Main fundraiser photo

Abbey's Career Coaching Program

My name is Abbey. 

I'm a person who spent three months  saving my entire summer job earnings so I could buy a piece of software: Final Cut Express. I bought an external hard drive at the same time so I would have enough space to work with all the video that was going to become a major part of my life.

Since 2007 I have made over 125 videos that range in all kind of genres: action, humor, drama, character study and ensemble pieces.  I have been all over the shows Heroes, Stargate SG-1 as well as the big blockbuster films of Star Trek, Inception and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I love television and film and there is nothing more that I love than creating stories with this medium.

Starting in 2009 I began working for a start-up called Jippidy where I made promotional videos for small and medium bussinesses in the Bay Area. Since 2013 I have taken on freelance work with Wizard World Comic Con, Aranya Software Technologies and Audience View to create everything from tutorials to videos illustrating the customer experience when they use a company's app.

I recently had the opportunity to interview for an assistant editor position for the editor who worked on The Passion of the Christ. The experience humbled me greatly because I realized I had a very large gap in my knowledge. But more than that: I wanted to learn about these things that I had no idea about.

I love video editing and I'm great at creating stories and giving you visuals to blow your mind. (Embedded above: This is "Blue" a multi-source video featuring all blue characters from television and film. Blue video (YouTube))



I recently connected with the tv/film editor of Burn Notice and Empire. His name is Zack Arnold (IMDB page) and he is starting a career coaching program and he is looking for beta members. I would very much like to be part of this program. There is no roadmap to making it in Hollywood, no one path that has been forged in stone that someone can follow. It's not like being a lawyer or doctor where you go to school and then you work for a hospital or law firm. There are so many idiosyncracies in the industry that I do not know how to navigate. I need a guide. And Zack Arnold wants to be my guide.  

A career coaching program may seem like a pyramid scheme from the outside but what this is is a mentorship/apprenticeship program where he is going to help me learn about the industry as well as having an overall wellness program. This is so that I can handle the 16 hour days working at a desk that is in my future. I will have weekly calls with him, assignments that will help teach me where exactly to search for work within the industry as well as tips of how to interact with people and the political situations of post-production houses.

Unfortunately I'm barely making rent and paying for groceries as is, I can't afford a $2500 six-month program. Not even at the $800 installments which are due at the end of August before the program starts, at the end of week 5 and the end of week 8.

If I reach my goal of $2500 that will full pay my six-month program with Zack. If I earn $2700-$3000 I will use that money to further my professional development by attending Editfest in Burbank in August, THE convention and go-to place to meet aspiring and working video editors in the industry.


This is what my dad said to me when I asked him for help:  "I understand you believe in it, believing is not good enough."


(This is a Tony Stark video to the song "Real World" by Matchbox Twenty. If this looks easy it is because I've spent years harnessing my skills and abilities to create a seamless visual experience! Real World on YouTube.)


If you can help financially, even a little bit, it would go a long way towards helping me reach my goal. The program is six months long and entails a great many things, including 1-1 calls, a lunch and visit to his edit suite, workshopping my reel and how to interview for editing positions. The cost is $2500 which is to be paid in $800 installments, the first being at the end of August and then after week 5 and week 8.


Please help. Please signal boost my vid GoFundMe in your social media spaces. Please let people in our community know that I am striving to take my love and my squee to another level and I need your help to get there .

Help me believe that this is possible.


(This is PASIV Face, a play on Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face' set to the film Inception by Christopher Nolan. This is a fan favorite in my communities! PASIV Face on YouTube.)



Sincerely,

Abbey

Organizer

Abbey Gonka
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA

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