If only finding love were this easy….

Hello,

My name is Aaron and I’ve got a confession to make.  I have used websites to help me build intimate relationships with people who understand my work schedule and where I like to shop.  I’ve spent hours communicating with a  few special people in my life with the help of a few select web services….  NO, chuh, it’s not online dating (though I did almost marry someone I met on fastcupid.com…)

I wanted to let you in on a really useful web secret: TvSoundGuy.com
(Camera Operator hopefuls skip down to the end of the this message to see a developing site for you!)

TvSoundGuy.com is a place for guys and gals to link up with other Sound people and keep the work flowing.  It blows away other social media sites I’ve run into for entertainment peeps like us. As a member you can find work, ask other Mixers about rates, get democratically harvested opinions on the best places to buy gear… All the things that RC seminar participants rely on me for once they get some skills.  Finally a website to support RC trainees on their mission to greatness (or at least employment).

I wanted to let you know because I think it would be great to have RealityCrew people represent (FYI, I started a group called, what else, “RealityCrew”).  I’m not trying to start an Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN sort of Twitter challenge (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/15/ashton.cnn.twitter.battle/index.html), I just know a cool service when I see one. I don’t have a social network for crew work so I think I will start using this one.

It’s filling up fast and the good user names are going to be gone soon.  I tried “LongWalksInThePark” and Blair, the sites creator (also a tenured Mixer), warned me by email that this site is strictly for Sound Pros so maybe I should put my sexy Sound Mixer self in the shower and use a moniker I don’t regret.  I changed it to “AaronMurphy”.  Kind of ho-hum but it works, right?

I hope they keep adding features and making it super relevant.  It could use some lively images on the home page but I guess that’s what they need more users for.  Us tech-savvy crew members can start using it and we’ll have our own special place on the web.  For that extra special someone, you’ll have to look somewhere else….

Making your new career REALITY!

Aaron Murphy

P.S. Camera Ops there is one for you too:  CrewPlay.com.   Ben Watkins is a successful Director of Photography here in LA, and started CrewPlay.com as casual way for crews to chat.   It’s got some great features and there are more to come.  Upload your reel, ask other Cam Ops about work.  It’s all free.

Overdelivering quality and the Grumpy PA.

Hello again,

I wanted to make sure that you and I are on the same page.  You have signed up to receive this Crew Call Newsletter from RealityCrew.com.  I, Aaron Murphy, will contact  you through this publication to supply you with job opportunities, training programs as well as career advice and shortcuts for working as a TV crew person.  If these are things you have no interest in, please unsubscribe below.

I am happy to report that we are crewed up for the New York Reality TV School pilot shoot event this weekend.  Thank you to those of you that contacted me with interest in this free training opportunity.  As these shoots get thrown in my lap I will happily tell you about them.  I’ve gotten a lot of my former participants PAID work lately, something you’ll hear more about in consecutive newsletters.

I hosted a teleseminar recently with Jason Liquori of C Mount Industries.  We talked about how to get “your foot in the door” as a working entertainment pro.  During this Freelance Strategies program, we really got into some valuable meat and potatoes material about coming up through ANY INDUSTRY! We both agreed that the single best way to move up quickly in any production (especially if you have little experience) is to over deliver.  Sometimes this means working for free.  Sometimes this means making coffee or cleaning up vomit and doing it will a smile.  Doing it with eagerness without a self important attitude.

I was working on a shoot with NFL superstar, Terrell Owens recently (The TO Show on VH1) and had the chance to work beside a very unhappy PA (Production Assistant) one day.  Their mission on our production appeared to be spending as  much time actually hindering the show instead of helping it.  Here’s how:

• texting constantly
• questioning Producers job assignments behind their backs
• complaining about conditions
• generally being rather negative about the whole thing

Most of the Producers and crew people that I now know and consider friends all worked their way up through the ranks.  They did the crappy job with a smile.  They all will still help move equipment and clean up even thought they earn sometimes more than 7 times the daily pay rate of the PA.  Why do they do it?  They enjoy the team spirit? They want to set a good example? They like creating a successful product with no concern for looking good or important?  YES.  ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

Ironically, those are all qualities in a person that we all enjoy being around.  This is why personality is so much a part of the production process.  Crews don’t sit down like factory workers and assemble their little componant and pass it off to the next person in the assembly line.  They work together.

