Tag Archives: USF

Thank You for Your Interest in Our Company…

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…unfortunately, we have chosen another candidate at this time but we will keep your resume on file for future positions that are more in line with your qualifications (the biggest lie next to “I have read the terms and conditions”). How many of you have received hundreds of those emails? I certainly have. So many, in fact, I could usually determine which recruitment automation software the company used. Occasionally, my name wouldn’t even be in the “to whom” area; it would simply read “dear candidate” or worse “dear NAME.” Hashtag, mail merge fail. When you constantly receive rejection emails from potential employers and collectively fewer than 15 interviews over more than two years, you breakdown emotionally and psychologically. How could it be? I did everything society says you’re supposed to do in order to make-it in this life. I had many years of valuable work and volunteer experience, bachelors and masters degrees, 12 indie films, and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and a book. Still. I was unsuccessful in landing any position directly or even indirectly related to my professional and academic experience. After 956 unique resumes and cover letters and searching for over 26-months, I finally landed a position after graduate school AND it’s in my field; but, there were plenty of times along these more than two years that I was simply ready to give up. After a while of searching without even an interview, depression set in and it became physically sickening to continue to search for a job.

Although I was confident that I was doing everything I could in order to catch the attention of a company, I knew that I could not expect different results if I kept doing the same thing the same way (or some variation of it). I reached out to career services at USF and began working with the VP of career services. Having hope that he would be able to look over my resume and cover letter and be able to determine why I wasn’t receiving interviews, I was disappointed when he said that my resume, cover letter, and portfolio looked fine. He did mention that my cover letter was too long and I needed to edit the length, add more “you” and less “I,” and an active close; however, all that said, he was puzzled why I wasn’t landing interviews. Taking his advice, I edited my cover letter and highlighted how my skills would be valuable to a position instead of a longform version of what was already on my resume. So, I suppose looking back, my cover letter did need help. Fortunately, he said that my resume was an excellent one and even used it as an example for other students and recent under/graduates. After meeting with him a few times, I did get a few interviews coming in (collectively, over two years I had less than 15. I think the number is closer to 10 out of nearly 1K resumes/applications). Eventually, I stopped hearing from him. Even after I had an interview with a company that worked with career services–when I didn’t get the job–he reached out to them and asked why. He sad he was going to meet with me to discuss an area of improvement in my interview technique (that wasn’t terribly major), but he never got with me. And I emailed him a few times to set something up.

So, I was back to being on my own again. Even though searching for a job was beginning to really drain my confidence and energy levels, I was fortunate to have a job at USF, MOSI at the time, and a gig I still have editing an NPR show. So, I am not trying to paint a picture of sheer destitution because that would be unfair to those who are unemployed. But all my jobs together still came to less than $24K a year. Hardly enough to live on, independently (with a roommate). Although there was certainly financial struggles, I think the urge to give up was from exhaustion of having done everything right and still failing. There were also plenty of times that I wondered if I was going to have to move back home AGAIN, because I couldn’t seem to hack it. Little more than a year into my job search, I landed an additional part-time job at USF, which combined with my then-current one, gave me 40hrs at $15/hr. Other than not getting paid for holidays, no sick time, no vacation time, and losing a week of pay between Christmas and News Years (and yeah I know, that’s a lot of “not”), I was nearly able to be stable. Last fall, I was hired on at the University of Tampa as a part-time faculty member in the communications department teaching film and writing. Finally. I finally landed something that I could not have without my graduate degree. Of course, I am still juggling multiple part-time jobs at this point. Despite not getting paid between semesters, the job at UT worked wonders to assist me during my larger job search.

Most of my downtime at work and at home was spent on Indeed and on any company I could find through a Google search to find a job. Learned quickly that the LinkedIn jobs feature is completely useless, and even when positions were being posted but already taken. Just have to be posted because of EEO laws. Boy, did I learn a thing or two about EEO. There were a few occasions that I interviewed with mostly female companies. I would interview very well, meet all minimum qualifications plus the preferred, and still not land the job. Would find out later that it went to a female candidate. Although I may be over analyzing that, there were a few instances in which the recruitment process was incredibly fishy and left with the notion that they simply wanted to work with another female. Another time I had an awful interview experience was with a company that conducted the phone interview and decided to bring me in for the in-person one. The whole time during the in-person interview, I was questioned as to why I even bothered applying for the job because they feel that I didn’t have sufficient experience. Why did you even bother to bring me in to begin with??? Interviewed for a city government job, and one of the members on the panel was on his phone the whole time. Made eye contact only when he had to. And I was well-prepared. Had an interview setup at a company where I had two friends; it went poorly too. The interview itself went well, but they never got back with me and even asked my friends if I was applying for an entry level job that was compensated much less than I even made at USF. Long story short, I don’t think he paid attention to anything I said.

