I was so sure I would keep this blog up, but business school has proved to be very draining. It's hiring season at my school, and I am realizing that creativity is just a tedious liability. The world of the corporation is controlled by people who are frightened by creativity and want me to just stop coming up with new ideas and focus on my spreadsheets.
Numbers are no problem for me. Like a child exposed to swimming at an early age, I learned to count and never looked back. In 4th grade I had a massive meltdown over the addition and multiplication of fractions. To this day, I just can't do it in my head, so I try to turn everything into a decimal to avoid it.
Most of my creative pals are less comfortable with numbers. Many of them have an aversion to anything related to numbers. Most have money troubles as a result. I believe my contribution to the world of business will be to reach out to the hopelessly numerically paralyzed masses, and lay on hands that they may once again walk freely in the world of mathematics.
Business school has a lot of psychology built in to the curriculum. They are testing for the presence of oddballs like me. INFP (very rare and far too sensitive for business) and off the charts creative, I really don't belong there. I am doing the best I can to contribute something useful to the world. I will be so happy if I am able to do something of lasting value with my degree. Hiring season is such a depressing series of ego blows. I have resorted to an old Christian saw to keep my fragile sense of self in tact as I receive each rejection: "It is God's will."
In the meantime, I have vowed to reach out to my gay brothers and sisters at the LGBT center in Hollywood. I want to try to teach a class about financial fitness for folks who have a lot of trouble dealing in the cash economy of the street. It seems like it would be of good use and will make me happier with my extremely costly degree.
The best laid plans of mice and men are oft gone ugly.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Friday, April 25, 2008
Business School for the Hopelessly Creative
I used to run with a pretty wild crowd. In the 1980s, I lived on Polk Street in San Francisco, which had fallen from grace around the same time that freebase cocaine made its appearance on the streets. Once a stately urban gay neighborhood, Polk Street had disintegrated into a drive-by delicatessen of troubled young boys. This was before the internet, mind you, so the only way to proffer one's wares was on the street or, if the hustler had hustled up enough business, in either the Bay Area Reporter or the Sentinel (a Republican-owned gay newspaper).
Add to this mix a shy, starry-eyed homo from the suburbs, recently returned to California from an Eastern boarding school. Too proud and too shy to sell himself, he chose instead to observe. But like a social anthropologist, eventually the observer becomes a fringe member of the group he has chosen to study. No, I never turned tricks for a living (okay, one, but it was awful) but I did start to hang out with the transgendered prostitutes, the junkies, the wayward youth and of course the fabulous drag queens. My roommate John was a bitter, soft spoken waiter from Modesto. For the big parties (Gay Pride, Halloween) he transformed into Vickie Vomit, a transvestite terrorist with exploding bracelets and breasts concealing grenade launchers. A fearless defender of the deaf and hard of hearing, he once beat a hustler to a pulp with his high heels. The hustler probably never knew that John was an avenging angel for his dear gay friend who fell victim to the hustler's larceny during an ill-fated trick.
John taught me the proper forms of address: "girl" for your friends, "girlfriend" for people whose beads you are about to read, and "Miss Thing" for the great unwashed masses. He taught me to shake out a wig, the correct amount of white Aqua Net to use, and how to select a dress that conveys both sexiness and a sense of humor at the same time. We dragged together, and it was great.
Now, flash forward 20 years. I just got accepted to business school at USC. I am a portly bear with a goatee. I look a lot like my dad. In the interim, I spent time in the mental health system, gave up drugs, worked for the Italian government (no, not a schizophrenic delusion!), produced a documentary on Mexican wrestlers, and addressed the United Nations on two occasions about the virtues and pitfalls of internet telephony via satellite. Future posts will be concerned with recounting the attempts of this square peg to soften his edges and fit into the big round world of business.
Add to this mix a shy, starry-eyed homo from the suburbs, recently returned to California from an Eastern boarding school. Too proud and too shy to sell himself, he chose instead to observe. But like a social anthropologist, eventually the observer becomes a fringe member of the group he has chosen to study. No, I never turned tricks for a living (okay, one, but it was awful) but I did start to hang out with the transgendered prostitutes, the junkies, the wayward youth and of course the fabulous drag queens. My roommate John was a bitter, soft spoken waiter from Modesto. For the big parties (Gay Pride, Halloween) he transformed into Vickie Vomit, a transvestite terrorist with exploding bracelets and breasts concealing grenade launchers. A fearless defender of the deaf and hard of hearing, he once beat a hustler to a pulp with his high heels. The hustler probably never knew that John was an avenging angel for his dear gay friend who fell victim to the hustler's larceny during an ill-fated trick.
John taught me the proper forms of address: "girl" for your friends, "girlfriend" for people whose beads you are about to read, and "Miss Thing" for the great unwashed masses. He taught me to shake out a wig, the correct amount of white Aqua Net to use, and how to select a dress that conveys both sexiness and a sense of humor at the same time. We dragged together, and it was great.