The bottom line is this.  If  you are willing to behave like you own the company, you could one day own the company.  Taking responsibility (with or without pay) is fantastically inspiring to be around.  I will be Directing and Producing this weekend’s shoot without pay.  I am hopeful that it will turn in to future opportunities for Reality Crew members.  I believe that if I deliver a kick-ass product I will eventually be rewarded in ways that I can’t predict right now.   I guess, I too, am setting an example on this job.  Being generous with my time has worked out well for me.  If you are trying on a new career, this attitude may work for you as well.

Making your new career REALITY,

Aaron Murphy

P.S. If you listened to the Freelance Strategies teleseminar and wanted to get moving on making  your own freelance website/portal (complete with pictures and video and the whole shebang) I’ve got a great resource for you.  Laura was a guest at an entrepreneur event I attended recently.  She can guide you quickly (without the tech-speak) through the process of setting up a custom domain (as in: www.super_awesome_video_girl.com)  which links to your block space.

Check it out: Building your super low-cost blog based website!

I’ve got THE job for you….

The Crew Call newsletter is living up to it’s name.  Here’s an exclusive opportunity in exchange for you loyalty….

Sound the alarm.  I’ve been contacted by Merv Griffin Productions, the creators of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, who want your help on a new series.  They are shooting a reality TV pilot in Los Angeles this weekend and have asked me to find qualified crew members to help shoot this reality series in the making.   This is the perfect experience for those of you with dreams of actually making money shooting reality TV (which seems to keep all of my friends busy during this economic down-turn).

If you would like to work as a professional Sound Mixer or Camera Operator and simply need more experience on a real show, using real gear…this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

It’s un-paid but trust me,  you are going to be making contact with an incredible group of professionals who could very easily hire you for paid work immediately after this shoot.  I’m not promising anything, I just know a great opportunity when it presents itself.

The event being taped is a reality TV casting workshop (http://www.newyorkrealitytvschool.com/weekend.htm).  If you look at the ‘press page’ on this site you will see they are the real deal.

I am hoping to schedule several crews for each day.  I would like a 5 hour minimum commitment from you if you decide to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

Cam Ops will be using a popular HD DV camera typically used on reality productions

Sound Mixers will be using a 5 channel mixer, 4 cast mics, boom pole mic, connected wirelessly to camera.

Your crew will spend several hours following cast members in an un-scripted reality style shoot.   You will work with a Director who will help you frame shots and create a broadcast quality audio mix.

We will spend at least one hour before shooting begins getting you comfortable with your equipment.

To schedule your crew position simply reply to this message with the answers to the following questions:

1. Crew position desired: Camera Operator or  Sound Mixer or Camera Assistant?
2. Preferred shoot days? Fri/Sat/Sun?
3. Have you participated in any Reality Crew training products? If so, which ones? (answering ‘no’ does not automatically exclude you)
4. What sort of experiences qualify you for this challenge?  (attache resume if appropriate)
5. What size t-shirt do you wear? You might be asked to wear a shirt to identify your crew.

When you reply I will contact you with more details to make the time slot work for you. Location and other details will be provided after final crew selection is made.

Please reply IMMEDIATELY if you have any interest in this project.  It’s going to be amazing!

Making your new career REALITY!

Aaron

Reality simulation video link – RealityCrew.com in action!

Howdy,

Congratulations to the August 8th and 9th Reality Sound Mixing 1.0 and 2.0 seminar participants.  We packed in a lot of information but the results were worth it.   Special thanks goes out to Camera Operators Marco and Sarah who really pulled out all the stops for our reality shoot simulations.  I hope that arm’s OK Tim!

Look out for your photographs from the weekend.  I think you going to find them useful as you put together your personal website or post on Facebook, Linked-in or other social media.

Here’s a short video (http://budurl.com/Aug8SeminarVideo) of Sarah working with seminar participant, Jim.  He’s the one booming ; )

If you could not attend the Los Angeles seminars, all is not lost….

The attendees from this weekend’s seminar happen to be the first one’s to be invited to a FREE career building teleseminar I’m doing on August 19th at 7pm Pacific/ 10pm Eastern.  Your invited too!!  Did I mention this income boosting teleseminar is FREE???

More info at:  http://budurl.com/FreelanceSuccess.

