Video Kismet in Philly

“This is my wife, Lyubov.” I looked up at the round-cheeked woman with big brown saucer eyes and shook her hand.

Russkaya, shto li?

“Da, russkaya.”

She switched back into English and I don’t think she even noticed we had exchanged that little bit in Russian. Her husband explained that we were discussing the possibility of working together on some video projects. With his new camera and various equipment, he felt comfortable shooting just about anything. What he didn’t know was how to organize the pieces – what questions to ask, what shots to get, how to edit it all together. I knew how to direct and produce, but I wasn’t too skilled on the technical side of things. We could be a match! 

I had attended the Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, and once I moved to Philadelphia, I wanted to find a similar center there. I decided to check out the Center for Joyful Living in Wilmington, Delaware. There were some other centers like it closer to Philadelphia, but the Center for Joyful Living’s website mentioned Reverend Michael Beckwith from Agape, so I decided to start with that one. After the service, I chatted with several parishioners. I was talking to one man about my video production background, when a younger man joined us. When the first man left, Jesus started telling me about his video production ideas and need for a producer partner.

The man was Hispanic Jesus (Khe-sus), but the point was not lost on me that I was standing outside a church service, talking to JESUS about possible video projects. And Lyubov was not only a Russian woman’s name, but also the word for ‘love.’ So I was standing outside the sanctuary, discussing potential creative endeavors with JESUS and LOVE. My angels must really think I’m thick-headed! I had wanted to meet a camera operator I could work with, and then it turned out that this one’s wife was Russian (I speak Russian and lived there for almost eight years) and a relationship coach for single women! God or the universe or whatever higher power is out there has a good sense of humor.

In another serendipitous meeting, I went to buy a desk chair I found on craigslist. The man selling the chair recognized that I had a Los Angeles phone number and asked whether I was an actress. I explained that I had worked behind the camera, directing and producing, and that I had done a little of just about everything in pre-production, on set, and in post-production. He and his business partner had filmed a feature and were trying to get it distributed. Our encounter really amazed me – Philadelphia was not a film town! What were the chances that I’d buy a chair from a filmmaker? We talked for quite a while and exchanged information. Who knows? Maybe some collaborative projects will emerge.

Another morning I woke up and thought that I should check out film organizations that day. Maybe one would have an administrative opening that I could do part-time while I worked on my writing. A position like that probably would not be well-paid, but at least I would be meeting people in my field and learning about film and video projects in my new city. I got on the computer and found the Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Association (PIFVA). As it turned out, they were having a big networking event, ‘Speedcrewing,’ that evening! I signed up. I met a lot of people and hope that we’ll get to work together one of these days.

I’m in Philadelphia a month and a half now, not employed yet, but I’m excited that possibilities keep appearing. I trust that the universe will bring me the opportunities that I need. It’s uncanny how things have worked out so far – I can only hope for more of the same!