Unglamourously Glamorous

When you hear "entertainment industry" most people think of movie stars, glamorous wrap parties, award shows, fame, fortune...... And then there's me.
Subconsciously I separate my life in television and film production as completely different and separate from those glamorous people. However, every so often I remember the meager paths from which great celebrities and artists have come from (Ryan Reynolds from the likes of "Just Friends" and "Waiting", Sylvester Stallone from pornography, Marilyn Monroe a waitress at Mel's Diner) and I realize that I don't have it so bad. And some day that big break may yet come my way.

Take Rosie Coker, for example. She was a production assistant on one of the Harry Potter films and managed to catch the eye of one very famous wizard. So, on the one hand, she was probably making coffee runs, keeping fire watch (aka standing around to make sure no one steals or damages any equipment) and doing b!tch work while on set. On the other hand, her new beau Daniel Radcliffe can now take her with him to the Tonys, Oscars, Golden Globes or any other event that a celebrity of his status is invited to (and can bring a 'plus 1').

I've resigned myself to the fact that at this point in my career there's less glamor and more grunge. I can't even go for a manicure because chances are I'll be on a construction site the next day and would either a) look like a complete pansy with my nails painted and filed, b) waste the $25+ that it cost by ruining them.

Here's a short rundown of what my days look like....
First scenario, I wake up at 7am, I'm on the train to NYC at 8:17am and I'm in the office around 9:30am. Here I proceed to make phone calls, book crew (camera, audio, production assistants), rent equipment, put out call sheets (official itinerary for the shoots that is distributed to crew members), track down information from the site contacts as far as milestones that are occurring on site, the whereabouts of our primary 'characters', and the overall progress of the construction. Essentially, not only do I have to be an expert at my own trade but I also have to be an expert in ironwork and construction so I know what milestones we should be on site to film.
I also control all of the equipment and have to make sure we have our full inventory at all times and that it is running properly.
After a long day of coordinating, calling, and logisticizing (just made that up) I usually take the train home somewhere between 6 and 8pm, then eat and go to bed.

Second scenario, I'm up sometime between 3:00am and 5:00am (depending on our call time) and drive 45-90 minutes (depending on traffic) to one of our 2 construction sites, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge in the Bronx or the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. At which point I put on my very attractive safety gear: safety goggles, hard hat, reflective vest, work boots, Under armor and other thermal clothing. The day is then spent collecting appearance releases, taking production stills, keeping camera notes, braving the elements, managing the media shot throughout the day, and handling batteries/cards/cameras/gear. Once we wrap on site, I return to the office to pass the shot cards (we're in a digital age people, there are no tapes or film) on to our editors, empty our production van(s), organize our equipment closet (including harnesses and other safety gear), and make sure everything is set up for the next day. I'm usually home at the same time, covered in the dust and grime of the day.

A couple of weeks ago, after an exceedingly long day, I realized just how unglamorous my current position was. I was on the train home with my mom when we called my dad to pick us up from the station. He suggested we meet at the bar across the street from the train station for dinner. I was in my "construction chic", complete with plaid flannel shirt and hard hat hair, and was not excited to be out in public, but I was outvoted. At the bar, I ordered a beer, which the waitress brought to me without a glass. Having had a long day and not wanting to cause trouble, I drank right out of the bottle. My mother looked at me, beer in hand, work boots and all, and stated, "I guess this is as close as I'll get to ever having a son." 
All I could do was laugh, for I was quite a sight to behold.


Being glamorous can't be that far away..... I mean our show was recently featured at the TCAs (Television Critics Association tour) and if you follow any network or cable shows on twitter, they were all there and talking about the event. I didn't get to go but my show was there! And I've had my name in the credits with Steven Spielberg. Mine showed up 30 seconds after his in 30 seconds of credits, but it was still there! Basically, I'm just one (major) step away from glamorous.

So maybe one day, my hours and days spent outside on construction sitea with pay off and I will walk the red carpet, have my own trailer, make enough money to get my nails done and keep them nice, have a verified account on Twitter and work with all the swankiest celebs.

Until then, just pray that I don't have a steel beam fall on my head.