During this program I’ll be discussing ways to guarantee success as a freelance crew person in film or television.   Here’s a sample of what we’ll be discussing:

• Simple concrete steps you can take to immediately widen your personal network and create a constant stream of paying clients.
• A guided method for creating a blue-print for your planned success.  You’ll likely turn this on into a poster it’s so useful.  My girlfriend, Courtney, and I do this on a regular basis because we both find it that powerful.
• A candid discussion with a working TV professional about how they turned their passion into a well-paid freelance career.

I can’t wait to hear back from you during the teleseminar with questions, that is if you listen to it from your web browser.  I will answer as many questions as I can.  It will be simulcast over the web and by telephone. The lines are limited though so make sure to add August 19th at 7pm Pacific to your calendar!

Making your new career REALITY,

Aaron

Avoid the restraining order while building your empire.

Howdy,

This is the Crew Call Newsletter from RealityCrew.com.  If you already have a well paid career in film or TV then all the great ideas on making money as a freelance crew member below are totally wasted on you.  Please unsubscribe at the bottom if this does not sound like something useful to you.

OK, here’s the deal.  In one of my last emails I wrote about using photography to promote your new skills as a freelancer.  I wanted to go into a little more detail on this because it’s REALLY affective.  I always tell seminar participants about this affordable PR frenzy creator.  They find it useful so I wanted to share it with you too.

Let’s say you have studied to become a freelance Sound Mixer
(“Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ is happening this weekend! See bottom for details)
or you already work sometimes as a freelance Camera Operator.  Especially, if you have ever worked as an AC (Assistant Camera) on a video shoot of any type, you probably want to to do it more often and for more money.  Maybe move up on the food-chain, looking towards  shooting your own movie or buying a house in the Caymen Islands.   The good news is that your ability to Operate gear is only part of the job.  The other part of the equation is developing relationships with  peeps in your industry.

As they say “it’s all in who you know” right?  Well, partly yes.  You can be the most talented/prolific person in your field but if nobody knows about you, then your talents are wasted.  So making professional connections with people is pretty important.

If you are anything like me, I sort of clam up at industry/ socializing events.  (OR I drink so much I end giving piggyback rides to anyone that will run and jump on my back with a full drink in their hand. It’s sort of all or nothing with me, especially when I’ve had a few).

BE YOURSELF is the best mantra here.   After a little casual conversation you discover that your chummy new contact can recommend you for work, tip you off to new work opportunities or even hire you directly, the last you want to do is beg them for work and shove 2 business cards in their face (one extra just in case…).

I recommend you do the opposite of beg for work.  Talk about anything else for a bit and then…. take a whacky photo with them. Camera phones are OK but small high megapixel cams are pretty affordable these days.  You will want to ALWAYS use a flash.  Here are some ideas.

Examples:

• Excuse yourself and come back with a helium balloon.  Ask them to shove it in their shirt because you are doing a photo series of pregnant crew members that drink alcohol while in the last trimester.
• Get 2 friends to pick them up and hold them sideways while you take a picture of them.  Threaten to post the picture on Facebook with the caption “proof that slavery still exists in America”.
• Get them to do the iconical 3 monkey photo.  You know the one…. one person covering their eyes, the next person covering the mouth and the last covering their ears.
• Etc….

The key here is to then offer to send them the photo.  They may even ask for a copy right away if the image is really over the top.  This is called “opting-in”.  You’ve just marketed your business (you) to a potential client and had a really strange and memorable evening…  Congratulations.

Next throw those babies up on the web using Flickr, Facebook or Linkd-in  or whatever social platform you prefer.  Don’t forget to ‘tag’ them with the person’s name in the photo so they are searchable.  You increase  the chances of your new contact finding them if you post them to a social media site they actually use.  Maybe make note of this on the card that they eagerly give you.  It’s very likely that they’ve never been a part of “such a huge human pyramid before”.

Warning: Nothing says DON’T HIRE THIS PERSON like a broken collarbone or a restraining order, so I’ll ask you to use your best judgement so things don’t get too ridiculous.

TAKE AWAY MESSAGE:  people like working with people who are authentic, irreverent and fun.  Photos can make it easy to create memories and find those people that you love working with.

Making your new career REALITY,

Aaron Murphy

P.S. “Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ and “Reality Sound Mixing 2.0″ are happening this weekend, Aug 8 and 9th, BACK TO BACK.  Get your foot in the reality TV door with a discounted hands-on seminar price that includes a free e-book gift!!

http://www.realitycrew.com/seminar for more details.

Get paid to survive the apocolypse.

