You Get to Be Fulfilled *Now*

Normally, our Team Pomonok weekly newsletters feature a "Pomonok Approved" recommendation as well as some company updates. This week, since Teresa had a lot on her mind (apparently!), we're sticking to the one essay. Enjoy!

If you're any sort of artist, and you're trying to make a sustainable living by creating art, it's difficult even in the best of times.

During these times after COVID lockdown, streaming gutting the entertainment industry, and multiple industry strikes? The phrase "stay alive 'til '25" has become a mantra for many trying to make a life in film and television. This has led to increased anxiety for some, particularly those who'd gotten used to regular work in their field and haven't had to consider other employment in a while.

Me? I remain at my usual, baseline anxiety. 😁 My whole adult life, as I've pursued and made slow, steady progress toward a professional writing career where I make more money from writing than not, I've had "day jobs." Or, as I call them in my more optimistic moments, "thrival" jobs.

Why "thrival?"

I love "thrival" as opposed to "survival job," because I believe it's possible to find a job outside your chosen field that nonetheless contributes to your ultimate goals, supports you financially, and provides some sort of joy, fulfillment, and purpose. In other words, a job that allows you to thrive, rather than just survive.

Here are some jobs I've held over the past decade or so as I've pursued a career as a TV writer:

• Blog editor for a post-production company
• Personal assistant to a writer
• Customer service rep and event planner for a professional organization
• Assistant editor at a pop culture website
• Marketing coordinator at a sex toy company
• COVID Testing Coordinator on a couple of TV shows
• COVID Testing Manager on a half-hour comedy
• Travel Coordinator/Asst. Production Coordinator on a half-hour show
• Babysitter for several families
• Part-time 2nd grade teacher in my synagogue’s Jewish education program
• Contributing freelance writer at the site where I used to be an editor
• Reading/Writing/ELA tutor for grades 1-12

This is all as I've continued to write original spec scripts, take part in other people's creative projects, enter contests and fellowships, and generally network and put myself in positions where I can be close to opportunities in/near a TV writers' room.

None of this is a waste

While I've applied for all sorts of jobs in my adult life, I keep circling back to a few types that not only align with things I'm good at, but that allow me to build the skills I need as a future showrunner.

For example, the freelance non-fiction writing I've done, whether for a website or a company blog, has given me experience with taking notes from an editor and from a corporate entity and parsing them to get to the changes that actually need to be made, meeting deadlines, working with (and sometimes managing) teams, and making and maintaining industry connections.

Even prior to the last decade, a lot of my work experience has been in the realm of marketing or PR. These jobs have not only given me experience in those specific fields (which is important to understand if you're ever going to work with a studio to try and promote a show), but they've also been places where I've gotten to write copy specifically designed to influence people. I've been able to craft words and imagery in the service of delivering a message to a large group of people, which is all screenwriting is.

Jobs involving event planning, coordinating, and project management have strengthened my producer muscles, as well as my managerial skill, both of which would be invaluable as a showrunner. While I've never had to do these things in television, I'm not a complete stranger to getting a large group of people aligned on a project, encouraging the best from them, and ensuring that deadlines are met and budgets are adhered to.

And as for my TV production work as a COVID Testing Coordinator/Manager and as a Travel Coordinator/APC? I refer to these jobs as "Showrunner Boot Camp." First, these jobs allowed me to join my first union (IATSE Local 871 represent!).

But more importantly, these jobs allowed me to build relationships across entire casts and crews. Rather than being limited to one department, my production jobs required me to communicate and coordinate with everyone from the showrunners to third-party vendors like caterers and drone companies; from main cast, to guest stars, to background performers.

I've gotten a bird's-eye view of how an entire season of television is put together, because I've had to be included on all communication and planning to do my job. I've been on the distribution lists for things like call sheets, "day out of days", production schedules, and budgets, as well as gotten to sit in on production meetings and be on set during filming.

So, even though my work in television has yet to include writing, none of this experience is a waste. By the time I do get staffed in a writers' room, I will already know a lot about how TV is produced, what's expected on set, and how to communicate with professionals at different levels and in different departments.

