I left the party
~ The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends. ~
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Tonight I left one of my dearest friends parties, no words no good byes just left.
I am the only friend in his life that has known him longer than anyone else.
What drove me to leave? 2 people who had betrayed me on the most base of levels who wounded me to the core like none other could.
Dean Bowden and Shannon Connely-Bowden had arrived to the party.
It was about 2003, I was the owner of the guild of Futures Past, Dean Bowden was it's president. The group had pretty much dissolved at this point and the election that appointed Dean had about 6 people in attendance.
Despite all that had happened Dean and Shannon had stood by me and the guild and propped me up during some of my darkest hours. They told me they believed in me and what I was trying to do. The guild had been keeping financially solvent for the past year or so based on performances I had lined up... but guild members did not attend. I frequently had to hire outside the guild to meet obligations for performances when guild members bailed.
Yes I said hired, paying gigs, paid well too. But the guild had falled into disarray and people just did not care anymore. Dean and Shannon supported still and I loved them for it.
I finally landed the big gig that would bring everyone back together, the Sarasota Medieval Faire! The first persons I asked to help was Dean and Shannon, hired on Dean as the Fight Director for the chess match and Shannon on as the Promotional Director. the producers of the faire did not really know Dean or Shannon from anyone else, but I assured them of their qualifications and abilities. I talked them up to no end and it was a done deal. The Guild of Futures Past was to do the Sarasota Medieval Faire again!
I was hired as asst producer (the producers lived very far away) and needed me to take care of things on this end. I did, I arranged many meetings, casting, sponsorship contacts, promotional contacts, materials, went down to cape coral on many missions to meet with the producers and build materials for the festival. Giving up untold man hours for free (the payment was to come on the back side of the event in a percentage, at my insistence.)
As things went on Dean was hired on as the overall Entertainment Director for the festival. Thats when things started to change. Meetings with Dean and Shannon went on with the Producers with out my being informed, everything I attempted to do, was now roadblocked "Dean is taking care of that", or "Shannon has that under control", even minor management check ups on progress of projects were met with resistance.
Received a call from Jermery (Producer) "Jordan I need you to get with Shannon and see how things are going with (the) Budweiser (sponsor) and let me know if there is anything we can do"
Called Shannon and repeated almost word for word what was said to me: "Shannon can I get an update on how things are going with Budweiser and is there anything I can do?"
Shannon: "I got it under control don't worry about it."
I said ok, then the phone rings about an hour later (Producer): "Shannon just called me in tears telling me that you are getting into her face about the sponsorships, you need to leave her alone to do her job!"
A few weeks later at a building "party" in Cape Coral, I was taking pictures of the building going on at the end of the day, it was a hot day and everyone was tired. Shannon was wearing a tank top kind of thing, kinda revealing, but nothing scandalous. Found out later that week that the pictures I was taking were inappropriate and I was not to use them. No one seemed to complain to me at the time or ask that I not take the pictures... well except my wife, but she hates pictures. Come to find out much later that Shannon complained about a picture I took of her.
This was very odd to me because being a faire group, I had seen both Dean and Shannon naked more times than I would care to recount, many times sexual innuendo and playing about had happened some too detailed and graphic to add to this rant.
Things became more and more distant with Dean, Shannon and the Producer, I could not get a straight answer about anything from any of them. At the first casting call I noted the 3 of them on more than on occasion having private meetings off to the side, meetings that became silent or obviously off topic when I approached. Anytime I would bring up an idea or offer to do something I was told that "it was being taken care of", or "Don't worry about it".
The next casting call I was told my services would no longer be needed, no explanation. Two weeks later I received a certified letter in the mail stating that "...the contract with Futures Past was null and void since the festival had not heard from a representative of Futures Past in over two weeks." I contacted Dean as he was the President of Futures Past and was still present at all of the rehearsals and meetings where he was suppose being casting people, under Futures Past, to do the Chess Match.
This is that conversation:
"Dean, I just got a certified letter from the Producers saying "...the contract with Futures past was null and void since the festival had not heard from a representative of Futures Past in over two weeks." You are the President of Futures Past, I hired you to direct the chess match, whats going on?"
Dean: "Your going to have to talk to Jeremy (The Producer) about that."
Me: "I am asking YOU about that! Whats going on!?"
Dean: "I don't know what to tell you."
<>
That is the last time I spoke to Dean or Shannon with out hate in my heart for them. They betrayed me. They set me up and threw me under the bus once they got what they wanted.
Since that day, I cut off all my hair, stuffed my weapons and costumes in a box, and carved out a piece of me that loved performing in festivals. I can never enter a safe play space with Dean or Shannon, because I know what they are capable of, and what they will do to get there. Whats more I will always fear opening myself up to anyone else, and group of people ever again. When a beloved friend would do something like that, someone you trusted and admired...
I hate them, I hate what they made me become...