Howdy,

This is a two part email.

The first part is about how to get your foot in the door on your favorite shows.
Then I’m going to ask you sign up for my two-day Sound Mixing crash-coarse called Reality Sound Mixing 1.0 & 2.0. (http://budurl.com/Aug8and9)

Here’s part one.

Just watched the first episode of The Colony on Discovery Channel.  It’s basically everything cool i’ve ever wanted to make in my backyard scrunched into one show and shot in LA.  I’ve often said to my girlfriend Courtney, “if they shoot Survivor: Manhatten, I HAVE TO BE A CAST MEMBER ON IT or work on it as a Sound Mixer.” Why?  I’m a closet survivalist and love the idea of surviving in the city with only scavenged materials available.  I would love to be on-set while this show is made.

I bring it up because it will help illustrate how you might go about asking someone for YOUR dream job.

It’s a like Survivor and Big Brother had a love child.  It’s not a competition show but instead the cast have to work together for survival in a controlled environment.  I like it way more than “Man vs. Wild” because I feel like the chances of being stranded without water in a city are more likely than being stranded on some remote mountain top.

This is how amazing working in reality tv can be.  Firstly, again, I love this show.  I think I HAVE to work on it.  You know how I’m going to do it?
Turns out I know one of the Camera Operators who worked on the premiere season that just started airing (July 20 I think).  He and I almost worked together on a show just after he finished shooting The Colony (approx May, 2009).  I’m going to call him and ask that he give me the name of the Coordinator or Producer who booked him on it.

1) I’ll ask my camera friend to introduce us by email if he’s open to it. This is proper way to start this relationship out.  If I get a referral from a friend, the chances of actually making it onto my new contact’s list of “people to hire” increase a lot.  The polite thing for my friend to do is write to his Producer and CC me as well.  Then I know he actually did it and now I’ve got both email addresses.  So far so good. If you don’t have any Camera Guy friends, go find some.  Online communites, Meetup.com, film-fests, free work for low budget productions on Craigslist, what ever it takes…. Take crazy pictures with them an offer to email them a copy of it… (super clever trick my buddy Mac has used his entire career and he’s also just a genuinely cooperative guy (more on that below…).

2) If he doesn’t make that happen after a week, I’ll call the person myself and also email them and thank them for the call.  They will ask for a resume and I will send it that night.  With permission from them, I’ll check in with them in 2 weeks (or when ever they suggest is good).  I really don’t give people a choice of being contacted.  I ask them if it’s ok to check back with them in a month or 2 weeks depending on how well the call goes.  I tell them I would love to “check in” in with them from “time to time” to make sure they always have a supply of “dedicated/hardworking/experienced/really funny to be around/super excited” (pick one) crew members ready to work when they are “crewing up” for their next show.  The emphasis should be on how you can make crewing the show for them easier.  It’s important to make yourself a resource for people in this position.  If you know other people in the industry, tell them that “I am happy to help you find other crew members to hire”.  People like hiring other people who share knowledge and resources.  This has been a big part of my success over the years.  By helping people get their job done it creates an air of cooperation that is one of the best parts of having a job that puts you around other people all day.  It builds a team attitude that suggests that you will do what ever it takes to make their project a success even at the risk of not getting the job yourself.  There is a time to promote  yourself, don’t get me wrong.  Start the call with cooperation.  Throw in your promotion and then close with cooperation.  Let me know if this works for you the next time you cold call a potential client: realitycrew.com/feedback

I’ll let you know how the progress on that show goes…

Part two.

Since you signed up for this newsletter it means you are interested in learning how to make money working on reality shows.  What you may not know is that I’m offering a double whammy on my hands-on reality Sound Mixing crash course, which is likely your quickest way to get paid as a crew member.   You may have wanted to sign up for this weekend’s (July 25th)  intro course Reality Sound Mixing 1.0 but for some reason could not make it work.  Well the good news is this this, I’m now offering 1.0 and 2.0 back-to-back on August 8th and 9th.  There is even a discount.  See for yourself at: realitycrew.com/seminar.  You can take just the first one and wait for 2.0 to be offered again in a month or just take them both and save some cash!

Here’s a secret coupon code for loyal readers of the Crew Call Newsletter (that’s why it’s way down here at the end) .  Enter SURVIVE into the coupon code box at checkout and get an additional 15%  off of either day or both!!  This coupon expires on August 3rd. so act fast.  Go to this address now to check it out: http://budurl.com/Aug8and9.

