5 Years of A TV Calling

Half a decade. Yes.
Today is A TV Calling‘s fifth birthday.

I could give you meaningless statistics.
I could give you a “best of” of the last few years’ posts.
Instead, I’m going back to the very roots of this site. A blog. A personal one. About stories of my journey into the television industry.

A TV Calling was created five years ago to chronicle my trials and tribulations, as one man trying to break into the world of TV writing. Nothing really original.

Television has always been a core part of my life. Perhaps even the most important medium to have impacted me.
It’s always been my purpose to become a TV writer. My calling. Hence the name of this site. (Don’t be confused by that TV with a phone in its hand.)

When it came to this very site, I’m the first one to admit: I wasn’t always on top of it.
I may not have been able to constantly update, but, like everything else in life, these are mainly valleys among peaks.

It’s almost been three years since I moved to Los Angeles.
I’ve previously lived in Paris and New York, so I think I knew big cities. But LA is a whole other beast.
You learn to become part of it. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

It’s only when you enter the lion’s den, once you’ve stepped into the industry, that you realize how big the pond is. And you’re one fish.

This year, the TV writing fellowships have received about 2,000+ applicants.
With only 4-8 spots per program, it’s only a 0.5% chance of getting in. There’s a 99.5% chance that nothing will happen.
It’s statistically improbable that an applicant gets in.
So, why bother?

In times like these, I think back to only a few years ago, when I entered another lottery.
A lottery for an American green card. Similar odds. Unlikely winner.
And here I am. With a green card.

The true realization of “trying to break in” is not that it’s a race. It’s not even that it’s a marathon.
Hell, there’s no finish line.
The fact is that breaking into this industry is a journey. It’s a process.

You can “get it”, but it’s not until you’re living these words that you truly understand.
Live and learn.

500 posts later, what has been accomplished here?
Perhaps not much. Perhaps a great deal.

I could try to quantify my own failures and successes. But what will I be overlooking, or downplaying?

If anything needs to be said, it is this:
During your journey to writerdom, you may feel like you’re treading water.
Take a step back.
Don’t be overwhelmed. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be distressed.
Yes, it’s easier said than done. But I’ve done it, and so can you.

All of this talk can seem pedantic to some. Hey, it’s a blog. Get used to it.

On this site, I’ve tried to write, condense, and post some of my thoughts, process, and life.
It was cathartic for me, and hopefully helpful to some.

And here we are. After half a decade.

Today, all I can say is this: thank you.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your readership.
Thank you for being you.

These years, truly, could not have happened without you. Visitors, readers, writers.
Give yourself a high-five. You deserve it.

I’ll conclude this post by a quote, from one of the first posts I wrote on this blog, five years ago:

Why am I rambling on about all this now?
Well, it is intended to point out what purpose this blog will hopefully achieve. That is, to help other struggling writers out there in their daily, and not-so-daily problems. I hope my trial and errors […] will help show that nothing is impossible when you pour your heart and soul into it.

May this journey continue.
Here’s to another five years of A TV Calling!

Write on.