I remember sitting at a desk, in a cubicle, as I prepared for another day of a monotonous job writing proposals for some career I definitely didn’t want. I was trying to convince myself the money and security was worth it, but man, I was dying inside as if some poison was being filtered through the air conditioning vents.
I got home from work and needed something to take my mind off what life had become. So, I lobbed re-watching “The Office” to my wife before we fell asleep. We wound up watching the entire series, from start to finish, and at some point (I have no idea when) I said to myself: “I can’t keep doing this.”
There is a point to this story, I swear.
Maybe a couple weeks later, my two week’s notice was filed and I decided I was going to write about sports for a living. I had no idea what I’d be getting myself and, more importantly, my wife into.
I started at RantSports, who claimed writers could make as much as $1,000 per month. It was a serious cut in what I was making, but I sold it to Jen as if there’s no way I wouldn’t be making that much just given how hard I was willing to work (I loved the Lakers primarily, but wrote about the NFL, NCAA, MLB and basically anything they would let me).
I believe I wound up making a grand total of $230. Total. In my entire time (six months or so) writing for those crooks.
Cut to roughly six months ago. Lakers Outsiders had caught a few of the right eyes and I was talking to people I hoped might reply to my Tweets regularly. This was honestly all I wanted. (I’m an unequivocally huge nerd).
Fast forward another few months and I’m on the phone with Time Warner Cable. Not about a bill or anything like that, but for the opportunity to come in and check out the studio — which (finally) brings me to my point: While I might criticize the channel for being shills of the franchise, this was literally a dream come true.
I would get to see how a full production gets put together. I’d get to set foot on an actual set. I’d get to watch at least part of a game with James effing Worthy. I was honestly waiting for someone to jump out and arrest me for being in the wrong place. This couldn’t be real.
I could talk forever about how nice everyone at the studio was. I could keep talking about how amazing the set up was in basically every room in the building. I could wax poetic about how cool it was to see such a great team put together such an incredible product.
Somehow, though, I’d be selling Time Warner short.
The trip we took that evening meant so much more than that. I’d say it was a culmination, along with other opportunities that have presented themselves for all the hard work and sacrifice it’s taken to get here, but that would imply finality.
No, instead, the trip to TWC headquarters symbolized the continued desire for progress. I don’t care what it might take. I want to get there eventually. They invited us to the offices to instill a relationship between the channel and the bloggers who might write about it. I walked away from the experience with an understanding of what I’ve worked my ass off for.
This is so much more than either Time Warner or I could’ve hoped for heading into this experience. I can’t overstate how thankful I am for that.
After the experience we met up with Daniel Buerge (the Lakers Nation guy who now runs TWC’s social media department). Drew Garrison (Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen & Roll) asked him what a bad day at the office is like.
Daniel laughed, took a swig of water and looked Drew in the eyes.
“There are none,” Daniel said.
That moment, where two guys I’ve looked up to ever since I joined Twitter forever ago came to an understanding of both what hard work might lead to and why it’s worth working the insane hours to get there, is what I’ll take away from our trip to Time Warner.
There is nothing I could’ve hoped to experience that will last longer than that lesson and for that, I could not possibly be more thankful.
