A statue caled Oscar.
No, I didn't die. I haven't written a post in over a year, but that doesn't mean I don't read LiveJournal every day. I thought this would be a great time to start posting again.
It's 1AM here on the west coast and I'm about to shower and head into work. "Work at 1AM?!" I can hear you saying. Yes. Work at 1AM. As I tossed and turned in my bed trying to get some vestige of sleep before heading out mid-night to see my friend Oscar, it dawned on me that while most people know I'm on an extended sabbatical in Hollywood, not many people know much more about it.
What have I been doing? Well it started a few months back when I was doing my usual Production Assistant gig for ESPN's Summer X-Games. While on some downtime waiting for an athlete to finish his press interviews, I met a fellow employee who told me that her main job was working awards shows. "Like the ESPY's?" I asked. "More like the Oscars" she responded. I was a little taken aback. Surely she wasn't serious? Then she produced her Oscar business card. She took down my information, and that was that - a quick exchange of dialog to which I thought nothing would amount.
A few days after that event has concluded, I got an email form her - thanking me for my help at the X-Games and letting me know she was considering me for the Oscars, but that she needed help on a more immediate project - The Emmy's! I quickly got my shit together, booked a plane ticket and headed out to LA to prove myself. Apparently I might've done a decent job because after that event was over, she offered me a job with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to help plan the 80th Academy Awards.
But what does that mean, exactly? Basically, I'm in charge of setting up the Access Control system and infrastructure for the awards show. There are an average of 9000 people that will be working on the show. This includes a wide range of people from production, security, caterers, presenters, and the international press. It's my job to make sure all of them have a credential with their current picture on it in the color that they are designated and only allowed access to areas in which they are needed.
Sounds tough? Well it is. Sorta. I really have no idea what I'm doing and I'm kind of making up things as I go along, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm learning new computer systems and how to implement RFID chips. This is my first real job. So real in fact, that I now have assistants. Not one, but two! I was also a little confused when the steward of the Academy building handed me a set of keys, and when I asked him who they were for he just said "You. Those are the keys to the building." My, how scary.
And so I sit here, at 1AM, heading into the Academy's first of 3 major events this award season, the Nominations Announcement. It takes place at 5:30AM pacific time so it could be broadcast live on the east coast at 8:30AM. This is my first real test of weather or not I'm worth a shit. You see, I've setup a small network and forced all the 450 or so press people attending the event to get their photo taken for a "test credential". If it works here for 450 people, then 9000 should be a piece of cake. Right. Speaking of cake, that's what I hear they are giving out after the announcement, and I couldn't be more excited.
It's 1AM here on the west coast and I'm about to shower and head into work. "Work at 1AM?!" I can hear you saying. Yes. Work at 1AM. As I tossed and turned in my bed trying to get some vestige of sleep before heading out mid-night to see my friend Oscar, it dawned on me that while most people know I'm on an extended sabbatical in Hollywood, not many people know much more about it.
What have I been doing? Well it started a few months back when I was doing my usual Production Assistant gig for ESPN's Summer X-Games. While on some downtime waiting for an athlete to finish his press interviews, I met a fellow employee who told me that her main job was working awards shows. "Like the ESPY's?" I asked. "More like the Oscars" she responded. I was a little taken aback. Surely she wasn't serious? Then she produced her Oscar business card. She took down my information, and that was that - a quick exchange of dialog to which I thought nothing would amount.
A few days after that event has concluded, I got an email form her - thanking me for my help at the X-Games and letting me know she was considering me for the Oscars, but that she needed help on a more immediate project - The Emmy's! I quickly got my shit together, booked a plane ticket and headed out to LA to prove myself. Apparently I might've done a decent job because after that event was over, she offered me a job with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to help plan the 80th Academy Awards.
But what does that mean, exactly? Basically, I'm in charge of setting up the Access Control system and infrastructure for the awards show. There are an average of 9000 people that will be working on the show. This includes a wide range of people from production, security, caterers, presenters, and the international press. It's my job to make sure all of them have a credential with their current picture on it in the color that they are designated and only allowed access to areas in which they are needed.
Sounds tough? Well it is. Sorta. I really have no idea what I'm doing and I'm kind of making up things as I go along, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm learning new computer systems and how to implement RFID chips. This is my first real job. So real in fact, that I now have assistants. Not one, but two! I was also a little confused when the steward of the Academy building handed me a set of keys, and when I asked him who they were for he just said "You. Those are the keys to the building." My, how scary.
And so I sit here, at 1AM, heading into the Academy's first of 3 major events this award season, the Nominations Announcement. It takes place at 5:30AM pacific time so it could be broadcast live on the east coast at 8:30AM. This is my first real test of weather or not I'm worth a shit. You see, I've setup a small network and forced all the 450 or so press people attending the event to get their photo taken for a "test credential". If it works here for 450 people, then 9000 should be a piece of cake. Right. Speaking of cake, that's what I hear they are giving out after the announcement, and I couldn't be more excited.