Who are we?
Gail Moscoso is basically a mix between the Art of War and the world of PR. I sat next to her for nine years and while she has traditionally been extremely patient with her career, she has never let an opportunity slip by her. She has also never done so at the expense of anyone else. She’s currently the director of PR at Peacock, but now sitting across from her while she’s on a zoom call, it feels like we’re still managers in our adjacent cubicles, hustling and grinding to make the magic work, even if nobody outside of our bubble appreciates or values what we do. Neither of us were destined to stay at our old jobs.
Teny Sarian worked for me briefly at Universal, and got that position despite submitting very late in the process. There’s a little hope for you all in Teny’s story; if you’re the right person for any opportunity, yes, you can absolutely tear through the competition like a bowling ball, so do not hesitate to go for it. She’s quiet but opinionated, shy but strong-willed, and absolutely brilliant at lateral thinking, knowing across a whole spectrum how different things affect each other. She’s also a dedicated fan of Kobe Bryant, so you can add that to the reasons why I adore and admire her.
As for me, I lived in the world of live theater at one of LA’s most prestigious acting schools and managed the live entertainment on Universal CityWalk for 12 years, but really, who I am was dictated many years ago, in grade school. Yes, I'm the product of bullying for nearly my entire childhood until I got to high school. I like to believe that affected my DNA fundamentally so that when I started producing entertainment, I really gravitated towards artists - essentially, people who were just made different. Through over 600 shows (I was thinking about the number earlier today), I discovered my vocation to help artists not give up on their talent, and now I'm the Artistic and Creative Director for Grand Performances in downtown LA.
So of course, as Gail and I talked about working remotely together, we of course have amazing ambition when our minds come together and here we are, iced coffee and two laptops, Gail's on a zoom call and I'm about to take a peek at what's going on in my inbox. This is essentially my sixth day, so no pressure to respond, but I feel like we're going to do more than just answer emails in the future. I have a book to write and artists to meet with, too.
For the sake of this thing, I think I’ll throw out a question for Gail when she’s done with her zoom call. She literally just apologized to her meeting attendants for the fire engine that just went by us.
Our first action item: A mission statement for Two Year Plan.
How did we come up with Two Year Plan? Well, our first name for about ten minutes was Pando, named after the 80k year old group of trees in Utah. One quick glance at Urban Dictionary and that name was donezo. While Gail and I worked at Universal and attended a bunch of different events together, we always dreamed of something bigger than whatever it was we were doing, so we often yelled out to each other (especially when one of us was about to do something big) “Two Year Plan,” meaning that we’d be out of there and onto bigger and brighter opportunities soon. Did we get out of there in two years? Nope. But we did move on to bigger things.
The Two Year Plan thing has a history before Gail, though. I just told Gail about a debate I kept having with my dad about all of the time I spent basically volunteering my time to build the theater company and keep it going. Mind you, I was spending 3-4 nights a week and every weekend at the theater, coming home to write and build props and basically supporting every production for a hard core investment of 10 years in my 30s. My dad wanted me to make money, and until I did so, he said it was a hobby. So instead of getting angry with him again, I finally told him this: “I’ll make you a deal. I have a two year plan. I’m going to do this for two years. I’m going to give it everything I have and really focus on it. At the end of two years, I’ll reassess and then do two more years. I’ll keep doing this for two years at a time, and as soon as it doesn’t make sense any more, I’ll stop.” He was actually fine with that. I pulled that plan out of my butt, but here we are. It worked.
When I told Gail that story just now, she related a story about a couple she knows who, every seven years, take a big trip together and they look and their lives, reassess, and ask each other if everything’s still working. They plan on doing this every seven years. I like this plan. Two years ago the pandemic hit and we had to reassess. Two years before that, Gail left her cubicle next to me for the place where she is now. Two years before that I lost my dad and a handful of friends to different ailments/accidents and had everything reprioritized. This two year plan seems to follow us, regardless of what we do.
I definitely need to plug my laptop in. I keep looking for an outlet even though I've scanned this patio multiple times. We've been here for 90 minutes, so it might be time for us to grab a bite and maybe look at the menu. The real hero here is the shade we're under.
Also, the food! I mean, look at this:
California Toast and their Truffle Tater Tots.
Also, it's important to note that Teny isn't going to make it today.
The three of us sat one cubicle away from each other for such a long time, we feel like siblings at this point. In fact, when Gail and I sat down today, it felt like no time had passed since we last saw each other 3-4 years ago. That's how you know you're destined to have some people in your life for a long time. I'm listening to her on a call right now and I'm immediately focused on what I'm doing. We were all overwhelmed once upon a time, we've been in the trenches together, and then exhausted at the end of an event, so this all feels familiar, minus the avocado toast and scorching heat.
