The Producer and the 'Bitch'

Wednesday saw a couple of new developments. I finally was able to meet up with a local producer over here in the city. We have been in contact for a couple months now, and circumstances were always limiting our ability to meet up and talk about film and work and whatever else. So I went over to his office in the morning. Turns out he just started his own production company, called The SoFa. When I first called him back in late October, he was just starting out, literally. So it makes sense that we could not meet until now, what with his trying to figure managing a business and flying back and forth to the States (I think for financing, and probably shoots I would think). His offices are in the same apartment as a larger production company, called Sebel. I havent heard of it, nor have I really looked it up yet. But it seems that they were gracious enough to let them set up house in the same area as Sebel.

So the producer, Fady Salame, turned out to be a really down to earth and nice guy. Almost immediately he told me he would help me with whatever I needed, and that whenever a shoot came up he would call me up to be a runner or PA or whatever. Basically the lowliest job in the business, but everyone starts somewhere. Usually at the bottom. It caught me off guard because most people around here are not that honest, nor gracious to people whom they've only just met. He wondered about Brian Carmody (my contact who provided me with Fady's name and number) and our meeting up. Who knew a trip to Australia 5 years ago would provide a contact now. Anyway he was cool and balked at my current wages at Anagram, and told me he had a friend who owned a business. It's called Culinaria, which is basically a store/cafe with an assortment of foods. Its hard to describe, because its not a restaurant, but it has food. It has wine and alcoholic beverages, but it is not a bar. But the best part about it is that it basically imports all their items from the States. It has Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Ben and Jerry's! Holy crap! That's nuts.

So he gave me the name and email of this woman, who he described outright as "She's a bitch, but she's my friend. Just remember, she's a bitch. But I'm sure you will be fine." Great, I thought. Four minutes after I emailed her she called me to set up an interview. I dont know about bitchiness, but this woman is prompt.

So I go in for the interview in about a half hour, and I am excited to see what comes of it. Especially since he seemed to think I would get much higher wages working for this woman, Sylvia, than slaving away at Anagram. And besides, I'm being let go anyway, so it really doesnt matter. So we shall see what becomes of it. Fady told me he has a shoot coming up, and that he would call me. But it's not finalized, so its still up in the air. But that is still good news.

jobs outsourced

One other thing that has been brewing the last week. I got another job working as a personal assistant to this guy in Seattle. He has his own company and deals with T-Mobile (USA). In essence, he offloads some of his work to me, which is basic stuff like setting up new users and transferring their information on to the next part of the set up. Really easy stuff. I thought it was funny and ironic that this guy from Seattle outsourced to Prague and found another American from Seattle.

So that hasnt really started up yet but we've had discussions on what the work is (and I've gotten a taste of it when he sent me a name and let me set up his user interface), the pay, the contract, the taxes involved, the under-the-table-ness. All that good stuff.

It's getting so dark so quickly now. And Jamie has started to make fun of my blogging right about now, so Im going to sign off.

Giving thanks?

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. The Czech Republic obviously does not celebrate the American holiday because the Mayflower never landed in Prague and the settlers never gave thanks to the Czech Native Americans...if that makes any sense at all.

So it wasnt much of a holiday for Jamie and I. I worked in the morning until the late afternoon at Anagram. When I was about to leave, Pavel asked me to step outside to talk for a second. I thought this was ridiculous, considering it was below freezing at that point. But I stepped out anyway, wondering what the crazy Czech had to say to me that it had to be said in the frost-bitten air.

Do you want to continue working here, he said? Now what is this about, I wondered? I told him that of course I did, leaving out the fact that I liked the work and the atmosphere, regardless of the fact that the pay was shit and I wasnt exactly getting any good from working there. He continued to tell me that he thought I was a good fit in the bookshop, but that after reviewing finances with the owners, he was going to have to let me go in the beginning of January. Which caught me quite by surprise, considering the fact that in the beginning, he told me that he did not want anyone who was going to have to leave in a couple months. He wanted someone who he could rely upon to be able to work in Prague for at least a year. And here he is telling me that I was going to be let go after a couple months. Mind boggling. And the fact that it was a financing issue. It was not as if they were giving me a good salary. It is equal to American minimum wage at the beginning of the '80's. Maybe. If the minimum wage sucked big time. If they even had minimum wage back then.