Financially things have progressively gotten tighter over the months. Sometimes there was relief when a little extra money would come in from a side gig but ultimately, it was getting harder and harder to continue to live sufficiently. Saved a lot of money by biking to work (after I got one for Christmas), and that proved to be excellent not only for my wallet but my health too. I began getting creative with food over the last couple years. I often cooked at home to begin with, but now I was breaking out all my mom’s old recipes and making them. Most of the recipes were casseroles, chicken/beef and rice, and others that could be stretched over a few days. My roommate grew a fondness for my mom’s recipes too. Now I know how my mom kept the family fed when my dad was in graduate school. One day, I was on the phone with my sister and she asked me if I ever seriously prayed about my situation. I responded, “well sure, I have.” She then asked if I was fervent or even offered up something of mine as an offering. Now that, I had not done. She reminded me of the Old Testament story of Hannah, who wanted a child so desperately. She made God a promise that she would dedicate him to God if He were to bless her with a son. Long story, short. He did, and she did. Now I did not have much to offer. I already gave as much as I could to others and would offer a helping hand whenever it was needed. But, I did have an income. And although I would tithe from my income, I was not regular. I made God the promise that if He were to open the door to a job that I would commit my first 10+% no matter how tough times got.

Around that time, I had a series of interviews with HSN (Home Shopping Network), Feld Entertainment (Disney on Ice, Disney Live, Marvel Universe Live, Monster Jam, etc), and contacted about an upcoming position at the University of Tampa as a supervisor in Media Services. All these came around the same time. Now, I am not saying that because I made a promise that I got the leads, but it is definitely something to ponder. After several interviews with HSN and having known the recruiter for 5 years over the course of interviews in the past, the position went to a friend of mine who was also a candidate. I literally got the news of my rejection (for the 4th time from that company) on my way to my in-person interview at Feld. As you can imagine, I was incredibly disappointed and even hurt once again. But, I could choose to dwell on the negative and allow that to affect my approaching interview or take it as a message that I have to absolutely kill this next one and leave a strong impact. I chose the latter. The following weekend after that interview was payday. And, with not teaching at UT over the summer and with having found out the previous week that I was losing that second job at USF (that added the 10 hours to the 30 I had in Mass Comm), I was facing dire straights once again. I seriously thought of not offering God the top 10+% because I could easily rationalize it as a need to keep due to my income essentially getting cut in half until UT started back up. But, I made a promise “no matter how tough times got.” So, I put money in my savings account and set aside my tithe+ and prayed that it would all work out. That following Tuesday, even after being told by Feld that the recruitment process would take weeks from the in-person interview, I received a phone call. I was pretty well sure that the recruiter was calling to tell me that I didn’t get the job, but to my amazement, I heard wonderful news. God sent me a miracle–little ol’ me.

I’ve been waiting more than two years to hear those words–we would like to offer you the position…–and it happened. I was speechless. I even received $2K more than I had on my application. I prayed for a miracle and I’ve no doubt that’s what I experienced. What happened to that possible UT job that I was contacted about even before it was posted??? I never heard back from UT on that one position and received rejection emails from other companies. Fortunately, working at Feld still allows me to continue teaching part-time at UT as a Film & Media Arts instructor and continue to edit the NPR show. Looking back, I feel strongly that I would not have received the interview, much less, an offer from Feld if it had not been for my four years at USF working in video production and the TV studios. My three years at Disney World, my bachelors degree, past films, Masters degree, and time at USF all worked together to open the door that the Lord brought to me. Interestingly, I wasn’t even looking at editing jobs as a rule of thumb because my producing skills were better than my editing skills (albeit, I am a competent editor and learned a lot through my work at USF), but this job popped up in an Indeed search several months ago. Who would’ve known that would be the job that I would land after more than 26mos of searching.

Over the months, I’ve been able to help others who are facing the same grim career landscape. With my vast experience with resume writing, submission, and interviewing, I have been able to coach others along the way. My story is one of many, but I wanted to–as briefly as I could–write it down in hopes that it may inspire you or keep you from falling into a deep depression like I did a few times during this long journey. Bottom line is, don’t give up. Learn all you can where you are in life. Surround yourself with encouragement. And, never underestimate the power of a prayer and promise.

