NETWORK
I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks "networking". This is what people do when they are un-and-semi-employed.
1. Unity Studios, Allen Park. The "groundbreaking" for this big film studio that is here because of Michigan's 42% film rebate felt like the State Fair minus the pigs and cows. There was face painting, a cover band, and a stand selling soft pretzels, but not a lot of what is known in the film industry as "hiring". The presence of a booth signing people up for some kind of classes made the whole thing smell of vaporware. Where's my hundreds of jaabs? I started talking up either well-dressed people or people who looked like they went to CCS until I eventually found The Guy To Give My Resume To and gave it to him. Then, mystified, I made my way home.
2. Long acronym that has something to do with motion graphics group meeting, Royal Oak. I attended this meeting because I had a tip that someone involved with the potential animation studio in Detroit would be there. If that person was present, my sensors were blinded. I discovered that motion graphics people, on the whole, are very narrowly focused on the particulars of their craft without regard to content. Very few seemed interested in the purpose of their work, and were instead obsessed with perfect shadow and lighting on their animation of the plastic wrapper for a box of Hungry Man Instant Microwaveable Dinners. Also they complained about their wages being too low. I did find several people who did not fit this mold and had a good conversation with them.
3. The People's Festival of the Arts, Russell Industrial Center, Detroit. This was not supposed to be a networking event, but it always has a whiff of that mixed in with my excitement of spending all day with half of the people I know in one place enjoying one another's company. This one guy was selling square inches of land in Detroit for a dollar. Look, he made this crazy video:
LOVELAND 2: First There Inch A Mountain, Then There Inch No Mountain, Then There Inch from Jerry Paffendorf on Vimeo.
I had a coffee with him later and it turns out he's not a scam artist.
4. The Michigan State Fair, Detroit. Seeing cows made me a little sad about food production. Seeing pigs made me almost cry on the spot as a wave of grief hit me. Then I went and had ice cream. I'm staying vegetarian. I guess I put this on my "networking" list because it parallels 1. By the way, The Michigan State Fair is kind of a waste of money and I don't care if it leaves Detroit.
5. Opening of Leopold's / Good Girls Go To Paris, Detroit. Ran in to some people from Transportation Riders United and had my concerns addressed about the aim of their advocacy regarding the M1 Rail plan to put a streetcar on Woodward. This privately-funded streetcar sounds very poorly planned, but I heard about how TRU is trying to persuade the crappiness out of it. Also saw Anne and Michael and Kati and Jeff and others.
An aside about "Leopold's". This new bookstore, located across Kirby from the DIA, carries beautiful books, comics and zines that are very much aligned with my sensibility. The next time you need some R. Crumb, Edward Gorey, or a book from the Wayne State Press, this is where to get it. I am, however, very concerned that this business is in the mold of Zaccarro's Market and Mercury Coffee Bar: a really excellent product combined with an incomplete understanding of the nature of their surroundings. I'm sure I made myself unlikable to the owner of this shop by telling him in so many words how to run his business (I suggested that he needs some other economic engine that does more volume), but I don't really have anything to lose in him thinking I'm a jerk, I'm saying that stuff because I want him to stay open, and I'm still pissed off at how great Mercury Coffee Bar was for its four months before running out of money. Go buy shit at Leopold's.
6. SEMCOG Senate hearing, Buhl Buildig, Detroit. Preservationists and Corktown neighborhood leaders were present at this hearing to members of the State Senate on What De Fuck Wid De Train Station? Other than the prestige of being in a room with people who get interviewed and hold offices and stuff, this may be one of the better events of the bunch because it should lead to me actually meeting people I want to meet next week, fingers crossed. Also, everybody felt really good about saving the train station. But, oh yeah, nobody representing the OWNERS of the place were present, so let's just all jerk off into this cup.
This is intended as a criticism of the owners of the MCS. The rest of us are ready when you are. Bring a sponge.
7. [BONUS EVENT FROM MONTHS AGO] Film networking at The Crofoot. Pontiac. The Crofoot hosted a big film-networking event some months back and tried to get industry-people there to mix it up with Michigan's eager creatives and unemployed. The latter two showed in quantity and ate their own tails. I bring this up not to mock this event, but to point out that the "permanent infrastructure" for film has not materialized in Michigan at this point and that only in-production films are here. That's a good start and it certainly has lead to some excitement for me, but it has still not brought the regular, reliable work promised by Hollywood post-production spendthrifts. This day was a ballet of the unemployed showing up to share their resumes with one another.
SUMMARY:
"Networking" is exciting in that I generally like people, but can transform into a pointless and exhausting shillfest. Starting one's own business seems like a really good idea after wading through enough of this.
UNRELATED: "Network" is a great film.
Still looking for roommates in January. Likely $300/room plus utilities.