The secret about starting a new career

You have signed up for this Crew Call Newsletter from RealityCrew.com so if already have a wildly succesful career in film or television, unsubscribe at the bottom!

**********************
Firstly, I have to remind you that next weekend, July 25th is our introductory seminar called “Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ for anyone who is interested in working as a crew member in Reality TV.  NO experience necessary!

Where: Los Angeles, CA

When: 9am to 5pm, July 25, 2009

Save 20% ($49) by signing up today! Use this coupon code at checkout: 20PERCENT.  Visit RealityCrew.com/seminar for more information.

***********************
So many times in my life I’ve wondered why things are not happening in they ways I want.  I’ve been completely shocked when the dreams I keep talking about don’t happen.  Despite all of my late night discussions and even urgent promises to myself and Courtney (my beautiful and talented girlfriend) some things I really want fall completely flat.

What I’ve learned and am daily putting into practice is that success requires 1) planning and 2) commitment.   These could apply to you in this way….

So you want to start a new career in TV.   The planning part involves actually mapping out your exit from your existing job.  You need a strategy that minimizes the impact of these changes and that slowly gets you comfortable with what you would like to be doing for work.  You may want to stand back and even plan “the big picture” and by this I mean the real direction you want your life to head in.  For instance, if you want to become a Sound Mixer working in Reality TV, you need to be sure that you are prepared for the demands of this career are and that you will be happy in the long term with this decision.  Sound Mixing on shows requires a lot of flexibility because you may be asked to leave the country for 2 weeks starting this weekend.  Not everyone can live this lifestyle.  You may like being told how to do your job all day long and so Sound Mixing would be a bad fit because with this career you work hard all day and for the most part very few people you work with even know what you doing, you must be a self starter that is dedicated to excellence and solving problems.  No one is going to baby sit you.

The commitment part involves writing a down days for self improvement or education on your calendar and following through.  With Courtney, we plan things out, write it down and remind each other of all the reasons we decided to do it in the first place.  Your success comes in the incremental achievement of the baby steps you plan for.   Commit to an evening of just planning out your career or personal goals. This small activity should help you get on the path of consistent self reflection so you can finally know what you want to do with your life “when you grown up.”

Not such a big secret but very powerful:  1) Plan it…. 2) Commit to it….

I’ll talk with you in-person during the “Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ seminar next weekend if working in reality TV is your goal.  I hope you are part of my success with Reality Crew, so please sign up today if enjoy these news letters and think to yourself “I could do that”.  Your new career starts right now.

Making your new career REALITY,

Jobs keep coming….

Just a quick note to let you know that a former seminar participant in fact did get the paid Sound Mixer position for today Friday July 10th.  Thank you if you sent in a request for that position.

The jobs I’ve been posting to you are a mix of both Professional jobs that pay a full day rate and also the lower paid ones that I’ve listed in the last week that pay anywhere from $150 to $300 per day. These jobs came to my attention because employers know that I am in contact with large numbers of crew people with a wide range of experience levels. These low rates are NOT a reflection of what my Sound Mixing peers get paid on a regular basis. If you know me from my seminars you know that I recommend that trainees scour sites like Craigslist.com for low-paid to free work JUST FOR THE EXPERIENCE. The employers that  post work on those sites are now COMING TO ME DIRECTLY because they know that with RealityCrew participants, they will have a core set of skills that can be verified by me, a working professional.

I bring this up because I want to let you know that I will continue to help you get experience immediately after training with RC. When production companies are performing interviews or single talent on-camera shoots that they might otherwise ask an under-paid Assistant Camera (Not a Sound Mixer) person with no sound experience to work on it.  I’m happy to report that I’m seeing more frequent calls to RealityCrew from these sorts of productions.  They get better audio and you get some paid work experience.  Everyone wins.

I promise to keep the referrals coming….

Making your new career REALITY,

Aaron

Finding work on the red carpet.

This is the Crew Call newsletter from Aaron Murphy at RealityCrew.com.

If you already have a wildly successful career in film or television and no longer want to receive this newsletter, you can unsubscribe with the link at the bottom of this page.

