Week 2 of Production

Before coming to New York City, I was convinced that if I walked by a celebrity on a street, I would have no idea it was a celebrity. This happened to me twice this week. As I looked on at the set of Gossip Girl for a quick hour on Monday, Taylor Momsen walked by me several times, and I did many double-takes, but still was convinced it wasn't her. The next day I saw fan pictures online, and of course--it was her.

On Thursday night, NYC Media helped put together an event at the Apollo called Fighting for Justice in which a choir opened up the show before a presentation of the documentary called Fighting for Justice which features two New Yorkers who helped break the boundaries between black and white. Following the film, there was a guest panel. Sitting in on this event were two well known people--Billy Cosby's wife and Tamara Tunie who plays the coroner on Law and Order SVU. I had no idea.

But maybe I had no idea, for a good reason. It had nothing to do with these celebrities who were sitting there, sure in a way it did, but the night wasn't about who showed up, it was about the idea that people did show up and that people care to see these movements and the change that has happened over the years.

As I helped to check-in guests, I could hear the choirs performance echoing through the auditorium. I knew this was a night to remember for everyone who sat in on this event.

This week also brought with it, not only missed encounters, but more projects to focus on as the new show we are putting together gets close to being filmed and edited together for it's premier in February. This week I helped transcribe more film, researched New York City job fairs coming up, and New York employment and unemployment rates. Other projects included digitizing film, researching New York City factoids.

I also began my own project this week, in which I hope to start planning out a bit more, but it was the first time I took my video camera out since settling down from the craziness of moving in. Am hoping to write up a story-board and get moving on this as soon as I have a new battery and new DV's.

It's already been two weeks since I have moved here, and with the time moving fast, I can easily say that it is going to be a fantastic semester filled with missed-celebrity spotting, new opportunities, and plenty of surprises.