Even STARBUCKS didn’t get back to me. Starbucks! And I’m a former employee. (I don’t understand it, either.)

I’ve heard it’s easier to get a job when you have a job. And from the look of it, and seeing my employed colleagues move onto new jobs, I can believe that.

To date, I have 164 emails in my “Job Applications” email folder. This contains both application notices and rejection emails.

This is not a pity post, or a plea for empathy. I honestly feel that I’m the closest I’ve been in a long time to doing what I’ve been created to do. And I wouldn’t be here (literally) if, say, Porter Novelli said “Yes.”

Just for fun, I’ve complied a list of everyone I can remember interviewing with and applying for. These are in no particular order:

Interviewed with:
Southwest Airlines Head Quarters
Nordstrom Head Quarters
Samaritan’s Purse Head Quarters
The National Partnership for Women and Families
Porter Novelli
Bates Creative Group
INM United
American Forest Foundation
Edelman/StrategyOne
World Hope, International
Relevant Magazine
Vineyard Vines Head Quarters
Crosspoint Community Church
Asurion Head Quarters

Applied to:
Warner Music Group
Jibe
Emma
Starbucks
Cirque du Soliel (how cool would THIS have been?)
TPAC
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
MTV
CMT
Thomas Nelson
Sony Music Group
Gaylord Entertainment
Dave Ramsey
HealthSpring
The Home Depot Head Quarters
DC Water & Sewer Authority
Twitter Head Quarters
Facebook Head Quarters
GAC
American University
RedPeg Marketing
Show Hope
Disney Imagineering (Social Media & Video Communications)
American Progress
ISEP
Living Social
Living Social Adventures
Nissan North America
Global Impact
Huge, Inc.
Halogen TV
American Public Health Association
Perkins Eastman
Jason Communications
NBC Universal
The Ellen Show
Maximum Impact Churches
Blackboard
Ketchum Washington
APCO Worldwide
CoStar Group
Paladin
MDB Communications
Forest Hill Church
CIRCA
Jaleo Crystal City
B-Reel
Creative Circle
AKQA
DDB Talent Management Group
Aquent
National Wildlife Federation
Doorways for Women and Families
Project Hope
Atlantic Media Company
Central Intelligence Agency (yes, even the CIA! – But I couldn’t tell anyone in case I actually got an interview)
USA Today
Intelsat
MarketArt
District of Columbia Public Schools
Home Builders Institute
The People’s Church, Spring Hill Campus
Discovery Channel

Wow… now there’s a list! And to everyone above I want to say thank you! Thank you for not hiring me. I feel more than ever that I’m closer to where I need to be in order to do what I’ve been created to do.

I’m producing two films first quarter, I’m screenwriting, I’m having a blast. Granted, I’m also waiting tables and dealing with some pretty crazy customers, but I’m the happiest I’ve been in two years! And it’s not about the money (clearly.) It’s about doing what I’m supposed to be doing. The money will follow. (I pray, dear God, that the money will follow.)

Some would look at a list this size and feel like a failure. I look at all those doors that didn’t open and then look at the ones that did and I’m encouraged.

Now, that’s not to say that I’m content to remain under-employed. I’m not. There’s a difference between being HAPPY and being CONTENT. I believe that happiness is a choice, and contentment is a catalyst. Am I content with where I am financially and professionally? Heavens no. Not at all. But am I happy? Yeah, sure. My discontentment drives me to create change and keep chasing certain lions.

Someone once said to me, “You’re like my husband. Never happy with what you’re doing.” And to that I say, “I’m VERY happy with what I’m doing. I’m the happiest I’ve been in two years. TWO YEARS! But I’m not content to stay this way.” That’s the difference.

So again. To everyone who told me “No” over the past few years, Thank you. For the ones who are going to say “Yes!” in the coming months, I say “Let’s do this.”

Celebrate Recovery Opening Sequence from Toby Sturgill on Vimeo.

Camera: Canon XF105 at 24 frames/second
Software: Final Cut Pro 7
Music: “The Healing Has Begun” by Matthew West.

The Ambassadors Design & Animation Showreel 2011 from The Ambassadors on Vimeo.

This is a great one coming from Feria Cinematic.

What are your thoughts? What’s the meaning? Is there a message?

Well I guess that feeling has always stayed the same because while I’m mostly super excited about this new production of NEWSIES I’m also a tad jealous that I wasn’t part of it. I mean, I’ve been carrying the banner since 1993, y’all.