You won’t believe what I learned during a shoot recently.  Here’s the link to a video I shot of the red carpet event I worked at recently, honoring Michael Douglas with a lifetime achievement award.  It was during this event that I had an “aha!” moment that I want to share with you…

Before the story though, I wanted to let you know that I recently served up some fresh freelance crew tips during an un-announced/under-the-radar seminar called “Building Reality TV Audio Rigs”.  If you need to know what types of cables you NEED to put your audio gear together with, then you won’t want to miss the re-broadcast of this event.  It’s for anyone who wants to problem-solve failing audio gear and a whole lot more.   This video is going to be much needed review for former “Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ seminar participants.    This video will will de-mystify one of the most confusing parts of professional Sound Mixing.  Stay tuned!

Secondly, MANY of you have downloaded and listened to my teleseminar  “Becoming a Reality TV Camera Operator”.  I guess  you may want to earn as much as $100,000.00 per year while travelling around the world as a Reality Camera Operator… or do you?  I have a team prepared to immediately create a crash-course for you to live this dream job.  I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS!!  I will only make this program happen when I find enough people GENUINELY interested.

If you are ready to quite your lack-luster day job and join me on the red carpet, or in the homes of the worlds biggest celebrities, or hanging off of cliffs in remote jungles while earning enough money to simply take a month off when you feel like it….  YOU HAVE TO LET ME KNOW RIGHT NOW!

take the poll by going to:

http://www.realitycrew.com/poll

Click here take a quick poll.  If that’s not enough for you, tell me exactly what YOU WANT at www.realitycrew.com/feedback.  If would like to be shown the skills that lead to success as a Reality Camera Operator earning great money on a flexible schedule, I need to hear from you today to make it happen.

Now for the story:

So I was at the AFI lifetime acheivement awards honering Michael Douglas the other day.  I was standing there at the end of the red carpet, after the 70 press people, right where Hugh Hefner and Catherine Zeta-Jones picked up their glass of champagne.  We interviewed them and many more celebs.  I was working with Camera Guru, Tristan Whitman when it donned on me that I was able to be there because of my commitment to quality, even during the most mundane task.  I was standing there, behind Tristan, responsible for a single microphone signal getting recorded to our HD camera, a hand-held ’stick’ mic with a little mic flag on it.  Pretty easy compared to two days prior when I was multi-tracking 12 audio tracks for a Top Chef Special episode for Bravo.  I took this ’simple’ job just as seriously as the Bravo gig because experience has taught me that when I believe the job will be ‘easy’ something goes horribly wrong.  Call it Murphy’s Law if you like. I have been consistantly good at what ever job was handed to me from people like Tristan.  This is what lead to any of my professional successes, being consistently good and treating each job as a life or death situation.

Simply put, this is my advice to you.  When you hear people say “you are only as good as your last job” this is what they mean.  Treat every job as if it’s going to change the world (despite how you really feel about it) and you will quickly adapt healthy behaviour that will help you snag your own glamorous jobs in the future.  I would love to hear your stories.   Submit them at realitycrew.com/feedback.

Making your new career REALITY!

Aaron

The art of traveling for work.

Hey, It’s Aaron Murphy here with the Crew Call newsletter from RealityCrew.com.

Below I’ve included  some helpful hints for traveling crews.  “Front desk?  Where’s the gaf tape I ordered?”

Did I mention that last month’s “Reality Sound Mixing 1.0″ seminar was a massive success?  We covered so much material in the one day that we ended up extending the seminar by an hour!  Once I get started, I love to talk about the mistakes I’ve made and how to avoid them.  Feedback from previous sessions tells me that this one aspect means quite a bit to participants, so I hold nothing back.  After all you can learn tons by seeing how NOT to do something.   I’ve read on the interwebs that this happens to be one of the best qualities of the reality tv genre.  We get to see real people screwing in very real ways and we learn from them.   It’s not too different from the way humans communicated their values to future generations before the written word.  It’s still culturally significant story telling, even if one guys slowly dishes out roses to a large group of eager females in front of a camera.  What lessons will “The Bachelor” pass down to humans 200 years from now?

