So to continue sharing all the different ways that we can find our Passions (One Week Job being just 1 example), I thought I’d share the story of Elliot who I had the chance to work with back in Week 20 (Theatre Usher, Astor Theatre) of the project. Each shift we worked together I would hear more and more about this idea he had been working on called “Yew!” A Skateboard Film Festival Competition that he’s now got up and running.

Here’s the email I received from Elliot when I asked him to share with us his story, and the story of how Yew was born!

“

Last year, just after my 22^nd birthday I made a snow trip to falls creek, to stay at my mates, chicks, sister’s dorm room. I’d previously spent a full year snowboarding in Canada and I thought I was pretty sick. Anyway, run 1 for the day, I head up the hill and beeline straight to the terrain park, still, thinking I’m pretty sick. I head down and hit a few small kickers and boxes. At the end of the park at fall most years they set up a pretty high down rail. I went for a backside board slide and lost my balance mid rail. I Fell off and landed square on my side on the snow. The second I hit the snow I knew something was wrong. I lay in the snow for a while with Midnight Marauders by A Tribe called Quest still playing in my ear buds and tried to use my arm. It didn’t work. Anyway the snow patrol came after a while and gave my arm a squeeze above my elbow. It crunched around like a bag of gravel would. This is the story of me breaking my Humerus. I called my boss straight away and told him that I would probably quit because I was soon to be made redundant anyway from my job as a 35mm projectionists at a Village cinema on Chapel St, The first of many cinemas to go completely digital and automatic, leaving literally no work to do in terms of projection. My boss was the first to make the joke, “broken Humerus, that’s not very funny is it?” It was original then, after the 324th time that month it wasn’t. Anyway I moved in with my sister as to pay minimal rent and got on Centrelink’s ‘incapacitated no hoper program’, or something along those lines. With time on my hands I needed a new project. Before I broke my arm I struggled to decide what I wanted to do with myself, I went to University to study aerospace engineering, after literally 6 hours into my first day I got my student number and  I knew it wasn’t for me so I ditched it. It was nice to take some time off and really have a good think. I opened up a word document on my computer and started writing. I wrote about everything in my life that I had been interested in at one stage, what I was good at, what I liked, what I hated and what I wanted out of my life. After all, you spend 80% of your life working, not enjoying your work and not enjoying your life go hand-in-hand. Knowing this I didn’t want to spend 1 hour in traffic every morning, 8 hours being told what to do by some guy who deep down probably gives less of a shit than you do and another hour in traffic to get home, at the back of the rat race, these people, my friends and I call, kooks. I understand how different people can be though. I’m sure some guys drive their new BMWs down the street and love their lifestyle’s, looking out the window to see me in my op-shop grandma shirt skateboarding by, and if they knew the vernacular, I’m sure, they too, would call me a kook. But that’s cool, the world needs all types of different people to stir everything around and keep it interesting. After a few pages into my word document I understood. What I really wanted was a good lifestyle. I love Film, Film making and action sports, particularity board sports. I realised that for the past year I had been working indirectly at something. Yew.tv was born.

I spend 6 months in the dungeon (my room)slaving away at a website, trawling forums for how-tos teaching myself advanced server side PHP scripting for websites. I then went for what’s called NEIS or New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, which is a government program that helps people with their business start-ups. After a 2 month intensive business course I had a 30 page business plan, the government liked it, and help me financially with my idea, also giving me a mentor. I got a job at The Astor Theatre (where I met Paul), a beautiful independent single screen art-deco theatre and everything just seemed to open up for me. It feels like if you do something you like, the universe goes, “yep…. looks good” doors open up, people enter your life and things just start getting real trippy! in the best way possible that is. In the long term, Yew.tv is Australia only action sports film festival. But what I learned after I broke my arm is that I should have warmed up and done a smaller rail before hitting the big one, taken it in small steps, I feel like I learned more in the mountains in one day then I would ever have in one year at university. So this time around I’m just tackling a skateboard film festival. In a few months I’m doing snowboarding, then surfing, and one day in a few years, I will host Australia’s only action sports film festival and it is going to be fucking massive. You heard it here first. Come check out my Skateboard Film Festival at The Astor Theatre, May 21^st. Or better yet submit a film! Go to www.yew.tv/competition-details for information. If you like this and/or my idea please go to www.facebook.com/www.yew.tv and hit like to keep updated and get some epic content in your news feed. yew!

