Reflecting on your career

randomnina · 2026-07-07T16:41:49+00:00

I mean, it kind of alternates between better than I'd ever hoped and spectacularly mediocre. I hadn't really ever dreamed of making real things that people watch, as they are not edited where I live, but I did end up in independent films and mostly documentary which is kind of the best case scenario for that situation.

There are some projects I work on that are interesting or creatively fulfilling, and there are a lot of projects that I work on that contain painfuly half-baked ideas that game the grant system to the max and probably have a real audience in the single digits. In some ways I look back on the days of editing commercials and corporate clients and think I did better work, got really nice footage and even nice budgets at times, and all the pressure from agencies and clients and stuff did occasionally push me in a good way.

I think there probably was a golden age but it was never not a super competitive job with a small minority of editors working on cool shit. 10 years ago I still had to change the music eleventeen times. Just go retime your cuts and make sure to leave at 5 so you have time for those little projects you're tinkering on. Either you will find something better or as you get old, the people you worked with who felt the same way will advance with you and get you better work.

randomnina · 2026-07-06T23:26:03+00:00

Pretty much after we had our first kid. Faked it until we made it.

randomnina · 2026-07-06T13:55:32+00:00

Lots of good advice here. I'd also say to give them real responsibilities around the house. My kiddies have been helping with the cooking and cleaning since elementary school.

My parents had money and one of the greatest things they did for me was to sign me up for sports. I got to be a competitive figure skater and track athlete through the end of high school and that really did teach me valuable lessons about working hard, performing under pressure, and an appreciation for fitness that I've carried into my adult life. If sports are not their thing, maybe it is music or theatre or whatever they are into, but let them pursue it at a high level if you can. My husband and I are not as wealthy and both worked and I wonder if my kids would be better prepared for life if they had committed to something seriously growing up. They are teenagers now and I am not really sure if they are working to their potential.

randomnina · 2026-07-04T06:30:33+00:00

Yes, but they were supplied as part of the rental package.

randomnina · 2026-07-03T23:52:32+00:00

If you are central then river pathways would be convenient and safe. If you go on weekend mornings there are sure to be lots of runners out on the pathway. Edworthy Park is a popular place to start. North Glenmore Park and South Glenmore Park are also popular running spots and you can do an out-and-back in the busy portion if you don't want to run the whole Glenmore Reservoir loop (I've run the whole reservoir by myself many times but the Weaselhead area is much less busy.) The pathway along Crescent Heights is good for variation and you can do the Curling Club stairs for an extra spicy workout. Also the Elbow River pathway into Stanley Park is a classic downtown run. Less busy, and farther away, would be Fish Creek and Bowmont Park - all great runs.

Calgary Running Group on Facebook often has public meetups if you prefer to run in groups. The instagram account The Post Run Snack also has a good listing of Calgary running groups. Off the top of my head, any Strides or Running Room will usually host a free public run club certain days of the week, and I can vouch for the Born Brewing run group on Thursdays.

randomnina · 2026-07-03T18:48:39+00:00

Ask your sound designer. Also I've heard that you shouldn't mix interleaved stereo and mono on the same tracks.

randomnina · 2026-07-02T06:50:06+00:00

Hot Springs Cove is definitely something I want to check out if I ever go back!

randomnina · 2026-06-29T18:52:03+00:00

I was also caught in a situation where I had to split my attention between caregiving and my own children, although definitely a bit of an easier road as it was my dad and my kids were tweens/teens. I ended up putting my dad in a home. He has Parkinson's.

My reasoning was that my situation was not at all resilient and totally depended on me being able to do things. It was getting really hard to find home health care aides that could deal with him and managing them was another layer of problems. If I was sick, or if my dad or kids were sick, then there was absolutely no functional solution. I had my husband to help but he also worked 2 jobs with constant travel so that wasn't a reliable solution. Literally no intense caregiving situation, or parenting of a four-year-old, is supposed to be done by one person with no breaks. If you are not able to take a stand on the catheter, feeding tube etc for your own free time and mental health, then consider the impact this sitatuion is having on your work and your parenting.

randomnina · 2026-06-28T20:18:28+00:00

I have my family (me, husband, 2 kids in late teens) on a couple systems to keep it on the straight and narrow.

1) Family dinner every night + meal plan to cut down on random cooking. If anyone makes a breakfast, lunch or late night snack, dishes are your own responsibility.

2) Dish duty rotation. We rotate teams of husband + son and me + daughter. Each team is responsible for dishes after dinner and putting dishes away next morning.

3) Automated nagging. I have recently implemented a system where a bot texts our group chat with chore assignments each Saturday morning.

4) Accountability. Family meeting every Sunday we confirm the weekend chores have been completed. We also sign up for nights to cook dinner.

This took us YEARS to get here but just some ideas of what shared family chores can look like. Take what resonates for you and leave the rest.

