I’ve spent the last couple of weeks thinking about why I’m in this industry. I can list out the play-by-play on how I got to where I am today, but I often wonder why I’ve stuck around. Why I’ve spent over a decade day in and day out, 14, 15, 20-hour days, fixated on the work until the project is finished. Only to turn around the day after wrap and ask, “What’s the next project…brief…boards?” with an eagerness to bring yet another filmmaker’s vision to life. What makes me want to do it all again?
“This funny little business of ours” has its nuances, its quirks, its near-impossible barriers to surpass; yet from the outside, it’s so mainstream, so accessible to those peaking in. And I see the appeal, the glamour, the lights, the not-always-sitting-at-a-desk promise. But a ticket to the inside doesn’t come easy. Most of us must claw to even get the door cracked. We only get to experience the glamour, the lights, the celebrations through treacherous days and weeks (sometimes spent entirely at our desks).
Again. Why do we stay?
The more I think about this, the more I think about why I love professional sports. Athletes who compete at the highest level strive to be the best. They break records, win titles, and change their sport. And isn’t that the same for us? Every person in this industry strives to make the next best film, spot, or television show, to win awards, break social media, and change the industry.
At Harbor, we feel this every day. We’re in the sport of making movies because we enjoy creation at the highest level. We’re here to change the game. And though sometimes the days are long and arduous, damn, it feels good to be here. So, we stay, and when one project wraps, we ask, “what’s next?”
—Gabriela Elder
