Dear friends and supporters,
I write to you from the middle of the longest 50in50 hiatus yet. I’m very sorry for my absence. Have I lost all of my fans? Has anyone even noticed? We’ll see.
I’d planned a very long explanation but I’ve run out of time for one, so here it is, straight up:
I ran out of money. I don’t mean simply that I ran out of money for 50in50; I mean that I ran out of money for life. (Oof. Hard to admit that.) That’s not to say that I had zero money. Zero money would be awesome. No, I had negative money. In other words, the ugliest four-letter-word of them all: debt. Specifically credit card debt, which is the maybe the worst kind, aside from the kind where guys with lead pipes come after your kneecaps. Anyway, it has been an exhausting period, as I’ve been working my ass off trying to make my way back to that coveted zero dollar mark.
In the meantime, I’ve been auditioning some (strike while the iron’s hot) and doing a few plays, which has been good, but it’s further distracted from 50in50. And then something kind of amazing happened…
I was offerred a job as a writer for Gizmodo. This move may surprise a lot of you, but in addition to the acting/writing/directing/editing/blahblahblah I also happen to be a gadget geek. In fact, I’ve been writing for PC World for the past year as one of my main sources of income. Long story short, I have decided to take the job. It’s an incredible opportunity to write, creatively and fix my financial black hole at the same time. I’m very excited about it, and I start tomorrow morning.
This represents a small shift in perspective for me. I’ve always considered myself 60% actor and 40% writer. Taking this job will effectively reverse those numbers, if only in my mind. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s a chance to grow as a writer and expand my audience in a way I’ve never been able to before (Gizmodo gets millions of views every day. In fact, it’s one of the top ten most visited blogs on the web). It’s going to be a major shift in lifestyle (going from freelance to an 8-6 schedule in an office), but I’m approaching it as a new adventure, which will be challenging but also a lot of fun. We shall see…
Let me state, unequivocally that I am not done with acting and that 50in50 WILL be completed. It’s maddening to have paused for so long with only five more to do, but I want those last five to be very special. The plan is to take some time to get the hang of the new gig, get my money right (as Kanye would say), and then finish 50in50 in a blaze of glory.
In the meantime, to tide you over, I will soon be releasing the director’s cut of Bill Pullman’s Celebrity Meltdown, which will contain several minutes of previously unseen hilarity. If you are new to 50in50 check out some of my FAVORITE EPISODES, or you can view the COMPLETE LIST, chronologically.
Again, I thank you for you continued support and patience, and I sheepishly apologize again for the long delay. If you supported the project via Kickstarter, you still have buttons, DVDs, etc. coming to you. I haven’t forgotten. If you want more frequent updates, you can follow me on Google+ or Twitter. I have very much appreciated your emails and comments over the past months. It really means a ton to me that people still ask about and care about this passion project. I promise you, the best is yet to come.
Much love,
Brent
8.1.11 1.15am