Travel.  Work.  Sounds like the sort of tired old fun your uncle Jim, the travelling salesman,  puts a positive spin on for you during the holidays.   My sort of traveling with work is very different from the insurance salesmen and whole-sale vitamin distribution that this might conjur up.  When I’m on the road with a crew shooting a reality show, we end up visiting all the coolest places in town.  Ask anyone who has put in some quality time on a travelling video crew and you find that the overall word on the street is “I’m very lucky to have this jobs”.    Without “takes” I rarely experience the boredom that I endured years ago when I worked on more scripted narrative style work.  I just came back from a week in Buffalo New York.  I met the mayor, visited the set of a live 6 o’clock news broadcast on a major network, visited a radio station and stood in the booth while the hosts interviewed my celebrity cast member, got paid to circle below the Niagara fall in one of those little “Maiden of the Mist” boats, ate REAL buffalo wings at their birthplace (the Anchor bar downtown),  stayed in a nice hotel in the hippest part of town, and was asked by total strangers “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be shooting in town with that crew from VH1 would you?”.  Funny how word gets around.  And how many free drinks and appetizers this turns into.

The trick to traveling for work is this: doing something you enjoy. The inconvenience of being away from my friends and family seems inconsequential when I return home with stories of a rich life that someone else paid for.  I was out in the world performing a technical skill that very few people have (or more accurately are willing to do) and not falling asleep in front of the tv to dull the pain of the having to put on a work uniform again and march myself right back into the same little spot I spend all day at.  Each day is a new challenge, a stressful one at times, and more often than not, interesting.

OK, here are some traveling ideas from a professional hotel jockey.

CREW ROAD TIPS #1

Computer – Bring a laptop if you have one.  Makes a couple nights away from home a great way to organize your photos or catch up on some business email.  Besides you probably shouldn’t go out drinking with the crew EVERY night…
Network cable -  If you do bring the laptop, some hotels that offer WiFi don’t make access to the wireless network perfect in every room.  You may even ask to change rooms if you can’t get online easily.
Nice clothes – while shooting on-location I find that at least one night during any trip I will end up in a nice restaurant or nightclub. Traditionally the last dinner of the trip is paid for by production.   Besides, If you are dressed nice it becomes natural to make your way to an upscale place.  Bring at least one black dress shirt, nice pants (clean jeans) and clean dress shoes.  Some clubs and restaurants have strict dress codes against: anything with team logos, baseball caps, shorts, sneakers or dirty or ripped clothes.  Sandels are sometimes a big no-no too in tropical hotspots.  Don’t dress like a drunken tourist and you should be fine.

Dinner – Sounds weird, but I try to bring along an easily prepared dinner of some kind. When the 12 hour shift ends at midnight and I’m exhausted from running up an active volcano for most of the day, it pays to bring along a meal or two that doesn’t cost $35 from room service.  Microwavable mac’n'cheese, curry packets from Traders Joe’s, a can of stew, whatever you love…

Hand-washable clothes – I pack the same size bag whether I’m gone for a week or a month.  I start washing clothes after about a week.  If I’m really busy I’ll just use the hotel laundry service, but this adds up quick.  So unless you confirm that your production will pay for this service, try to bring thin cottons layers or fabrics with some synthetic content so your duds don’t take 2 days to dry.  The little free hotel soap bottles do the trick.  Synthetic socks and underwear will be dry by the next morning, just in time for checkout.  FYI: no one cares if you wear the same shirt 3 times in a week.  Unless you still smell like your volcano hike 3 days later…

Washing Line – This helps you avoid hanging your wet laundry all over your room like a yard sale.  Some hotels will include a small line inside the shower stall but there is usually not enough ventilation to dry a pair of jeans in a single day. Using desks and headboards as tie points you can get your favorite striped socks really close to the window AC/heater unit and have them dry in time to wear to Cirque Du Soleil on the Vegas Strip. Winner!

Cell Charger – Buy a spare one that you leave in your luggage.  It sucks to have spent all day backstage working with your favorite musical act only to discover you can’t share the details with your friends because your cell phone is dead.

Copy of Passport – I make 2 copies and stuff em into envelopes inside my bags, even if I’m not travelling internationally.  If you lose your wallet, this might be the only way you will be able to get back on a plane for home.  If you are working abroad, these copies will expedite a passport replacement from the local embasssy if it goes missing. Also, the copies will make you a happy bunny when your bags end up at the wrong airport without tags.

Insulated Steel Mug – Become the hippest green kid on the crew with a fancy double wall insulated stainless steel coffee mug with a tightly fitting lid.  The ones at Starbucks seem to create the most reliable seal so your goods won’t spill all over your crew minivan.  Wash it out after breakfast and use it to replace bottled water for your hydration needs.  There is nothing less cool (and worse for our oceans) than disposables.  ‘Nuff said.

I hope this helps you at some point down the road.

Making your new career REALITY!,

Aaron