The Company- After doing our research and having a few interactions and interviews with Camfel Productions, we packed our bags and met a random person at the airport. Stuffed our things into an unmarked white van and trusted that we had made the right decision. It seemed very sketchy at first. But I assure you Camfel Productions is a legitimate company. They have been in business for something like 40 years. The message they deliver, to hundreds of thousands of kids every year, is one of positivity. The message differs slightly from year to year (which is nice because its always fresh and new). The general messages I saw were "dont bully" "act positively" "be all you can be" "you're not alone". These were all done with a dramatic, inspiring and upbeat method. The people working for Camfel are solid people with a devotion to the message. They care about what they are doing.
While I would overall say that the company is great, it does have its flaws. If you read the rest of the blog you'll pick up on some of the things I would change.
The good
-Camfel's history speaks highly of their program
-the company is full of people that care about what they are doing
-pay is enough to save some cash if you live frugally or enough to have a great trip
The not so good
-Training lacked community building with other technicians
-seems as though good technicians get overloaded and slightly ignored
-I believe the scheduling could be done much more efficiently
The Job- Essentially what a technician does is the following:
-Make contact with each school
-Unload equipment
-Setup equipment
--Setup 3 big screens
--Setup 4 big speakers
--Setup 3 projectors
--Setup bank of DVD players
--Connect everything and align picture
-Introduce the show to the crowd
-Play the show
-Give an inspirational conclusion
-Take down the equipment
-Repair equipment as needed
-Pack it all up into your little vehicle
-Lather, rinse, repeat
The job takes a certain amount of brawn and we had days that we were absolutely exhausted. The technical aspect is minimal as long as you feel competent in setting up a projector at home. Most of your time outside of doing shows will be spent driving. We had time off (significantly more during the second half) and this is where the biggest benefit of the job comes into play...
The Experience- You get to see all different corners of this country. Sometimes it can be lame...really lame...Ohio lame. Its mostly what you make of it. Amy and I tried to balance the whole thing. We did a few strategic things every month. That way we were able to save money but still see the big things in each region (read the blog for more info on those adventures). A regular day consisted of waking up in hotel/motel A, doing a show or two then driving 2 or 3 hours and crashing in hotel/motel B. The in between was finding a creative meal (eating out gets old). The exceptional days we were able to see Mt. Rushmore or go on a swamp tour. They were few and far between. But then again, its a job, not a vacation. If you don't burn out and don't hide away in your hotel room every night you can really get to know our country.
I'll try to get the next post up much quicker than this one. I'm rather excited to share the next one...its our ending statistics! :)