Cheers,

-Elliot “

Check out this vid that Elliot sent through to me, who knows it might get your creative juices running!

- Paul

It’s been an amazing year and I feel privileged to have shared it with you all!

I had so many amazing experiences and opportunities over the past year. So I thought I’d revisit a few of them in this finale blog for the year. I thought I’d get my biggest regret for the year out of the way first…

I wish I knew how to play the guitar (Dave Grohls touring Gibson guitar)

I found myself in an array of different vehicles throughout the year, here’s my top 3 in no particular order.

The coolest offices I got to work at

I even managed to start growing a semi respectable face warmer…

…but that didn’t last too long!

The tastiest job I had

The best sounding employers

I met Santa

and one of his elves named Larry. (just kidding)

I even Dealed and No Dealed with the best of them,

Some weeks I found myself looking for work in unusual ways,

Whilst others saw me on beautiful Australian beaches!

I guess it’s easy to say that over the past 52 weeks that the sky was the limit!

Don’t be afraid to take the leap and find your passion!

If the story of One Week Job has inspired you to try something new I would love to hear from you! paul@oneweekjob.com or www.facebook.com/oneweekjobproject

One Week Job Australia is officially complete!

THEN: Dec 2012

NOW: December 2012

Thanks You:

• To everyone who made One Week Job Australia possible.
• Sean Aiken and Ian Mackenzie for starting the movement.
• Brad Smith and Seek for partnering with the project.
• Lucas, Rachel and the PixelFrame team and all of the peeps who came along and filmed or Photographed my journey along the way.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia (www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.au) and don’t ever give up! You are making a huge differnce in the lives of so many young Australians.
• All of my family, who I’m sure still think that I’m crazy.
• To all my friends who were there with me from the start. Special shout out to Sam, Dave, Tye, Emmit, Sara & John, Brendan, Kyle, Jeremy, Justin, Benny & Ashlea, and Virgil for it was your initial belief in the project in those early stages that made the project even possible.
• Everyone who gave me a couch, bed or piece of floor to sleep on; thanks to those who shouted me a meal or a cheeky beer throughout the year. I will endeavor to write a list of everyone I can to thank you all individually in time. But a huge shout out to Simon, Skrumf, Brendan, Meg, Hal and Brooke, Dave, Sam & Tye as well as the guys and girls at Ivanhoe for enduring my company at your house more than any others.
• To new friends who I met on this journey, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you either, thank you.
• To everyone who followed the journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and this Blog!
• To all the media who came on board, helped to spread the message of One Week Job Australia and got behind me this year!
• To my beautiful girlfriend Catherine who I met along the way, thank you for being there for me through the highs, lows and everything in between, you are my passion

 Finally and probably most importantly, thank you to each of the 52 employers who took me on and shared their world with me 1 week at a time! I’ve learnt a lot this year as I hope you all have too. I hope to share those lessons that I learnt with the world by continuing to spread the message of One Week Job Australia in…

… One Week Job Australia the book and Documentary! Coming Soon in 2013!

What am I up to now? Well you’ll just have to stay tuned and see…

- Paul
1 Man. 1 Year. 52 Weeks

Nah… Just kidding!

Throughout the year I started to realise that the project was less about me, and more about the stories of all those who I met along the way. It’s been through the process of being able to share those peoples stories that has helped me to decide to go and study Media and Documentary making. I still have a lot of questions in life that I want to find out and share the answers to. I can also see myself in the future spending my time teaching kids of all ages in a profession such as Youth Work or Teaching.

Fortunately for me though, I don’t have to wear a Lycra skin suit and sprint around an oval track on a sports field  Instead I’m giving it a go a a behind the scenes Runner on Channel Seven’s, Southern Star Entertainment production Deal Or No Deal hosted by the one and only, Andrew O’Keefe.

Who  actually had an interesting career change of his own, beginning as a Solicitor to then becoming a TV Game Show Host!

Now although I’m not training this week to become the next Usaine Bolt. I have found that the sprinters starting technique does come in handy for the amount of “Running around” you actual do in the job. i.e. the below digram…

On your marks… Get Set… GO!… Get Coffees!!

The tasks they’ve had me doing as a runner this week are things like setting up the studio prior to filming, running and getting the Executive Producers, Directors and Host their coffees and lunches; also things like greeting the contestants in the waiting room and making sure they’re being looked after. it’s actually quite a nice way to spend a day if you like helping out others.

