(Part Two of Two)
Before I share the one useful thing that Steeltown Entertainment did, let me share a story. On occasion, they would hold a Crew Connect event at a local bar. Individuals interested in the filmmaking process would come and try to make connections. I attended two of these events.
At one of the events, a young man with a handwritten name tag on his shirt reading “Producer” told me I looked familiar to him. I reminded him that we met in his car when he was an Uber driver and I was a passenger. We had discussed movies and writing. He had seen some of my Craigslist ads promoting the writing class. During our trip, I suggested he take the writing class. His reply to me was that he was a producer and he didn’t need to write as he would “…hire and fire writers.” Another person at the event was known to me through biking activities. He got up on the stage and announced he needed a cinematographer for a 20-minute movie he was directing. I knew this person. His daytime job was delivering Jimmy John sandwiches downtown on his bicycle. I met his writer that evening. The writer did his work in a coffee shop. He went to the coffee shop each day after dropping his wife off at the nursing home where she worked.
There is nothing wrong with driving Uber, delivering sandwiches or writing in coffee shops. I do a lot of work in coffee shops and diners. There is, however, something wrong with giving yourself a label that you haven’t yet earned.
The Best Thing Steeltown Entertainment Did
The two young ladies working for Steeltown told me over and over and over (and over) again how busy they were and couldn’t meet with me. I have a lot going on in my life but never cry about being busy. Clients of mine who have businesses or demanding jobs also never complain about being busy. People who get things done have figured it out. They know how to manage their time. On a connected note, one of the ancillary benefits that come from “training your brain” to write is better time management. As for me, I would be embarrassed to tell another human being “I’m so busy.”
Not only am I not busy but I have the time to do the one thing that anybody with a creative soul must have. And that is nothing. One of Dave Chappelle’s Netflix specials starts with Dave sitting at a picnic table. The narrator explains that Dave is hard at work. After a few moments, Dave changes his seating position. He is sitting and thinking about new material or how to make existing material better. Creative souls must have the time to do nothing—and nothing oftentimes results in useful material.
My 15th article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was titled “Busy Nation”. The idea for the piece came as a direct result of hearing how two Steeltown Entertainment employees were so busy. Their “busyness” opened a door for me. The article was published as “Busy Nation”. When it was posted online, the title was changed to “Are you too busy to read this?” The online version is attached for your review.
And that’s the best thing that Steeltown Entertainment did. Give me the idea for the article. It is a favorite article of mine and extremely cathartic (it is extremely cathartic to write and the article is a perfect example).
Steeltown Entertainment—after their financial hijinks—is now connected to WQED. I’m sure the WQED staff is doing a fine job of teaching young men and woman varied ways to tell others just how busy they are.
