I get asked one question more than anything else so I wanted to take a moment to answer it: Why do you work so much? I grew up as an only child and on my 7th Birthday my parents gave me a card with a list of chores. Written on the card was Happy Birthday. This is your first chore list. Expect one everyday until you move out of the house. Of course I threw a tantrum, but they did not give in. Instead they told me that this chore list was for my own good as it would teach me to be responsible as well as instill a very strong work ethic in me that would take me much further in life. So at 7 years old I was vacuuming, dusting, doing my own laundry, washing my parents vehicles, doing yard work, and several times a week my mom and grandmother made me watch them as they cooked dinner. Per my grandmother Youre going to be on your own at some point and you need to know how to cook. A list of chores daily from the age of 7 to 18. The day I turned 15 I got my learners permit and a couple weeks later I secured not one, but two jobs. I was a full time High School student and working two jobs.....and still doing my daily chores. The day I turned 16 I got my drivers license. I graduated High School at 17 and while still working both jobs I also became a caregiver for my grandmother who was suffering from both Parkinsons and Alzheimers. At 17 I was feeding her, bathing her, changing her diapers, etc..... College had replaced High School at this point and I watched helplessly as my grandmothers health rapidly declined. Eventually she passed and I felt guilty because I couldnt help her. At 21 I moved to Los Angeles without any idea what I was going to. Soon after my arrival I found work on a little reality show called American Idol. Shortly after my employment I was working 6-7 days per week, 60-80 hours per week. This was year around employment. I quickly moved up the ranks from Production Assistant to Production Manager. I traveled the country numerous times managing the audition process while always working on projects several months out. I did for this 5 years, before moving over to So You Think You Can Dance where I stayed for several seasons. After Dance I moved onto Gene Simmons Family Jewels and also worked on a slew of other shows for MTV, VH1, E Networks, and many more. I literally spent almost 9 years of my life working non stop while I was in Los Angeles. My average production day was 11 hours and all the shows I worked on were year around, 6-7 days per week. I love every minute of it. I traveled the world and the US several times. I did things I never thought I would ever do. I met, traveled with, had dinner with, and bullshitted with some of the biggest names in entertainment. I did this year after year after year. But I grew tired of it, so I up and moved to Portland where I jumped feet first into.........you guessed it WORK. Its what I do. I work, then work some more, then work some more, and then work a little more before going to bed. I rarely sleep, I eat like a horse, and I work really hard at taking care of myself because I know that if I dont I wont be able to work as hard as I do. Ive had some major major highs and Ive had some major major lows. When I get knocked down, I always get right back up. I dont hate anyone or anything, I dislike a lot, but hate is too strong of a word and emotion so I refuse to let it play a role in my life. My parents instilled a very strong work ethic in me from a very young age and for that I Thank them. This is why I work as hard as I do.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 18:41:23 +0000
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