Can you do it all?

A few weeks ago now, a director called and asked if I was around to help her across a few different projects she is working on. This director is so cool and awesome, and her projects are exactly what I want to be doing someday, so I looked at my schedule, pushed a short film production that I couldn’t make it back for, and then figured that everything else I can do remotely, so I got on a plane.

I am in a funny moment in my life, if I were the director of the project that got green-lit, I could stop everything (okay probably not but-). I could push the other projects, not need to finish the scripts, post-production timelines could be extended, and consulting gigs could be put on pause. But I am not the director; I’m just helping the director. And so I still feel like I need to continue to push my career forward. And so I do both.

I have been doing both for two weeks now. Well, not totally. I have a hierarchy.

1. Stuff for the director (on set 12 hour days, emails, meetings, weekend meetings)

2. Stuff for the awesome Broadway music festival where I am the Content Director (strategy, script writing, video directing, talent relations, scheduling, meetings)

3. The short films I am attached to (finished post-production, in prep for a short in Aug)

4. Pushing forward my own writing/directing (co-rewriting a script, finishing my script, thinking about distribution for Too Romantic)

5. Pushing forward Heavy Shovel (social media, events, wanting to do a new Build-A-Short)

And then when you add in spending time with family and friends, I am literally running out of time in the day. [I am writing this at 11:30 PM because our call is later tomorrow so I can stay up a little later — and I only thought I was gonna write about cowriting, but thought this was interesting too.]

Now I am not writing this to be like, oh man I am so busy look at me. I am more writing it to be like - yeah, obviously I have to do this because what else I am supposed to do? I want to be helping and learning from her on set, and then I want to be directing my film in the 8 days I have back in New York.

I think it’s because you never know what the opportunity is that is going to bring you that next amazing opportunity and so you need to put yourself in the position to be doing it all.

Now, that’s not to say that that’s always true. I used to say yes to every short film that wanted me to produce, then I got to be picky and decided to only say yes to the ones where I could also direct (or paid well), and then I got to be even pickier — and so now it’s started to become clear what phase I am in and how you need to say no to make room for yes — but still, you never know!

But when you’re literally running out of time during the day and had to force three friends to do back to back coffees because you only had that one weekend afternoon, then maybe it’s a sign that you need to reevaluate?

But how do you do it? I’m trying to figure it out.

Co-writing is usually two hours, twice a month. Next Saturday it’s one hour -- sorry, see the above. But we will also do a 30 min Q&A with Showrunner Jeff Rake aka my dad to talk about the writing process. We have been going through my script and doing notes, so come with your questions.

For co-writing: We log on; everyone says what they’re working on, then we mute and write for the rest of the hour.

Saturday, July 25, 12pm PT / 3pm ET. Same $15/month tier that covers every co-writing session for the month, and the money goes straight into Heavy Shovel’s Film Fund.

Become a paid subscriber to view the Zoom link.

Please some to The Floaters -- special screening with Q&A. Sunday, July 19, 4:15pm, Laemmle Town Center, 17200 Ventura Blvd. I’m moderating a Q&A with producer Shai Korman. If you grew up going to summer camp, or just want the real story of how this movie got made, that’s the conversation. Tickets are up now, link in our Instagram bio.

I’m directing a short called Or Not to Be, filming August 1 and 2 in Brooklyn. Hiring a sound mixer, script supervisor, production designer, SFX/HMU artist, and a volunteer swing for G&E. Email ornottobefilm@gmail.com if that’s you.

The Big Dig is coming to Chicago this October. Probably Oct 15, still TBA, but registration’s open now if you want to be ahead of the ticket line. Register here.