1. Unity Studios, Allen Park. The "groundbreaking" for this big film studio that is here because of Michigan's 42% film rebate felt like the State Fair minus the pigs and cows. There was face painting, a cover band, and a stand selling soft pretzels, but not a lot of what is known in the film industry as "hiring". The presence of a booth signing people up for some kind of classes made the whole thing smell of vaporware. Where's my hundreds of jaabs? I started talking up either well-dressed people or people who looked like they went to CCS until I eventually found The Guy To Give My Resume To and gave it to him. Then, mystified, I made my way home.
2. Long acronym that has something to do with motion graphics group meeting, Royal Oak. I attended this meeting because I had a tip that someone involved with the potential animation studio in Detroit would be there. If that person was present, my sensors were blinded. I discovered that motion graphics people, on the whole, are very narrowly focused on the particulars of their craft without regard to content. Very few seemed interested in the purpose of their work, and were instead obsessed with perfect shadow and lighting on their animation of the plastic wrapper for a box of Hungry Man Instant Microwaveable Dinners. Also they complained about their wages being too low. I did find several people who did not fit this mold and had a good conversation with them.
3. The People's Festival of the Arts, Russell Industrial Center, Detroit. This was not supposed to be a networking event, but it always has a whiff of that mixed in with my excitement of spending all day with half of the people I know in one place enjoying one another's company. This one guy was selling square inches of land in Detroit for a dollar. Look, he made this crazy video:
You can watch this video on www.livejournal.com
LOVELAND 2: First There Inch A Mountain, Then There Inch No Mountain, Then There Inch from Jerry Paffendorf on Vimeo.
I had a coffee with him later and it turns out he's not a scam artist.
4. The Michigan State Fair, Detroit. Seeing cows made me a little sad about food production. Seeing pigs made me almost cry on the spot as a wave of grief hit me. Then I went and had ice cream. I'm staying vegetarian. I guess I put this on my "networking" list because it parallels 1. By the way, The Michigan State Fair is kind of a waste of money and I don't care if it leaves Detroit.
5. Opening of Leopold's / Good Girls Go To Paris, Detroit. Ran in to some people from Transportation Riders United and had my concerns addressed about the aim of their advocacy regarding the M1 Rail plan to put a streetcar on Woodward. This privately-funded streetcar sounds very poorly planned, but I heard about how TRU is trying to persuade the crappiness out of it. Also saw Anne and Michael and Kati and Jeff and others.
An aside about "Leopold's". This new bookstore, located across Kirby from the DIA, carries beautiful books, comics and zines that are very much aligned with my sensibility. The next time you need some R. Crumb, Edward Gorey, or a book from the Wayne State Press, this is where to get it. I am, however, very concerned that this business is in the mold of Zaccarro's Market and Mercury Coffee Bar: a really excellent product combined with an incomplete understanding of the nature of their surroundings. I'm sure I made myself unlikable to the owner of this shop by telling him in so many words how to run his business (I suggested that he needs some other economic engine that does more volume), but I don't really have anything to lose in him thinking I'm a jerk, I'm saying that stuff because I want him to stay open, and I'm still pissed off at how great Mercury Coffee Bar was for its four months before running out of money. Go buy shit at Leopold's.
6. SEMCOG Senate hearing, Buhl Buildig, Detroit. Preservationists and Corktown neighborhood leaders were present at this hearing to members of the State Senate on What De Fuck Wid De Train Station? Other than the prestige of being in a room with people who get interviewed and hold offices and stuff, this may be one of the better events of the bunch because it should lead to me actually meeting people I want to meet next week, fingers crossed. Also, everybody felt really good about saving the train station. But, oh yeah, nobody representing the OWNERS of the place were present, so let's just all jerk off into this cup.
This is intended as a criticism of the owners of the MCS. The rest of us are ready when you are. Bring a sponge.
7. [BONUS EVENT FROM MONTHS AGO] Film networking at The Crofoot. Pontiac. The Crofoot hosted a big film-networking event some months back and tried to get industry-people there to mix it up with Michigan's eager creatives and unemployed. The latter two showed in quantity and ate their own tails. I bring this up not to mock this event, but to point out that the "permanent infrastructure" for film has not materialized in Michigan at this point and that only in-production films are here. That's a good start and it certainly has lead to some excitement for me, but it has still not brought the regular, reliable work promised by Hollywood post-production spendthrifts. This day was a ballet of the unemployed showing up to share their resumes with one another.
SUMMARY:
"Networking" is exciting in that I generally like people, but can transform into a pointless and exhausting shillfest. Starting one's own business seems like a really good idea after wading through enough of this.
UNRELATED: "Network" is a great film.
Click to viewStill looking for roommates in January. Likely $300/room plus utilities.