Mid career. I was in the office of my boss. The company was doing well, finally. Quite well, in fact. He was giving me a bonus check and in that moment he looked at me and asked, "What are you doing with your money?".
It wasn't at all an unusual question. You see, I was the key creative executive in the company. By key creative I mean to paint a picture of up-all-night, meeting-packed days, travel itinerary from hell, no personal life and a head filled with promo graphics and overnight ratings. He could probably conjure up a coffee table in my home filled with unopened checks that should have been channeled through a direct deposit set up, had I not neglected to fill out necessary paperwork.
Yes, I was neglectful and running contrary to a key reason for work in the first place...money! But still, my mind was elsewhere. I loathed the business of life... of bills and of money. I was angry about details that were not about content creation and engagement and design. I wanted to be in the company of producers and creators and artists and craft people. I happily ignored all talk of commerce and numbers except when it involved the performance of the shows. I was a shapes and colors girl, avoiding columns and lines at every turn.
So I told my boss that I wasn't doing much with my money. He took back the bonus until I promised to take some simple advice. He offered it up. I followed it and now I think back on that generous conversation as a HUGE turning point in my life. It was the day I grew up, financially.
What are you doing with your money?
I'm going to blog about it in the next couple of days. Why, because I've recently been asked by quite a few people who are, as I was, mid career. I'll tell my story. It is simple and, though it takes a little reading, I have always managed my own money and investments (with great advice and counsel along the way). If you know me, that is really surprising but it's worked, so I'll share.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Mentoring
I've always mentored people. Even when I had just started my career at HBO I would try to find time to talk to those interested searching out a job in television. It was so exceedingly difficult for me to find my first jobs. I didn't know anyone in the industry. I had come from a state college in Connecticut. There was no real "career development" department at that time and though my internships were great, they did not point the way to any lasting employment.
My father had worked for the phone company and my mom was a grade school teacher. No one, among my family or friends had ever worked in or near the object of my career passion...entertainment. No one ever moved to NYC. I was so green and so, I did a lot of things the hard way. I made so many mistakes as an early job seeker. I bumbled around New York City bumping into walls and going down a lot of blind alley's as I evolved my inadequate resume and my limited interview skills into small success after small success. Then... a big success when I landed my first real job.
When I got my first job I found it wasn't the end of the road, it was the beginning of a 20 year path to learning about how to move through the maze of career opportunities and challenges with an eye on the prize, a rewarding journey!
Along the way I've tried to help people skip over the first part, the great divide between what you as a job seeker don't know and what everyone with a great job in entertainment KNOWS. Some is plain and simple (and seemingly obvious) advice like, "don't say you want to direct". Other insights are not so obvious to an outsider, like to say you are open to "project work" instead of saying you just want a job. Many good tv and digital media jobs start as projects.
So much of the insight to how to navigate early job market comes within the process of job seeking, so I mentor and I help guide at that critical time. It costs me nothing and I like having a network of younger careerists out there. It eventually ends up being mutually beneficial, along the way.
The people I mentor come to me from family, friends and colleagues. "Will you talk to my son" or, "can I have my best friend's niece call you". I always say the same thing. I ask them to email me.
When they do, I send a fairly standard email back to them with a lot of information and directives about getting started with a job search. This step actually weeds out about 60% of those who contact me because it requires some work. Once they complete this initial research we'll get on the phone and begin. It is these people, who are eager and prepared, that will take well to mentoring. I try to be a collaborator, coach, idea generator and a co-writer as there is a lot of correspondence in this game.
I try to do a lot by email but I'll sometimes get on the phone. I try to be that someone I wish I had known back in the day when I was wandering 6th Ave in search of a gig.
My father had worked for the phone company and my mom was a grade school teacher. No one, among my family or friends had ever worked in or near the object of my career passion...entertainment. No one ever moved to NYC. I was so green and so, I did a lot of things the hard way. I made so many mistakes as an early job seeker. I bumbled around New York City bumping into walls and going down a lot of blind alley's as I evolved my inadequate resume and my limited interview skills into small success after small success. Then... a big success when I landed my first real job.
When I got my first job I found it wasn't the end of the road, it was the beginning of a 20 year path to learning about how to move through the maze of career opportunities and challenges with an eye on the prize, a rewarding journey!
Along the way I've tried to help people skip over the first part, the great divide between what you as a job seeker don't know and what everyone with a great job in entertainment KNOWS. Some is plain and simple (and seemingly obvious) advice like, "don't say you want to direct". Other insights are not so obvious to an outsider, like to say you are open to "project work" instead of saying you just want a job. Many good tv and digital media jobs start as projects.
So much of the insight to how to navigate early job market comes within the process of job seeking, so I mentor and I help guide at that critical time. It costs me nothing and I like having a network of younger careerists out there. It eventually ends up being mutually beneficial, along the way.
The people I mentor come to me from family, friends and colleagues. "Will you talk to my son" or, "can I have my best friend's niece call you". I always say the same thing. I ask them to email me.
When they do, I send a fairly standard email back to them with a lot of information and directives about getting started with a job search. This step actually weeds out about 60% of those who contact me because it requires some work. Once they complete this initial research we'll get on the phone and begin. It is these people, who are eager and prepared, that will take well to mentoring. I try to be a collaborator, coach, idea generator and a co-writer as there is a lot of correspondence in this game.
I try to do a lot by email but I'll sometimes get on the phone. I try to be that someone I wish I had known back in the day when I was wandering 6th Ave in search of a gig.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Note: As I've been away from teaching for awhile I have little to post. I've left all posts up in the hope that some may be relevant to my original students or those who I am mentoring. Since I taught my Audience Building class (2010) and related seminars at the international division of UCLA Extension (2011-2013), I have been totally immersed in my consulting business. I miss teaching and hope to begin guest lecturing at the nearby Television/Digital/Communications schools and universities soon.
Please watch this blog for more information or visit my website.
Please watch this blog for more information or visit my website.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Most Popular Platforms for Millenials
Most popular social apps among Millenials:
1 @facebook
2 @instagram
3 @Snapchat
4 @twitter
5 @google
6 @Pinterest
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Friday, September 20, 2013
Hello! Students from my "Effect of Social Media on Television Marketing" class. As promised, here is a list of links that we viewed in class.
fs
Zhang Ziyi
Youtube Pretty Little Liars
#TheVoice, something that is also used by all four mentors on Twitter:
@adamlevine, @blakeshelton, and @CeeLoGreen.
Please feel free to connect with me via the email address listed yesterday.
All the best,
fs
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Hello! to the students I will be instructing this week at UCLA Extension. My session, entitled "Effect of Social Marketing on Television" as part of the Developing and Planning TV Programming Models will take place on Thursday.
I look forward to meeting all of the participants from Beijing. Welcome.
After the class I will be posting all of the links that we will be viewing in class. They will be up by Friday morning. Please check back.
Cheers!
Fran Shea
I look forward to meeting all of the participants from Beijing. Welcome.
After the class I will be posting all of the links that we will be viewing in class. They will be up by Friday morning. Please check back.
Cheers!
Fran Shea
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