You Need and You Need and You Need
Wherein our narrator muses on his own affability
and being taken for a ride.
Yesterday morning I had a meeting with two lively
fellows from New South Wales' State Development agency. You can think of them
as business development executives, working on behalf of the state. All well
and good, because one of them I'd met in a meeting during my June visit for XML
1, and the other, though new to me, was very focused. They want to promote a
games industry in NSW - catching up to Victoria and Queensland, which have both
put significant resources into such efforts, with at least modest successes.
I was allowed to pontificate about the
state of things - this, I guess, was their price of admission - and after that
we got down to nitty gritty. They asked me if I could help with a few things,
to which I affably agreed. I want to help them - don't get me wrong - but this
week is my busiest thus far at AFTRS, and I'll be teaching practically non-stop
for the rest of the week. And some of these requests were for things that
should have been handled *long ago* but have been left until just a few days
before they need to be
realized.
Specifically, they've asked
me to find someone in California who would be willing to pimp NSW a bit at a
barbecue thrown by the Australian Game Developer's Assn next week at their
annual event in San Jose. What exactly do they want this person to do? I
can't possibly tell you, because although a few names came to mind immediately -
Coco and Kate, specifically -- I don't know what I can actually tell them about
what NSW is looking for them to do at this event. In fact, I don't believe that
the NSW folks know what they want to
do.
Right now they're just needy, but
they don't know what for. And, in my own opinion, they're as helpless as
babies. I can give them some help, but there are numerous other demands on my
time. And despite my desire to ingratiate myself with local officials -
something that doubtless will help when I make an application for permanent
residency - I can't help having the feeling that they're getting my help and
advice for free. Free advice is all well and good, but I can assure you that
free advice isn't valued very highly. If I were charging them $100 an hour for
my time - which they couldn't afford to pay - then they'd be hanging on my every
word.
But for now, I just have a list
of TO DO items from these folks, and I'll do the best I can to check them off,
one after another. I hope that I can be efficient,, helpful, clear and of
service. And if I can't, well, I hope that it's not my planning that put them
into this
situation.
***
Tomorrow
I'm teaching "DigiDoco" - that is, Digital Media for Documentary Filmmakers. I
thought it was going to be a class of 4, but now it's up to 13 (at its peak on
Thursday) and counting. In a room that really is only meant for ten folks at
the most. It's going to be crammed, both with bodies and with information. If
I do my work well, tomorrow they'll leave that room with their ears bleeding -
figuratively at least. But it's interesting, because all through this weekend
my mind was churning, churning, churning about this class, popping up in my
dreams and whatnot, as a bit of a background process, which shows how important
I must consider this. And it's true, I've been doing everything I can to prep
myself for it. Most of this I can toss off quite easily, though some of it will
involve some original thinking - on my own part - and some on the fly
philosophizing.
Here's hoping.
Meanwhile, I wait for a call from the aforesaid NSW State Development folks, so
they can tell me what's up...
Posted: Tue - March 16, 2004 at 04:58 PM