*bing* the current weather in BURBANK is 99 degrees, but due to the humidity and Santa Ana winds, it actually feels like 106 degrees. *bong*
So what do we hope to create from this? First and foremost, getting out of the house to work on stuff is super healthy, so you're not in the same space you do work in. I've been learning a lot about cultural code switching after conversations with other children of immigrants, but there's a bit of switching between work me and all of my other ambitious thoughts and ideas. There's a whole other person who comes out when I meet up with my weekly trivia team; We are winning our second consecutive season tomorrow night. Goals, right?
Our two year plan for this experiment includes finding a place where we can work without fire engines and helicopters, but with great coffee and power outlets. Will Teny ever make it? Of course she will. Will other people join us? Possibly. We might even pull other randos to our table in the future, to learn about them and see if we can all work together somehow. I would love for us to be a collective problem blender, to look at obstacles and chop them apart, demystify them, and then help someone each week get past them. That person could be me, it could be a new friend. The person might not even sit at our table and be someone affected by world events, but in any case there will always be a seat at our table for them.
Even though both my laptop and my skin are warm, and nobody from the air conditioned space inside the Commissary is moving, I do feel so much more productive than I would had I tried to do this at home. I think Gail feels the same way? I mean, she has had to apologize for fire engines and helicopters, but then again, we went with somewhere local and it happens to be at a major crossroads of Alameda and Olive here in Burbank.
I can foresee a time when we'll meet up to get work done, work on side projects, and also collaborate on something together, pooling together our connections and resourcefulness. We've experienced so many projects from ideas to reality, that everything we do together, whether it becomes a big thing or it remains just an idea, becomes foundational experience. You can't buy, fake, or lie about that. Just like this heat. On the plus side, the heat is keeping our tots warm.
I am only a fan of "fake it till you make it" if you choose to stop faking it at some point. It's a transitional statement, but too many people never get past the faking it part.
What's hot? These tots, I thought.
What I would like to not do this time is to say that this is just a start. I don't even want a soft apologetic tone for beginning a new thing, because in reality this is not a new thing. Does a tree apologize for sprouting a new branch or does water try to explain why it spills when offered the opportunity? Do I have to apologize for practically frisbeeing my laptop onto the table that just opened up inside? NO! We're figuring this out together, and it's a never ending process (if you do it right). This is merely the latest thing.
Gail and I are constantly juggling, maybe even against the conventional "work/life balance". We have all been told to achieve that balance, but the reality is that so often, in corporate culture, the target is mediocrity, a passing grade. It's the idea that "good enough is good enough", which is a wet blanket version of "Better is the enemy of good." We were actually told in management training at Universal that overachieving was not the desired outcome. Mediocrity is manageable, controllable. Overachieving needs constant pruning if you're trying to keep everyone measured and branded with company goals. This is also why the corporate culture dictates that nobody shares salaries. That practice does not help the employee, it helps the employer. That is a huge ship to steer, and there's actually nothing wrong with the culture needed to run it. It just isn't for everybody.
I'll continue to focus this blog on what we learn together while we're in search of that magical combination of great coffee, wifi, power outlets, and good people to meet up with. And it'll change, and evolve, and honestly, you just never know where you'll end up, but you'll stay wherever you if you don't change first. That's the real lesson for today. It's been a heavy meeting day for Gail and Teny's out there, somewhere north of Glendale, navigating her work day and no doubt thinking about her engagement and the wedding to come. Who really knows who else is going to join us? Whatever happens, we're down.
The Coffee Commissary - a review
I remember coming here many years ago and the place wasn't nearly as full as it is now. Every table is occupied with laptops, books, and animated conversations. The two iced dirty chais I had were poured but not made on the spot, but they were sweet and maybe not as spicy as other chai teas I've had. No real complaints here. The California toast was okay, but the truffle tots was a huge portion and delicious, perfect for sharing (especially for two people who are in a meeting and/or writing a blog about the experience). There's no power outlets outside but some inside, and to get a spot in here you really have to time it right and jump on a space, maybe even sharing it with others. Do not be shy. How's the staff? On a scale from hostile to affectionate, they are on the friendly side of aloof, because no doubt they are busy with people who come here and camp out to work on stuff and, I imagine, at some point stop drinking the drinks and eating the food, drinking only water and hanging out. From that perspective, you might understand their lack of investment in the average customer. Still, the drinks and food come out quickly and the place is centrally located in the entertainment adjacent neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley. For us and for the business, maybe this isn't the best place to work remotely; You want to see this place thrive and continue to prosper. At best, it's a loud and energetic place to hang out briefly if you can find parking or pick up something on the way. If the weather is nice, though, the seating outside is perfect to pause for a little while.
Our next meetup is two weeks away because next Monday is the 4th of July ('Merica!), but if either of us has an epiphany before then, you know I'll capture it here. Maybe Gail or Teny have something to say?
I think it's appropriate to leave this on a cliff hanger.
Cheers, everyone!
