After my internship today, I had an appointment to go to at 2pm to speak with a guy in charge of a company in Hollywood. In fact, on Hollywood Blvd. He basically maintains the place; I guess he’s the manager or something. Anyway, I spoke with him for about 30 minutes about what I am looking to do here in LA. He wanted to know my background and interests and where I would like to be. I surprised him by telling him about my background and my love for film scores, and he was amazed how sure I sounded about what I really wanted to do with my life. It takes so many people years to find that right job, but I sounded convincing to him and myself! It was great!

This company specializes in film scores. They rarely ever mix a TV score unless it’s to maintain a relationship with a great client. One of the latest movies they mixed is I Robot, which I have yet to see. But he explained some of the process that went into it. Pretty interesting stuff.

One downside is that his company has a bad track record with interns and intern placement, and he made me fully aware of that. He in no way guaranteed me a thing except for me to get some time to learn some of their equipment and to possibly use it when others aren’t. However, the many music editors who work there are starting to pick up more work lately so it’s pretty busy!

After speaking with him for a while, he offered me the opportunity to work with them doing mostly administrative tasks, saying it’s my own initiative to try to give them whatever time I am willing. So, I have decided to at least try it out. The interesting thing about this new internship is that truthfully, I am there. This is a kind of job that I have thought about for a while. Or at least I’ve thought about it in some capacity.

If I were to get “hired”, my job would possibly/probably include as much as working with a composer of a movie, overseeing the dubbing of a recording session, mixing the music/fx/dialog into the movie, and plenty more. The reason I put quotations around hired is because, if I think I remember correctly, he said that the employees are really just working as independent contractors and for the company but the company takes care of other matters. I don’t really technically know how it is but that’s what I think I heard.

So I’m really just almost there. I mean, I am so close to being there that it’s crazy. Now, if only I could get paid! And that’s the biggest issue with taking this internship. It’s another non-paying job that will require whatever hours I can give them but the only benefits I have are meeting the right people and learning all the equipment. Other than that, it’s all my volunteer work. I hate this, but money will eventually become a huge factor in my time devotion to the company as well as being able to stay here. There’s always a little chance that they would eventually work me in to their system for hire, but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. And that’s such a dilema for me.

I’m pretty much taking everything one day/week/month at a time right now to try to figure out what’s next, what’s to come, what I need to do. In some fashion and form, being here in LA, being able to work in this industry and the potential for me to work my way into a music editor position is a dream come true. But it’s almost purely at my expense right now. I don’t know what will happen to me, I don’t know if this’ll even work out. But I have no regret in trying to make it. I am trying my best to make decisions which I won’t regret, and if this doesn’t work, there are probably lots of other opportunities that I can make for myself whether they be here or elsewhere.

Let’s hope for the best, no matter the outcome.