LA Chapter Meeting Report

Hey Boys and Girls of the BYU Editors Group, Here's a summary of the weekend's festivities:

Matt Sweat was the only other attendant this time around. He is a BYU Grad from 2007, and was added to our Google Group by Bryce Randle. Some of you may know him, others, myself included, will become acquainted with him via this first interaction and subsequent post. Matt Sweat has been down here for a little over a year, and has been working regularly, mostly as a post-production PA, since he got down here. He is a very driven individual, and you should keep your eye on him.

We talked for a few minutes about the projects we're working on, and then I let him know that I am looking for work righ now. Matt shared some sage advice with me for working in the industry. I will only share the points that seemed very unique, since Jared just finished telling us about the proven core tips:

Get on unemployment so that you can quickly take the types of jobs you want, instead of having to take just any job*

Look seriously at temp agencies**

Do a lot of freelance, even freebies***

OK, some of this advice may cause you to have inner-conflict, I know it did for me. Here's a disclaimer specific to each of the three advices:

*A lot of people do this in the industry, but it could be emotionally draining, and damage your self-concept to be on unemployment of you do not feel honest about taking money from the government. Do what you need to (pray, fast, temple, etc.) in order to know whether or not this is a good option for you, regardless of the industry precedent.

** Temp agencies in LA get calls from studios of all shapes and sizes, for any number of temp jobs. It may be nerve-wracking to go from job to job, but that's how your life will be when you are working in live-action production or post, so it may be a good way to transition into how your 'real' jobs will be. At the very least, it will help you get cash while you are working on breaking in.

***Cream can't rise to the top if it's still in the cow: Get to work!

Yours Truly,
The Idiotic One

First Ever (In Recorded History) BYU Editors Group Meeting... in LA!

WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHAT (see EXPLANATION for the WHY)
Bryce Randle has asked me to get the ball rolling (actually I think he said 'get the puck sliding') on a meeting down here in LA, so prepare to be amazed, awed, shocked, and dazzled beyond anything you've ever experienced before... Or just put the following date, time, location, host, and topic into your calendar:

10 AM Saturday, September 27th 2008

In-N-Out Burger
7009 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA (here's a map for your convenience)

This Month's Host:
Idiot Savant Productions

This Month's Topic:

"BYU Editors Group Rock Stars: Where Are They Now?"
A Group Reconnect/Light Resume and Demo Reel Triage event

EXPLANATION
Consider this meeting something like Jacob Hoene's CoNNECTiSSiMO group, only much smaller, and geared towards maintaining/growing the relationships we already have from BYU while we are in LA. This is an open invitation to BYU Editor's Group members, or their friends, family, and associates who would find this group beneficial. On a personal note, I am very excited to be done with school/internship and down here in this area, and especially excited to be sharing the 'just starting out' experience with y'all.

FAQ
"But In-N-Out doesn't open till 10:30!" you say. I know, I know, but we're not meeting up just to eat food, so let's get there a few minutes early to catch up, talk a little, and rejoice that we are still brethren (and sisters) in the Lord.

"But my job (internship/pro-bono projects/World of Warcraft group/wife) won't let me off the hook for that date/time/location/topic." That's ok, we'll be doing this every month, and you can pick the next date/time/location/topic if you volunteer to host the next one.

POST SCRIPT;
RSVP (that means give me an intelligible 'yes' or 'no', not 'respond if you plan on going') seth.estrada@gmail.com as soon as possible. Thank you.
-Le Idiot Savant