constrained writing contest #16 - Kopus Mellini - The Most Important Thing

Seven years after dropping out of film school, due to insufficient funds, Ken landed an internship with a prestigious studio. He was in a crippling debt, working two dead end job, but he was determined to make it work. In the three months of his internship his sleep pattern was reduced to a couple of power naps a day. He was reading five to seven scripts a week, reading, reviewing, and giving notes, even though the internship only required three scripts a week. He was determined to over deliver and that’s exactly what he did. At the end of the internship, he had an in person meeting with a famous Hollywood producer. They agreed Ken would start as an independent contractor and then they would take it from there. Finally, a foot in the door! Only after several follow up emails Ken never received any new scripts. The internship was over and so was his relationship with the studio.

Ken regrouped and approached the film making business from a different angle. He maxed out his credit cards and bought a DSLR and a cheap lighting kit. He spent the next six months shooting and editing over thirty music videos for local artists. He did it all for free. He used his reel to land an interview for a live in position as an editor for an adult themed talk show. It wasn’t a perfect match, but it was work.

He took his position by the horns and ended up meeting his girlfriend Ericka, at his new place of work, along the way. People frowned upon their relationship, but in the midst of a grueling 80+ hour work week, a hostile work environment, and an unsanitary living space, their new forming love was all they had.

Ken continued to pursue other opportunities, and over the course of eight months he not only received an offer to work as a videographer for a law firm, but he was also offered a position on a college tour. Timing is everything. Ericka was fired and forced to move out for dating Ken, at around the same time Ken received an offer to go on tour. They plotted to move out together, Ken was even able to negotiate a position in production for Ericka on the tour.

(Ken is also a rapper, he was going under the moniker Me$$'d Up at the time.)

After a month apart, they reunited at an AirBNB in Hollywood. They spent two weeks of hard work preparing sponsorship arrangements, working with talent, and putting together video packages. As they patiently waited for their booking arrangements, Ken and Ericka were told the tour was cancelled.

The two spent the next year living in hostels, selling off Ken’s camera equipment, and Ericka’s jewelry to pay their bills. It was a tough year, but they stuck together. Today Ken and Ericka are both gainfully employed and investing some of their hard earned savings into cryptocurrency. Ken hasn’t given up on his dreams of making films, and they plan on shooting their first web series together in March. More importantly, they learned the most important thing in life isn’t fame, wealth, or personal accomplishments, but the love they share together.