I feel like this is going to sweep Broadway and be a hit for years. Like The Lion King or Wicked, NEWSIES is a classic story with a older-millennial cult following. So, while I’m over not being in this production, I am SUPER EXCITED that there are people out there who are just as super excited and “get” NEWSIES like I do.

After living a year in Northern Virginia and the DC Metro area, I’ve discovered that there really is no place like home. While I made some fantastic new friends and had some of the most memorable experiences I still couldn’t see myself in the DMV for much longer.

The time was right for me to leave Nashville a year ago and the time was right for me to return just last month. Over the course of that year I helped produce the Denver #filmcamp for Inside|Out Global and attended the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival.

The #filmcamp was a great success. We had 11 students in two teams who made “Speak Your Mind” and “leftovers.”

The Gideon was an amazing networking opportunity to meet like-minded filmmakers, writers and producers. Seeing as that’s the new career change, that’s what I’m focusing on: filmmaking.

Now with that comes a lot of dues. Most of said dues are paid by working for free on just about any production crew. I’m meeting as many people in film here as I can. I’m looking for opportunities to be on a crew, or be an extra on the production side. I’m starting to search for screenwriters and Executive Producers as well as getting the scripts I’ve written registered with the Writers Guild of America to ensure they’re protected before shopping them around.

The long-term goal is to produce feature-length films and tell great stories. As much as I’d like to jump in there and make that happen, I’m afraid there are quite a few steps between here and there. I’m looking for any opportunity to get my hands dirty and start generating content.

On the making-money-now front: I’m waiting tables at Bricktop’s in Coolsprings and am in negotiations with a social media company to fill a part time sales position with their company. That still leaves me with some time to pursue and produce film. Stories. Great stories.

So again, thanks for being with me on this journey. Check back from time to time to see what’s up. I’m working harder on making this a regular thing with more frequent updates. Be on the look out, too, for film-based content and a lot of talk about producing. I’ll still be posting about typography, design and social media, but will be focusing more on the film side of things.

Thanks for coming back!

Cheers.
-Toby

A year later, I joined them again in Washington DC to do the same workshop with Metro DC youth. Two weeks after that I found myself moving to Alexandria VA with only what I could fit into my SUV.

So what have I been doing this past year in DC? Helping to get Inside|Out Global (IOG) established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We’re finally official!

The mission of IOG is to empower young people to tell their stories and discover their gifts and strengths through filmmaking and the creative arts. Our vision is to see the world’s youth find, embrace and offer their unique gifts to influence and enrich their cultures.

Bonus: now that we’re a 501(c)3, means that you can make a tax-deductible donation to help us do this year round! (We accept checks of all sizes *wink).

This year, in 2011, we’re bringing the same workshop that’s been done in New Zealand and DC to the Denver area at the end of the month! I’ll definitely be blogging more about this experience as it unfolds.

Be sure to check out our brand new website and watch some of the videos the students have done. Keep in mind, these are filmed by students that (in some cases) have never picked up a camera before or seen the inside of Final Cut Pro. The stories they tell are true. I’ll post more videos this week as we gear up for Denver.

Never mind the plot or the characters of “Cooper & The Castle Hills Gang“… I want to acknowledge the creative genius of this idea! It’s one thing to have Castle Hills be the location of a film. It’s another thing entirely to make a movie that SELLS Castle Hills. See the difference?

I’ve often said that Franklin, TN planned community “Westhaven” is much like a movie set. It was created by the same developer (Southern Land) who built “Seaside“, a charming & magical community that looks so fake that it was a perfect location for the film “The Truman Show” (of which I auditioned for three times and never got a chance to be in. I digress.)

When places like Castle Hills are created and are made to be so magical, it only makes sense to make it the location in a movie. Movies, after all, allow us to imagine and dream and see what it’s like to be on the inside of the character’s lives. Why not show (sell) those characters (lifestyle) to the country in a 50 minute film about the place and the charming people who live there.

From the first frame with the Jeep driving by against the bring blue sky, I knew this was Grade-A work; that it wasn’t B-Rate at all. From the lighting, camera moves, score, these guys have made a stellar piece of art that tells a story, but also (hopefully) sells homes within the Castle Hills community.

I’m all for new ideas and going beyond what’s been done before. Have you heard of something like this being done before?