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On Cinema and Theme Parks (part 1)

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My BookDo you love learning about the magic of movies and theme parks? So do I! Living in Tampa, I am surrounded by some of the world’s top destination white sand beaches and exciting theme parks just up the road. As a passholder to Disney World, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld, I frequent the parks nearly as often as I go the cinema. Having spent a great deal of time working in independent film, working for three years at Disney World, and now as a cinema and theme park critic, I have a great deal of passion for both storytelling mediums. And the amazing thing is that there is such a fantastic and symbiotic relationship between the two. Hence why I spent my Master’s program at the University of South Florida studying the place at which both converge. Specifically, I researched the elements of narrative, spectacle, pleasure, character, setting and more in terms of how they correspond with one another. Whether that is taking a movie and developing it into an attraction or taking an attraction (or entire section of a park) and developing it into a movie. Both are powerful means of conveying a story or message. I delve into what it takes for a movie to be a successful attraction or vice versa.

Although there have been peer-reviewed articles and books written on cinema, there definitely lacked empirical research on the theme park side. Furthermore, most peer-reviewed articles and books are so incredibly boring and pretentious to read. My goal was to break down both and write about them in such a way that it is fun to read about. Movies and theme parks are FUN! So, reading about the relationship between the two should be equally fun and interesting. Starting with the history of how cinema influenced the modern theme park design and finishing with some of what to expect in the future, this book has it all! Although I would prefer that you buy my book (on Amazon), I have selected excerpts from it that I will publish over the next few weeks as I work on my next theme park piece. I hope you enjoy!

 

WDW CastleIn today’s world of entertainment, where some media conglomerates own both film studios and theme parks, successful films sometimes bridge these two media to create the basis for new theme park attractions. The following research study seeks to define the elements that a film needs in order to be successfully translated to a live themed entertainment experience, thus eliciting the desired emotional response from the guests; and also the necessary elements that a theme park attraction needs in order to convey both spectacle and narrative regarding the film upon which it is based.  Although there are tools currently available to studio executives and creative staff at entertainment companies, this study will serve as a model using the ideas, theories, supporting evidences, and streamlining them into one study—a consolidation of tools, if you will.

As media companies grow, and both cinema and theme parks adapt to changing needs and desires of movie patrons and park guests, the leadership at these companies needs to have the appropriate information at their fingertips to create effective and memorable stories for the screen and park. This study highlights what the potential park guests or movie patrons are looking for in terms of what drives them to spend money on themed entertainment or the cinema. Condensing this complex set of desires into a simplified answer: in terms of cinema-based attractions, the audience is searching for attractions and rides that immerse themselves into a participatory environment in which they make a difference in the story and encounter the unique characters, settings, and plots from the movie.—they want to be viscerally engaged and transported into a world of fantasy or adventure.

Universal HollywoodEver since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, audiences from around the world have been drawn to the temple of the height of the visual and performing arts, the cinema. In many ways, the early days regarded the cinema as an attraction, an amusement. In fact, many of the first silent films were shown in carnivals. Nickelodeons dotted the landscape in drug stores and clubs. Elaborate and ornate movie palaces housed some of the first big screens, and orchestras played along with the narrative (Gunning, 1986). Over the last century, cinema has gone from existing in sideshows to being a dominant mass communication source that has evolved into the very rollercoaster to which many critics and lay people compare it; and, not only metaphorically.

From starting in carnivals to now being the inspiration for the most visited theme parks in the world, cinema has gone full circle and is now instrumental in an unparalleled synergy with themed entertainment. Over the decades, there has been a strong convergence between cinema and theme parks. Studio executives, filmmakers, and theme park designers are working together in ways that serve to support both the movies and the parks that have rides based on the movies. More than ever, filmmakers and attraction designers need to know what the cinema patron and park guest both want in order to create a synergistic and dynamic entertainment experience based on a single narrative.

Hitchcock AttractionTwo of the greatest forces in media and entertainment are the cinema and theme parks; and for the latter part of the 20th Century and continuing strong into the 21st, the convergence between the cinema and theme park is becoming clear. Additionally, within the last several years, theme park attractions have inspired movies (e.g. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion). The relationship between the movies and theme parks is a strong one, but why is that so? Can one exist without the other? Or, is it a co-dependent relationship that benefits both entities? Perhaps it is all of the above. But, not every successful movie makes an equally successful theme park attraction. Often times, it is the Horror and Action genres that are used as the inspiration for successful attractions (e.g. ET-The Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, The Bates House and Motel, and Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies).

As technology advances, the cinema and theme parks have adapted and evolved over the years to include the technology to both impress audiences and save money. Still building off the success of the cinema, theme parks have evolved their rides and attractions to go from the magic behind the movies to immersing the audience or guests into the movie itself. Likewise, studios and production companies are producing movies that act as attractions themselves. But, central to this study are the questions: why is it essential for the cinema to continue this synergy with the theme park industry, and what does it take for a movie to be a successful theme park attraction?

(Continue to Part 2)