My Big Break

My dear Spackleonians, greetings and Happy New Year!

In my last post, I alluded to some rather exciting news that was in the pipeline for me, and I'm pleased to say that I can let the cat fully out of the bag now (some of you already know this, but I've kept it more or less under wraps until right now).

A few weeks ago, a phone call was arranged between myself and the sister/sister-in-law of some of my parent's friends, Debbie Bisno. Debbie is a Broadway Producer. I prepared for the call, thinking it would be an excellent opportunity to network and get some questions answered, but not expecting much more than that. So we chatted, and she asked me to tell her about myself, which I did, and then, out of the freaking blue, she says something to the effect of, "well, you want to be a producer, and the best way to learn how to do that is to actually be a producer, and you seem smart [see, another one fooled!] and are clearly passionate about theater, so would you like to jump on board with two projects I have coming up on Broadway this year?"

It took me about 3 seconds to figure out if I had heard her correctly. Here I was thinking that she was going to offer me an unpaid internship that I would have to respectfully decline, but no, she offered to jump-start my career and launch it forward to the culminating point of what I thought would be a several decades-long career path. Naturally, I said yes. Debbie, who is by now my complete hero, said that she would send me some information, and that we should try to meet in person soon to figure out the details. I thanked her profusely, and we hung up. 20 minutes was apparently all it took to change my life, and I didn't even have to ask for anything.

Naturally, I told my parents, but I didn't want to tell anyone else because what if this wasn't real? I mean, this just doesn't happen to people, does it? I was ecstatic, but couldn't help thinking that I had been dreaming. But I proceeded to arrange travel to NYC for the last week of December so that I could meet Debbie. We scheduled a lunch meeting, and I have to say that I like her just as much in person as I thought I would - smart, funny, energetic, passionate about her work. I think we're going to have a really rewarding partnership. So anyway, to cut to the chase, after talking through the details, and coming to an agreement, I walked out of this lunch meeting as a Producing Associate under Bisno Productions for the 2012 Broadway revival of ANNIE!

I've been tasked with raising $100k for the production, which is a tall order, but Debbie has confidence that I'll be able to achieve it. Talk about faith, right? This woman spent 2 hours with me in person and 20 minutes on the phone, and she thinks I can do this crazy thing. Well, I can tell you that apart from personally wanting to succeed, I'm strongly motivated by not letting her down. And there is, naturally, a ticking clock on this, as all money for the production is due by the beginning of March. So, if you or anyone you know might be interested in investing in a really terrifically exciting, sure to be a smash hit Broadway musical (directed by James Lapine, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler), please get in touch with me [I'm completely serious].

And that, as they say, is that. Through a combination of luck, connections, and a compelling personal story, I somehow managed to land myself pretty damn near my dream job before turning 25 (which, incidentally, I will do next week). I'm incredibly excited about this UNBELIEVABLE opportunity that I've been given, and also extremely humbled. I'm truly lucky and blessed to be given this chance. I only hope I don't screw it up!

So, my dear friends, that's all for now. Perhaps inspired by a certain other blogging producer, I will keep track of my progress here and keep you updated on how things go, if you're interested. So check back every now and then and see what's up (that means you, Ankur).

Keep calm and carry on, for the sun will come out tomorrow!