So, 6 years later I got up in the middle of my oldest, and longest friends party and left with out a word.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Tonight I left one of my dearest friends parties, no words no good byes just left.
I am the only friend in his life that has known him longer than anyone else.
What drove me to leave? 2 people who had betrayed me on the most base of levels who wounded me to the core like none other could.
Dean Bowden and Shannon Connely-Bowden had arrived to the party.
It was about 2003, I was the owner of the guild of Futures Past, Dean Bowden was it's president. The group had pretty much dissolved at this point and the election that appointed Dean had about 6 people in attendance.
Despite all that had happened Dean and Shannon had stood by me and the guild and propped me up during some of my darkest hours. They told me they believed in me and what I was trying to do. The guild had been keeping financially solvent for the past year or so based on performances I had lined up... but guild members did not attend. I frequently had to hire outside the guild to meet obligations for performances when guild members bailed.
Yes I said hired, paying gigs, paid well too. But the guild had falled into disarray and people just did not care anymore. Dean and Shannon supported still and I loved them for it.
I finally landed the big gig that would bring everyone back together, the Sarasota Medieval Faire! The first persons I asked to help was Dean and Shannon, hired on Dean as the Fight Director for the chess match and Shannon on as the Promotional Director. the producers of the faire did not really know Dean or Shannon from anyone else, but I assured them of their qualifications and abilities. I talked them up to no end and it was a done deal. The Guild of Futures Past was to do the Sarasota Medieval Faire again!
I was hired as asst producer (the producers lived very far away) and needed me to take care of things on this end. I did, I arranged many meetings, casting, sponsorship contacts, promotional contacts, materials, went down to cape coral on many missions to meet with the producers and build materials for the festival. Giving up untold man hours for free (the payment was to come on the back side of the event in a percentage, at my insistence.)
As things went on Dean was hired on as the overall Entertainment Director for the festival. Thats when things started to change. Meetings with Dean and Shannon went on with the Producers with out my being informed, everything I attempted to do, was now roadblocked "Dean is taking care of that", or "Shannon has that under control", even minor management check ups on progress of projects were met with resistance.
Received a call from Jermery (Producer) "Jordan I need you to get with Shannon and see how things are going with (the) Budweiser (sponsor) and let me know if there is anything we can do"
Called Shannon and repeated almost word for word what was said to me: "Shannon can I get an update on how things are going with Budweiser and is there anything I can do?"
Shannon: "I got it under control don't worry about it."
I said ok, then the phone rings about an hour later (Producer): "Shannon just called me in tears telling me that you are getting into her face about the sponsorships, you need to leave her alone to do her job!"
A few weeks later at a building "party" in Cape Coral, I was taking pictures of the building going on at the end of the day, it was a hot day and everyone was tired. Shannon was wearing a tank top kind of thing, kinda revealing, but nothing scandalous. Found out later that week that the pictures I was taking were inappropriate and I was not to use them. No one seemed to complain to me at the time or ask that I not take the pictures... well except my wife, but she hates pictures. Come to find out much later that Shannon complained about a picture I took of her.
This was very odd to me because being a faire group, I had seen both Dean and Shannon naked more times than I would care to recount, many times sexual innuendo and playing about had happened some too detailed and graphic to add to this rant.
Things became more and more distant with Dean, Shannon and the Producer, I could not get a straight answer about anything from any of them. At the first casting call I noted the 3 of them on more than on occasion having private meetings off to the side, meetings that became silent or obviously off topic when I approached. Anytime I would bring up an idea or offer to do something I was told that "it was being taken care of", or "Don't worry about it".
The next casting call I was told my services would no longer be needed, no explanation. Two weeks later I received a certified letter in the mail stating that "...the contract with Futures Past was null and void since the festival had not heard from a representative of Futures Past in over two weeks." I contacted Dean as he was the President of Futures Past and was still present at all of the rehearsals and meetings where he was suppose being casting people, under Futures Past, to do the Chess Match.
This is that conversation:
"Dean, I just got a certified letter from the Producers saying "...the contract with Futures past was null and void since the festival had not heard from a representative of Futures Past in over two weeks." You are the President of Futures Past, I hired you to direct the chess match, whats going on?"
Dean: "Your going to have to talk to Jeremy (The Producer) about that."
Me: "I am asking YOU about that! Whats going on!?"
Dean: "I don't know what to tell you."
<>
That is the last time I spoke to Dean or Shannon with out hate in my heart for them. They betrayed me. They set me up and threw me under the bus once they got what they wanted.
Since that day, I cut off all my hair, stuffed my weapons and costumes in a box, and carved out a piece of me that loved performing in festivals. I can never enter a safe play space with Dean or Shannon, because I know what they are capable of, and what they will do to get there. Whats more I will always fear opening myself up to anyone else, and group of people ever again. When a beloved friend would do something like that, someone you trusted and admired...
I hate them, I hate what they made me become...
So, 6 years later I got up in the middle of my oldest, and longest friends party and left with out a word.