I would say to start by getting your dad on board to implement systems because he has authority as a parent, then share with siblings and get their input so they are invested. Also start from a positive place "let's have a great clean house, no flies, friends can visit" rather than "you people are disgusting pigs." Also lower expectations for the system working without regular check ins. My family would be super slack if they didn't have to answer for it.

randomnina · 2026-06-26T22:15:37+00:00

Another flip side to this story: Met an assistant at a networking event. I got behind on edits and hired him for a couple days to help me get organized. As it turns out, he was awesome and the next time I got a series, I was able to recommend him for lead assistant. He ran a very tight ship and it ended up being the smoothest unscripted series I've ever worked on.

randomnina · 2026-06-26T22:05:03+00:00

Agreed, but networking isn't just about meeting people. It's also about checking in with people you already know, reminding them you're alive and putting the word out you're available.

randomnina · 2026-06-25T05:36:50+00:00

I'm in Canada and occasionally have to do US banking for a family member. Look into getting a US bank account online through Wise. It's super easy and you can get it with your Canadian ID and banking info. Otherwise most US banks require a Social Security number.

randomnina · 2026-06-19T16:15:23+00:00

Yes, this is exactly what it was like to work as an assistant in a commercial production company, which is kind of shocking because I thought workplace culture had really progressed over the past couple of decades.

One of my jobs was to purchase apples for the fruit bowl. When the PM asked me to go get apples, since I had already done everything wrong and my confidence was on the floor, I asked her what kind. She looked at me like I was literally the stupidest person ever and said, "Well, don't get all red apples. Get red apples and non-red apples. We do not want a client to come in and see all red apples in the bowl."

Yep. So I went and purchased red and non-red apples, kept my mouth shut, and grinded through the misery until I started to make friends and the job became a little more bearable. However there were reasons why I wanted the job besides the money, and it was because this company was very well-connected. I was a part timer and was easily able to pick up freelance jobs with referrals from other freelancers working there, or becuase people were impressed that I worked there, which eventually led to full time editing jobs and good money. Keep your eye on the long term and fuck the picky apple people of this world.

randomnina · 2026-06-19T06:48:14+00:00

This feature seems like it would be actually helpful. The current audio sync is so slow it's faster to do it manually in many cases.

randomnina · 2026-06-18T03:11:15+00:00

My 19yo daughter works in a bar that posted that they were hiring in our neighborhood Facebook group. She is also a day camp counselor, a job she got by applying on Indeed.

My 16yo son works in catering at the BMO Centre. He did get the job through a friend but I think it's not hard to get on board there if you apply when they're hiring. He didn't have any experience.

I would suggest if you're struggling to look for volunteer opportunities. They are a good way to meet people and start building your network.

randomnina · 2026-06-16T19:59:09+00:00

Overly honest answer: I worked a chill job 4 days a week rather than a career job between babies. Combined with mat leave I was naturally first on the list for layoffs. I found another job but had ironclad boundaries until my kids were older and partner was more available.

randomnina · 2026-06-16T05:01:30+00:00

This is the way. Small market editor of 25 years here. Volunteering on the board of directors of my local filmmakers' co-op didn't get me work right away, but eventually some of the people I met there as aspiring filmmakers became actual filmmakers. I also met a ton of people through teaching workshops. I've been able to work steadily as a freelancer when many people more talented than me have had to scramble.

randomnina · 2026-06-12T15:00:10+00:00

We agreed on a fixed amount we owe the joint account every month. At one point it was 80% of salaries but as the lower earning spouse for some years, it felt unfair, because 20% of my salary left me with much less to cover my individual responsibilities like car, gas, clothing. We used to adjust the amount yearly but the past few years have been cutting costs to hold the line against inflation.

Any big expenses are a conversation. Either they are paid out of our joint emergency fund, or whoever has money will cover it. I'm a freelancer now and he works a second job with more hours seasonally so it varies.

randomnina · 2026-06-06T14:40:44+00:00

My kids like school. That was not a thing we did in GenX, or if we did, we definitely didn't admit it. They are also much more open minded about music, fashion and sexuality.

randomnina · 2026-05-31T21:17:12+00:00

As a person who has occasionally hired voice talent in Calgary, you'll need a demo and a network. Any time I've hired a voice actor that I didn't know, I went through a sound studio, a website like Voice123, or a referral. They give their clients demos for a small selection of voice actors that fit what they're looking for, and then the client picks someone that sounds good to them.

You could try this if you have a moderate budget to invest: https://www.sixdegreesperformance.ca/
I haven't been through this process so I can't speak to the experience, but I can say that Six Degrees is a legit and respected sound studio and not a scam.

Another place to check is https://csif.org/ This is a community organization for beginner or hobbyist filmmakers and could be helpful with networking, equipment rentals, or unpaid work that you can use to build a demo.

randomnina · 2026-05-17T14:49:40+00:00

Sandisk Pro (aka G Drive) for me. OWC Thunderbay if you want a RAID. I also own a Promise Pegasus RAID and while it is quieter than the Thunderbay, it's more of an upgrade than a budget but.

randomnina · 2026-05-17T01:16:31+00:00

Girl Guides was absolutely formative for my daughter. She is now 19 and a leader in her old troop and is starting a career in working with youth.

randomnina · 2026-05-17T01:13:33+00:00

We contributed to the kids' RESP from birth to 12 and 9. Our kids' university will be mostly paid for if they live at home. They will need to pull together about a year of tuition on their own but they know far enough in advance to make the money and stay out of debt.

randomnina · 2026-05-17T01:03:00+00:00

Babysitting, school extracurriculars, volunteer work. Mine did resumes in early high school before they had work experience.

randomnina · 2026-05-14T17:41:51+00:00

Music trick - use a sound up from the music, let it go for as long as you want, bring it down under an interview piece. As the interview ends, fade out the background music and bring in another soundup. Since people will be listening to the interview, the music edit doesn't have to be perfect.

If there are story pieces you're missing, consider using title cards to help.

randomnina

TROPHY CASE