Now, flash forward 20 years. I just got accepted to business school at USC. I am a portly bear with a goatee. I look a lot like my dad. In the interim, I spent time in the mental health system, gave up drugs, worked for the Italian government (no, not a schizophrenic delusion!), produced a documentary on Mexican wrestlers, and addressed the United Nations on two occasions about the virtues and pitfalls of internet telephony via satellite. Future posts will be concerned with recounting the attempts of this square peg to soften his edges and fit into the big round world of business.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Resumeblog
duncan@duncanmacleod.biz
http://www.duncanmacleod.biz/
Duncan MacLeod
Highlights of Qualifications
Excellent Presentation Skills
Multi-lingual
Senior Manager with strong financial background
Television and Film producer
Sports documentary filmmaker
Product Developer and Manager
International Marketing
Employment
Sr. Account Manager DVD Client Services– March 2005 to Present
Blink/Ascent Media, Burbank, CA – Develop and maintain relationships with Fortune 500 clients. Meet with key players to identify and resolve service issues. Plan and manage changes to workflow procedures. Enforce Sarbanes compliance. Prepare and bill 1-2 Million in invoices per month. Manage and deliver Blu-ray projects. Supervise Account Coordinators and Billing personnel. Provide revenue and expense forecasts to upper management. Train new personnel in procedures.
Independent Producer – November 2001 to August 2006
Huby Pix, Los Angeles, CA – Produced, Directed and Edited La Lucha! (Image Entertainment 2005), a feature documentary on Mexican Wrestling. Shot and produced segments for independent productions.
Assistant to Producers – March 2003 to November 2003
Fox Television, Century City, CA – Assisted two producers on a pilot and series. Obtained legal clearances. Coordinated shoot days. Managed audiences and guest stars. Coordinated writing sessions. Resolved production hassles quickly and efficiently.
Account Manager – April 1999 to October 2001
Verestar, Santa Monica, CA – Brought new products to market from inception to release for satellite communications firm, created over 50K in monthly passive revenue, formally presented products to large audiences at global political conferences and trade shows, used Salesforce to forecast and build client relations.
Coordinator Post Production Finance – August 1997 to April 1999
New Line Cinema, West Hollywood, CA – Maintained production budgets, reconciled bank statements and vendor statements, tracked and located purchase orders, assisted President of Production with special projects.
Office Manager– December 1994 to August 1997
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, San Francisco, CA – Managed busy cultural office of the Italian Consulate in San Francisco. Produced and presented film festivals, art exhibits, and lectures.
Education
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
BA Italian and BA Cinema
California State University, Los Angeles, CA
Graduate Certificate in Business Management
USC Marshall School of Business
MBA Marketing (in progress)
Languages
Italian – expert fluency – speak, read, write
Spanish – expert fluency – speak, read, write
French – advanced fluency speak, read – intermediate writing skills
Portuguese – interemediate fluency – speak, read, write.
Skills
Software: Power Point, Soundtrack, SAP, Xytech, Salesforce, Access, Excel, Quickbooks, Word, Final Cut, Filemaker.
Business: Platform Speaking, Reporting, Scheduling, Budgeting, Sales, Training, Accounting.
Production: Producing, Editing, Directing, Production Accounting, Line Producing
http://www.duncanmacleod.biz/
Duncan MacLeod
Highlights of Qualifications
Excellent Presentation Skills
Multi-lingual
Senior Manager with strong financial background
Television and Film producer
Sports documentary filmmaker
Product Developer and Manager
International Marketing
Employment
Sr. Account Manager DVD Client Services– March 2005 to Present
Blink/Ascent Media, Burbank, CA – Develop and maintain relationships with Fortune 500 clients. Meet with key players to identify and resolve service issues. Plan and manage changes to workflow procedures. Enforce Sarbanes compliance. Prepare and bill 1-2 Million in invoices per month. Manage and deliver Blu-ray projects. Supervise Account Coordinators and Billing personnel. Provide revenue and expense forecasts to upper management. Train new personnel in procedures.
Independent Producer – November 2001 to August 2006
Huby Pix, Los Angeles, CA – Produced, Directed and Edited La Lucha! (Image Entertainment 2005), a feature documentary on Mexican Wrestling. Shot and produced segments for independent productions.
Assistant to Producers – March 2003 to November 2003
Fox Television, Century City, CA – Assisted two producers on a pilot and series. Obtained legal clearances. Coordinated shoot days. Managed audiences and guest stars. Coordinated writing sessions. Resolved production hassles quickly and efficiently.
Account Manager – April 1999 to October 2001
Verestar, Santa Monica, CA – Brought new products to market from inception to release for satellite communications firm, created over 50K in monthly passive revenue, formally presented products to large audiences at global political conferences and trade shows, used Salesforce to forecast and build client relations.
Coordinator Post Production Finance – August 1997 to April 1999
New Line Cinema, West Hollywood, CA – Maintained production budgets, reconciled bank statements and vendor statements, tracked and located purchase orders, assisted President of Production with special projects.
Office Manager– December 1994 to August 1997
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, San Francisco, CA – Managed busy cultural office of the Italian Consulate in San Francisco. Produced and presented film festivals, art exhibits, and lectures.
Education
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
BA Italian and BA Cinema
California State University, Los Angeles, CA
Graduate Certificate in Business Management
USC Marshall School of Business
MBA Marketing (in progress)
Languages
Italian – expert fluency – speak, read, write
Spanish – expert fluency – speak, read, write
French – advanced fluency speak, read – intermediate writing skills
Portuguese – interemediate fluency – speak, read, write.
Skills
Software: Power Point, Soundtrack, SAP, Xytech, Salesforce, Access, Excel, Quickbooks, Word, Final Cut, Filemaker.
Business: Platform Speaking, Reporting, Scheduling, Budgeting, Sales, Training, Accounting.
Production: Producing, Editing, Directing, Production Accounting, Line Producing
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