. In 2013, I plan to find ways around them and begin to Live the way I want to professionally. And make a living from it. This thinking has already paid off so far, just this second week of 2013, so I’m on track.

On the drive home from my gig on New Year’s I had the windows down and the song A Talk With George by Jonathan Coulton on repeat. The last verse, especially, really hit home and, I hope, will encapsulate the ‘Live’ theme for me in 2013.

Well…except for the cocktail line. 🙂

So enjoy yourself, do the things that matter
Cause there isn’t time and space to do it all
Love the things you try, drink a cocktail, wear a tie
Show a little grace if you should fall

Don’t live another day unless you make it count
There’s someone else that you’re supposed to be
Something deep inside of you that still wants out
And shame on you if you don’t set it free

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYBwGbCNoUI]

There you have it.

Create. Rebuild. Live.

My 3 Words for 2013.

Now…to shut up and do it.