I”d liken the job to that of a P.A. Except your not just catering for one person alone, you’re catering for the team! But it’s a team that’s very grateful and are always giving you the thanks you deserve.

The job itself is quite fun after already having done my first shift. Like most jobs, the fun you have is reliant on the people you are also working with. In my case this week, well I couldn’t have met a nicer group to be amongst; everyone has been really welcoming and open to sharing with me what they do. I have a feeling that this will be a fun week ahead.

For now I’d like to finish on this meme…

- Paul

This week I’m literally in the shit! Seriously. I’m working at the Bilyana Folk Rhythm & Life Festival as part of their Loo Crew (Cleaning of the organic toilets!!).

Over the past two decades FRL has brought thousands of people from Earth together to celebrate community, music and the spirit of nature.

So my best bet for this week is that I’m going to be following in the footsteps of this great Australian Icon!

All I know is I’ll be investing in a Shitload of pegs to block my nose!!

To anyone who reads this, and are going to the FRL Festival, please, please don’t eat anything too spicy!!

Regards,

-Paul

After being picked up from the train station by my boss for the week Craig Wealands, with a quick stop off to his home (where I’d be staying for the week) it was then off to Thirsty Crow Brewery to get stuck into my very first shift of learning how to brew a fine Craft Beer!

Craig had me doing a range of different things throughout the week like milling the barley used to give the beer it’s different malty characteristics; being put through my paces and brewing a Stout beer;

to testing the gravities of previously brewed batches (see video); carbonating beer ready for it to be kegged and most importantly the quality control aka taste testing! So needless to say there were a few nights that we had to walk home from the pub. Luckily Craig’s place wasn’t too far away.

I had no idea how much work is actually involved in running a Craft Brewery before I started. But after the week with Craig, I now realize that being the Head Brewer in your own Brewery can be a time consuming, 7 day a week job. It’s definitely a lifestyle choice that you make when deciding to starting brewing your own beer professionally and opening a Brewery! It’s by no means a cheap venture to start up either, so be prepared to invest a lot of time and money into getting your brewery up and running if this is a business you wish to pursue!

I had an interesting week of learning the beer making process, so I guess the question is….

Which side of the bar would you rather be on?

Wrapping up

Brewing is an Art, Science, Labor of Love! But in the end, once you’ve perfected the product it’s all worth it for that first chilled Pint with a perfectly poured head!

If you ever find yourself in or near Wagga Wagga. Be sure to stop into Thirsty Crow Brewery and say hello to Craig and all the team and whilst you’re there you might as well grab yourself a pint of their Award Winning Vanilla Stout!

Feeling Game? Well you may even like to take on a pint of Thirsty Crow Brewery’s world famous in Wagga Wagga, Bacon Beer. Yep, that’s right, they’ve got a beer that taste like a freshly sizzled piece of bacon on the morning fry up. (and even if you’re a vego you can still enjoy it too! 100% meat free!)

- Paul

Did you know?

- Non-organic feminine hygiene products are commonly made from synthetics, plastics and conventional cotton. There are massive chemical processes involved in the production of both rayon and polypropylene while conventional cotton is the most heavily sprayed crop in the world, using more than 25% of the world’s total insecticides. Choosing a pure, organic product ensures that you are making the best possible choice for your body ladies.

So next time you’re shopping for that time of month, keep an eye out for a the product that’s going to look after your body.

Oh and if you were wondering Why? it’s named after a boy, well rest assured it’s not. TOM actually stands for ‘Time Of Month’ haha Brilliant!!

Now my boss’s name wasn’t Willy Wonka, but Neil Druce. For the week there he had me in a range of different roles. From chocolate coating licorice, berries and nuts in chocolate room… Which I don’t recommend getting doing as a long term career if you are over 6 feet tall. Chocolate coating is definitely a shorter persons game.

(Neil & son Mitch)

To boxing up the finished product in the sorting room…

And even breaking apart the licorice ready to be Choc Coated (a role which allowed me to have many inspiring chats with the staff who would sit across from me) I was officially the tallest Oompa Loompa there!

Here’s a news story that Prime 7 news in Wagga did on my week on the job http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/n4/video/watch/e8d03500_c787_3c38_a52a_886df8cfe707/heres-a-tasty-job/

Neil and his family where most hospitable to me throughout the week, letting me stay above the chocolate factory at night and making sure I was always fed. I can’t thank them enough.