But I have to take it all with a grain of salt. They do pay me shit and I did feel anchored by the part time aspect of the work. I should be working somewhere else anyway. The fact that they were letting me off is probably the break I needed to really figure the work thing out here, but I love the bookshop and it makes me sad to think that I wont be there in the future, employed. After all, it was my first job here in the city, and it gave me hope. Without the spark that the thrill of work gave me, without that I would have had a hard time slogging through financial strains and emotional upheavals that come with those strains. In short, I am thankful for what it gave me. It is too bad that it must end so soon. But, in much of the cases, you have no choice. This is absolutely one of those cases.

So that threw a shadow over my Thanksgiving. Not to mention that I did not get to have any pumpkin pie. That's like a tradition. My favorite dessert, and its almost impossible to find the pie here. Finally, Jamie and I found a place that makes it, and it only costs something like 40 USD. Talk about gourmet pumpkin pie. So no pie for me this year. Which is very very unfortunate.

the flu and other endeavors

The past week has been hectic and crazy for a couple reasons. First, I was I was sick and it hit me like a ton of bricks. One minute I was on my feet feeling good, the next minute I'm bundled in all the clothes and towels and blankets I could find, still freezing and wondering when my head would stop pounding. All this while Jamie stood over me with my camera, taking pictures of me, telling me how cute I looked all bundled up. Yeah, thanks. That's really what I wanted to hear right about then.

The debilitating fever only kept me down for a night, though. A combination of factors probably led to my sickness. Everyone seems to be getting sick, and then I was working at Anagram and with the breakfast documentary that was shooting at the time. The running around in the cold with the camera equipment probably had the most effect on it. But finally it ended. Being sick is one of those things that everyone has to go through, but when it starts to happen, and you feel the sickness just about to rush in and blitz your sinuses, I cant help to wonder: Why now?

Unfortunately for the Czech workers in Anagram, they came down with some virus and all are bedridden. Which makes me wonder if I happened to be the one who passed it on. The other American working in the bookshop, Brent, isn't sick. He made a quip about the 'superiority of our race' to Pavel, the manager. Understandably, he was not amused. Then again, I would never put anything past his dark humor.

So I said goodbye to the documentary crew last night over dinner. They were good guys and are only at the beginning of their journey. It is sad to see them go. A part of me wants to continue with their shoot, stops in Budapest, Nice, Barcelona and Marakesh. But I am happy enough here to be in Prague. I shot off an email to one of my fellow EAP alumni who is still living in Budapest, gave him Bryan's (the director) email, and told him to expect them. So hopefully he will be able to get them into contact with his local friends and show them the sites.

The documentary was pretty funny. It's all about breakfast, and what different cultures eat for breakfast (if they eat it at all). We would interview people out on the streets of Prague and the answers ranged from eggs to pig legs. And most of these people spoke broken English at best, so Henrik, the host, had to do a little deciphering on the beat to keep the subject talking. It was fun and good to watch. And be part of a shoot again. I miss that lifestyle and the work.

Their production office is up in Sweden, so I told them if they ever needed an editor, to shoot me a call. I wouldnt mind a trip up to Sweden. Plus, Henrik was telling me its warmer than Prague. Which is hard to believe, considering how farther north it is. I guess I'll just have to find out.

What else is going on...Jamie's friend Katie came in from the States two days ago. I was worried about her staying with us for a second there, but we hit it off so nothing to worry about. We went out to a dance club called Akropolis last night with the rest of Jamie's TEFL students, now graduated. It was fun to a point. Akropolis was less of what I was expecting, which is too bad. There was a drunk old man dancing and sloshing a beer around. A woman in a wheelchair was out in the middle of the dance floor, and I thought that was pretty awesome to see. I have no idea how she ended up in that chair but I was glad to see she had never given up. There were a line of men staring at the girls dancing. It reminded me of when Jamie and I were in Split, Croatia, and a US naval regiment had just docked, and all the men were sex starved and eyes aggogle. I've never seen so many guys blatantly stare at the female half of a couple. It was ridiculous. Thats what it felt like, but it was in a dark room with music and packed with a bunch of drunk American girls.