Recently I threw my hat in the ring for a big time job as an Executive Creative Director. I learned the company had “decided to go in another direction.” After seeing some of their recent work on TV and on the radio, I decided it was a "less creative direction."Another bullet dodged.
It got me thinking about how my career has been defined not only by the jobs and opportunities that have come my way, but also by the land mines and trapdoors I've managed to avoid.
Years ago, a fellow copywriter asked if I’d be interested in making a little side money.
What struggling young copywriter wouldn't want a little extra side money?
He went on to explain that I could make an easy $500 just by watching a videotape (there weren’t DVD’s yet) and writing a few paragraphs for the back of the package. Then he showed me the assignment he had for that day. The movie was “In and Out of Africa.”
It’s bad enough that I spend my days shilling soap or soda or gas-guzzling SUV’s. I can’t imagine what would have happened had my career trajectory been rerouted through the streets of Chatsworth, the Porn Manufacturing Capitol of the World.
“Deb, I'm not going to make it home for kid's birthday party. I have to do a rewrite on Acockalypse Now. I'm way behind on Lord of the Anal Rings. And I still have a briefing with the account people on Schindler’s Fist.”
When I was a baby copywriter and making zero money, I wrote some porn based on very little (personal) info. But it was a paycheck!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to work the word "throbbing" into some copy today.
ReplyDeleteman! no one ever offered me a porn job! although there was that one night in the griffith park men's bathroom, but that probably doesn't count.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go against all my instincts here and just walk on by.
ReplyDelete