Buzz, buzz, buzz.
My phone’s alarm went off. I could barely open my eyes as I rolled over onto my side and checked the time.
2 a.m.
I had been asleep for a grand total of two hours, having snuggled under my covers at promptly midnight. The Golden Globes check-in would start soon so there was no time to snooze.
For the longest time, I used to want to be a morning news anchor. I thought I had the energy, the enthusiasm, the effervescence needed to wake up America. I watched the film, Morning Glory, following the story of a young morning news producer played brilliantly by one of my favorite actresses, Rachel McAdams. Drawing inspiration from Hollywood, I could imagine myself going to bed early before midnight and coasting through traffic-less streets in the dark to get to work. My fellow news team would laugh, joke, and smile our way through the newscast as rosy-fingered dawn ushered in a new day.
This past week, I got a glimpse of what this life would be like.
I recently got hired to report entertainment news for stories (or as the news world calls them, “packages”) to air on China’s CCTV — a dream job that I’m incredibly thankful to have out here in Los Angeles. After Thanksgiving, I received tip sheets from my producer for two upcoming events in LA to cover: the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award nominations announcement and the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards nominations. The call times stood out in bold letters: 5 a.m. for SAG and 4 a.m. for Golden Globes.
In fact, I knew I’d have to get there an hour or so before the call time just in case.
The night before the SAG call time, I was volunteering at the Harvard-Stanford entertainment alumni holiday party, checking guests in, helping with the silent auction, and doing some mingling of my own. Before I knew it, hours had passed and when I returned to my apartment, it was almost 2 a.m. I didn’t even bother sleeping. I only brushed up my make-up, changed outfits, and used my mobile rideshare app, Uber, to get a car to pick me up and drive me over to the venue so I wouldn’t have to navigate LA buses in the dark.
When I arrived, I found the Pacific Design Center bustling with activity. A spread of danishes, pound cake, and orange juice awaited me and the other journalists who had either gotten little or no sleep. The adrenaline of being there kicked in and as we heard the nominations, I couldn’t wait for the day when I could hear mine and my fellow actors’ names called.
At the time I’d gotten there, the glass windows had shown the city below us still asleep, beneath the night sky. However, by the time we’d wrapped shooting, interviewing, and the intros / outros for the package, the sky outside was a bright blue. As I left the venue, the city was coming to life and readying for a new Wednesday — and I saw the palm trees in front of me, sharp outlines against the backdrop of blue sky. I may have gotten no sleep, but I realized that the exciting event was worth it.
After ending the NBC Page Program, I am appreciative for the opportunity, the friends, the connections, the industry training, and the lessons learned. The most important takeaway for me was that the life I want to lead right now is not in an office. It’s on the road, at events, traveling to new spots and constantly meeting new people. I crave going on shoots, running to auditions, and chasing my dream with fervor and faith.
As the year ends, I think back to my 2013 New Year’s resolution. I resolved to conquer at least one new fear each day. I’ve taken great leaps in my personal and professional life. Ones that I’ll enumerate in a future blog post! And I can’t wait to tackle 2014 with the same fearlessness.