Just Right For Us

I spent part of my day doing some editing on a professional reel for a friend (yup, still editing on my day off!). As I navigated through the footage from her long career, I was struck by how many projects she'd done, and by how varied they were. Clearly, for at least part of her career, she'd been able to navigate successfully among genres, which made for a reel that puts forth a smart, curious, and multi-talented creative producer.
 
My experience over the past few years suggests that the diversity of her work would be much harder to come by now. These days, news producers are much more likely to look for news producers. Reality producers are much more likely to look for those who focus on reality. Entertainment producers tend to land only in entertainment. The list goes on. So, where does that leave a person who has done so much, and has such varied experience from which to draw?
 
I have no idea where my friend, or any number of my other friends with hefty resumes and reels will end up. It's a challenging job search world out there, and it's not one that always favors the well-rounded. I can only hope (for others, and for myself) that the words and images and personalities make a difference. That those who hire can look beyond the "just like us" to get to the "just right for us." Because you don't have to be the same to fit in. You simply have to know (as the video shows) that you'll fit quite well in all sorts of places.