And being able to bring up that I've 1) marketed sex toys and 2) handled COVID testing on TV shows is great for general meetings with production companies or studios. Nothing gets an executive to lean in and remember you faster than explaining your adventures in COVID, or talking about how you used to shill dildos for a living.

You get to be fulfilled now

A piece of advice I've heard over the years has been some version of: if you need a "day job," get something flexible and that you don't care too much about so you can focus on what you really want (ie: your writing) in your off hours.

I used to fully agree with that advice. As I've gotten older, though, I've realized that while you should ensure some kind of flexibility in your employment– either in hours, or in mental bandwidth–this doesn't mean that you should settle for a day job that doesn't fulfill you or bring you joy in any way.

My wife and I currently live in a rent-controlled apartment in North Hollywood. We're both freelancers who don't make much, so we can't really afford to move, and I joke that we're "stuck here until I start making my showrunner money." Originally, it was my wife's apartment. She's been living here since 2010, and I moved in with her in 2013. We've been living here together for eleven years.

Yet, up until very recently, we were treating this place as temporary. Why bother putting art up on the wall, or taking certain things out of boxes if we're not looking to stay here? And so we've been living like college students, treating our apartment like a dorm. For eleven years.

Recently, I decided that enough is enough. I have no idea when my "showrunner money" is coming, or if it's coming at all, but that shouldn't determine whether or not I treat my apartment like a home. Why shouldn't my space be comfortable and make me happy, regardless of how much time I'm going to be in it?

Likewise, jobs. I love working with kids. I always have, from the time I was a kid myself! Maybe it's because I'm the youngest in my family, so I never had younger siblings to teach stuff or look up to me, but there's always been some element of childcare in my work history since I was a teenager. The first job I had teaching children in a classroom setting was when I taught 6th grade religious education back when I was in high school and Catholic.

I've cared for and taught kids ranging in age from newborn to 8-9, and there was a point when I had a regular gig watching a pair of brothers, and I felt like I "cared too much." I hadn't been diagnosed with ADHD yet, so I didn't realize that my bandwidth issues had nothing to do with "caring too much" about my charges. It'd be two decades before I'd get the meds I need to manage that problem.

At the time, it felt like I was prioritizing their care more than my other professional pursuits. That's the thing about kids–they're very easy to care about and get wrapped up in. You start to love them, and root for them, and not want to let them down.

So, after that particular job, I pulled away from childcare for a bit, following the advice about seeking jobs I "don't care too much about." But then I missed it.

Working with kids brings me joy. It fulfills me. I love watching a kid light up when they learn or experience something new. I love the way kids see the world, and honestly, conversations with kids are a thousand times more interesting than many I've had with adults. So, when I was looking for work back in 2022, and I saw that my synagogue was hiring teachers, I jumped on the opportunity. In 2023, when friends needed me to regularly watch their twin girls, I jumped on that. And this year, when I settled into the idea that there'd be no forward movement in my TV writing pursuits this year, and I saw that a tutoring company was looking for new tutors, I jumped on that, too.

I focused my thrival job search on working with kids, because if I can't write TV for a living, I can do something that brings me joy and gives me purpose in the meantime. I now have a pretty full week of tutoring clients that allows me to make a decent living and get my bills paid. It isn't a lot, but it's enough, and it both allows me the time to pursue TV writing (and build Pomonok Entertainment through things like this newsletter) and makes me feel like I'm doing something that matters.

There are going to be kids out there who have a better relationship with reading and writing because of me. And that's pretty cool.

None of us needs to put off comfort, fulfillment, or joy in our work. We can find ways to have those things now, not just "once we've achieved X, Y, or Z." Sometimes, it's about shifting your perspective on your current gig and recognizing that your "boring job" is actually low-key "showrunner training." Other times, it's about finding a gig that matters more to you.

And one day, when I'm running my third or fourth show, and one of the kids I've worked with decides they want to tell stories on TV, I might hire them for my room! Even now, I'm investing in my future showrunning career.

Wishing you joy and a steady income,

Teresa

Have a question or a comment for us? Reply to this email, or email us directly at teampomonok@gmail.com! See you next week!