I must admit, before starting Week #45. I felt like I was at a point where I wasn’t going to learn to much more from the remainder of the jobs and that I was now purely racing to the finish line. But life is full of surprising moments; just being able to spend time with Neil, his family (Coral and Mitch) as well as his work family. I just became absolutely reINSPIRED from talking with them each day.

The stories I would hear. Such as Tanya’s (one if the lovely ladies I was workin with). I’m only doing One Week Job for the 1 year.

Tanya and her partner are doing it for life!Maybe not 1 week at a time, but they’re still travelling Australia, seeing our beautiful country and finding work in whatever city or town they end up in and they’ll continuing doing it

Talking with Neil’s wife Coral or their son Mitch, would reveal to me a bit more about Neil and his motivations in life. I could already see Neil was a go getter in life, but to find out his other motivations behind starting his Chocolate factories. It just absolutely WOW’d me! Neil loved being able to put some pride back into his community. So when someone from Junee was asked where they’re from, they could proudly say Junee and not just say the next closest city (Wagga Wagga) for the sake of making it easier for someone to understand. Neil also has another Chocolate factory based in Corowa for the exact same reason.

It’s this wanting to build a sense of community that Neil thrives on. With plans to keep opening more and more along over the coming years.

Lastly, I loved the game of quotes we played throughout the week.

It’s only called work if you’d rather be doing something else.

and;

(In reference to finding work) It’s not about who you know, it’s about how you know them.           – Neil Druce

All I can say is Neil, thank you to you, your family and your work family for having me on board for the week. You have all reINSPIRED me! The chocolate factory may not be ‘this’ tall mans land, but it most certainly was a pleasure to pass experience it!

Thank you – Paul

Eskimo Bio

Name: Paul Seymour

Known Alias’s: One-Week-Job Guy

Blog: www.oneweekjob.com.au

Eskimo Age: 3 days old

Actual Age: Unknown

Life Expectancy: Max of 5 Eskimo days

Special Powers: Can grow a ridiculously Middle -Earth like beard (Gandalf Challenge perhaps?)

My Resume: Events Agent, Stage Hand, Hairdresser, Delivery Driver, Tour Guide, Mowing Man, Sign Writer, Beef Farmer, Social Worker, Journalist, Basketball Coach, Handyman, ESL (English as Second Language) Teacher, Photographer’s Assistant, Assistant Producer, Marketer, Coworking Space Advisor, AFL Football Operations, Property Maintenance Cleaner, Theatre Assistant, Kitchen Hand, Driver’s Side-Kick, High School Teacher, Toy & Game Demonstrator, Picker Packer, Primary School Teacher, Conductive Education Teacher, Real Estate Agent, Media & Marketing Agency, Admin Officer, Silent Disco, Volunteer, Street Team (Nova’s Casanova’s), Dance Therapist, Cancer Research Fundraiser, TV Series Camera Man, Youth Worker, Landscaper, Band Manager, Ice-cream Scooper, Painter, Media Buying, Digital Creative (this week)…

What do I want to do with my life?

My Story

In July 2011 I did what a lot of people are too afraid to do, I quit my job!

I couldn’t wonder any longer, I had to know. It was time to find out whether the grass was actually greener on the other side.

So at the end of last year I set out to work 52 Jobs in 52 Weeks around Australia in order to discover my passions, find out what I need in a job and answer the big question. What do I want to do with my life? Whilst donating all of my wages to my chosen charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia.

To fund myself, I sold whatever possessions I had laying around cluttering up my life. It gave me a small cash injection to start me off but I knew that I’d also need to reach out for sponsorship to keep the journey afloat.

As the year was coming to a close in 2011 I received my first One Week Job offer to be an Events Agent through a friend of a friend. For the first 4 weeks I would work for friends, their families and anyone who I could call on to get involved. By Week 5, I would receive my first real One Week Job offer to be a Tour Guide. It was at that moment that I knew I was about to embark on a roller-coaster year… except I still needed a way to fund it all.

Week 12 and Seek.com.au come on board as the Official Partner of One Week Job Australia and it all just snowballed from there!

