Today, it is with overflowing jubilation that I announce that I am moving back to the place that I call home, Halifax, Nova Scotia at the end of August.
It’s been almost three years since I announced my departure from the sea-bound coast here on my blog (Fare Thee Well, N.S.), where I posted a photo of Luke Skywalker, standing outside his home, staring out at the binary sunset, meant to signify a wild and epic adventure of my own, looming on the Ontarian horizon.
Comparing my expectations with what actually took place in the last thirty-four months, not only did I not find my Darth Vader to do battle with, I feel like I missed my flight out of Mos Eisley spaceport.
Enough with the nerd-metaphors.
Toronto’s been a frustrating experience professionally (as well as personally).
In the months leading up to my move to Toronto, people told me that Toronto’s a competitive town. I assumed that what they meant was that you had to have talent to “make it” in Toronto, which I was more than okay with. I have a healthy level of confidence in my talents (as evidenced by my internet blogging fueled narcissism).
What I’ve come to learn, is that Toronto is a competitive town, but not in the ways that I expected, but instead, in “it’s who you know” ways. I unfortunately signed on (and foolishly stayed signed on for two years) with an agent who I had come to learn was not all that good at getting me any auditions, which is fairly problematic in this industry.
I’ve since signed on with Patrick Yang at Oldfield Talent, and have been constantly lamenting the fact that I didn’t sign with him thirty-four months ago.
I have come to respect the beast of Toronto, and after almost three years, and only a play and a Fruit Roll-Up commercial to show for it, I’ve decided I need a break from the beast.
I know I probably sound incredibly jaded right now, but that’s not where I’m coming from. I had to take this leap at that point in my career, and I’m happy I did. It’s all a part of the process, and I very much plan to be chipping away at this process for a very long time to come.
So when I say I’m overflowing with jubilation regarding my return to Halifax, I mean it. This wasn’t a failed endeavour, it was just part of the process.
I look forward to returning to my “small pond”, and taking advantage of the supportive, tight-knit community, furthuring my pursuits as a filmmaker, being close to family and friends, and most importantly, living under the same goddamn roof as my girlfriend again (we’ve been doing the long-distance thing for almost three years as well — don’t get me blogging about that).
In closing, to all the people I worked with in Toronto, thank you, there’s a handfull of you who I’m dying to work with again, and very much plan to; to my peers in Halifax, thank you for your relentless support which has always brought me to “Aw shucks”-levels of humility; and thank you to my girlfriend Kristin for trudging through the long-distance shit with me.
Bring on Darth Vader.
Source: http://glenjm.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/homeward-bound/
