If you have a moment…
The company I spent a few years at just laid off/fired/furloughed/eliminated multiple people. Like a bunch. There’s a lot of rumor and gossip floating around, but seriously. More than ever. Last time it was 4. This time it was 10+ possibly.
This includes the person who took over my job as Lightning Swami/Lighting Designer/Lighting Coordinator/master electrician.
“Who is in charge of lighting”, you might ask.
“No one fucking knows”, I answer.
No, I don’t work there anymore, but I do like a LOT of people over there.
I left because the certain executives didn’t understand or care for what I did, how much time I devoted to it, the hours of stress and worry. The literal suffering of trying to coordinate and design shows with 50-300 moving lights and LEDs plus conventionals.
Laying awake at night. Going in early, staying 24 hours straight, just to do good work. Even as a salaried employee, doing the work of at least 4 (if I were at a larger lighting company). Day in and day out, yes hating life, but still dedicated to putting out the best design and planning I possibly could. To continue to care with all my heart while also saying I wanted to throw my hands up, give them the finger and walk. You can only work so many 100 hour work weeks without swearing and cursing everything around you.
Certain people hated what I did. They didn’t understand my job or how much I did, nor did they care to ask or learn. It was pointless to them. A waste of money. When you grow, pretty much overnight, from shows with maybe 3 universes worth of lighting stuff to 8-16 universes in under a year… and you pretty much never go back to anything LESS that 4 and you don’t think about adding more equipment OR people to do all the prep and planning, that creates a problem.
So … I quit and another person took over my job and things went okay. Not great at first, but shows happened and he was learning and trying hard. It was coming together, he was getting good at it. Building a workflow, learning everything involved, all the hidden widgets and gizmos.
But I feel like that position had a limited shelf life. Once the executives think you bring NO VALUE to the company, much less the show, the position is kind of doomed.
I don’t know what’s happening over there, whether it’s a cash flow glitch, cleaning house, or an all out hemorrhage. I don’t know if they’re re-branding or switching gears or just cleaning house.
But I do know that a bunch of people lost their jobs today, people I like and hope the best for. People I care about.
A lot of people who do the grunt work, the behind the scenes work. The drafting and the equipment prep, the hidden accounting and even some of creative front end.
I hope the best for those who were let go today. I still hope the best for the company and that those who remain are all okay too. Well, the good ones. Not the snakes and the bloodsuckers. The fucking vampire people who would sooner turn on you than help you.
As for those I don’t like, well, fuck those clowns. What a bunch of jackoffs those pricks are.
Anyway, if you could take a moment and just pause to send out good vibes to the people who lost their jobs today, I know that they need it… and I know that they’ll appreciate it.
E
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