The Highs, Lows and all that Emotional Gooey Stuff (EGS)

This year has had it all. From running out onto the MCG with the Richmond Tigers(…as a water boy), to travelling across Australia’s beautiful countryside. I’ve found myself sleeping on couches across the east coast and even stayed on the streets of Sydney when I had nowhere to sleep (I don’t recommend it). When I had $1.28 in my bank account for days on end, I learnt more about myself in those moments, than I ever did when my bank account was plentiful whilst in a job I disliked.The highest high and the most memorable moment of my year though was when I met Catherine, the love of my life!

Where I’m at…

Before I started One Week job Australia I would have traded my life with anybody else in the world.

Now 43 weeks in, I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s!!

Week #43: Why I chose Igloo? 

To be honest I’m not entirely sure if I chose Igloo to begin with, or if it chose me? I think it was the universe working in its usual mysterious ways that led me here…

My first few days here have been inspiring. Being dropped into a (digital)world that is pretty much limitless, it allows the new-age thinkers of our time the ability to make the impossible, possible!

“Don’t limit yourself by what exists…”

- Samara

For my week here at Igloo, Tony & Samara have had me coming up with “Ideas” and creating “Campaign Briefs” for one of Igloo’s clients, The Cancer Council. I’ve had  an absolute blast doing this, however I’m fairly certain there’s a lot more to the job than I was shown/actually able to do.

I have a new found love of technology, design and all of the possibilities and impossibilities in between!

As I start to thaw out at the end of my week here at Igloo. I’d just like to thank Sam, Tony, Pete and all the other smiling faces who made it a pleasure to work here this week.

- Paul, that one week job guy

P.S – I’m always looking for One Week Job offers. Especially for Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. If you or anyone you know could help out, i’d love to hear from you. paul@oneweekjob.com

I was given a crash course this week on what the Advertising world can be like. In particular what it’s like to work within a Media Buying Agency such as Ikon.

Since i’d been given the opportunity to re-skill myself in the art of PowerPoint presentations and flow charts. This week I thought I’d present you the job in the form of flow charts.

Here’s a basic layout and flow of what a Digital Media team might look like…

(NB: this is only a shorthand example, please refer to actual industry job descriptions for a more holistic view of each of the individual roles)

Coordinator - Entry level position at a Media Agency.

This is where you get given a crash coarse on everything the industry has to offer in order to get you recognizing the systems & processes in place; getting to know the clients, their needs, products and target audiences; and also getting to know the Media owners.

Planner - Planning the media schedule for all of the clients campaigns. Then working with  the Traders to make sure their schedule.

Trader - Books media spots that the Planner has set out for the clients campaigns . Negotiating to get the best possible prices for the Clients.

An outline of the industry

Now Ikon’s no small fry, quite the opposite in fact. Its offices are dotted throughout Australia, New Zealand and also with an office in New York City, it manages to service some of Australia’s largest known brands such as Coca-Cola, MTV, CommBank, Rio Tinto, Sony Music, Westfields and the list just goes on…. Don’t believe me, then check it out here…

What is a Media Agency?

A media agency makes sure a marketing message appeals to consumers, appears in the right space, at the right time and that the advertiser/client pays the best possible price.

So these aren’t the people who are making the adds, they are the people who are placing them.

 

How it works…

The agency is briefed by their ‘client’ to target a group/s of consumers. They can be tasked to do many different things, help launch a new product, drive sales of a brand extension or change consumer perceptions of a brand. The next step for a media agency is to seek to understand more about the people it needs to influence. They do this by finding out where their audience can be found and advertised to. Maybe its through prime time TV, in the weekend paper you love to read so much, on your Facebook or YouTube account, your favourite online news site, it could even be on a billboard on your way to work.

Fact of the matter is, all of the advertising that you see in your everyday life has a strategy planned behind where it is placed for you to see/hear.

 And this week it’s my job to find out where that is, how frequently you’re exposed to it and whether the correct target market is being reached for the clients

Thoughts after two days…

This job feels like it’s the ‘stock market’! Except instead of buying and trading shares. It’s about buying up time and space.

Time

Blocks of seconds and minutes on Websites, Social Media, TV and Radio; and,

Space

Everywhere you see an add. Be it the full page spread in a newspaper, the billboards you drive past on the way to work, on the back of the bus you catch or at the train station you commute from, on the side of you facebook account, pretty much anywhere and everywhere you look you’re being advertised to.

That’s all for now, but tune in at the end of the week for the weekly wrap up, or watch out on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

- Paul