future – Matt Jaku

10 Years From Now…

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

It’s hard to imagine where we will be any amount of time from now. So much can change between now and then. Some things we can control, others maybe not. All we can do is make the best of what we’re given, when we’re given it.

To explain where I want to be in 10 years, I should first explain where I am now. I’m almost 34 years old, I work at an ice rink, and I just got an AAS in motion picture and TV production in May. I’ve been doing ice rink work for the last 14 years. As for the degree, I haven’t found a job yet, but I have been writing and producing a series for YouTube which can be found here. The series is called My Video Journal. I’m very proud of it, and with season 1 coming to an end, I can’t wait to work on season 2.

So in 10 years what do I want to change? Well, for starters, I’d be approaching my mid-40’s. I hope I’m married by then, but who knows (still very single). As much as I love doing ice rink work, I hope to have a job in the film industry. Since I spent 15 years in college and got my degree in video production, getting a job in that field is the ultimate goal.

One idea I had not long ago was the possibility of being a history teacher. I love history, mostly American, but I don’t like teaching. If I was going to teach, I’d want the students to be into what I’m teaching. I know that some will be while others aren’t, but I think it also matters what age level you teach as well.

In any case, my goal for 10 years from now is to be working on movies or TV shows. While I do that, I will always work on stuff for YouTube as long as YouTube exists. Not only that, but anything I do for YouTube is experience I can show potential employers later.

There’s no telling where I’ll be in 10 years. I could be doing the same thing I am now, but I hope not. I am currently working toward a better future for myself one day at a time. The film industry is highly competitive, but I know I can make it there if I try hard enough. That’s the goal. And while I’m not there yet, I’m certain I will be one day.

The Next Six Months

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

The next six months will be interesting to say the least. There’s a lot I need to finish, and at times, it can feel overwhelming to think about all at once. I have to remind myself to take it day by day. I’ll talk about each item individually below. They aren’t in any particular order.

The first thing that I need to do is help with the post-production on the film I worked on last semester called Epochal. We made it as a part of our Advanced Film Production class. My job on the film was sound designer. It was my first time doing sound design, and my job isn’t done. Once we have the picture locked, I can work on adding sounds and music. There’s a good chance we’ll need to do Foley for it as well. I’m actually really excited about it.

The second thing is I need to finish my last class for my degree. I’m taking cinematography, and it is the final class I need for an A.A.S. in TV and movie production. I’ve been in college since I was 18 (that’s roughly 15 years). I spent a majority of that time not knowing what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until 2017, when I took a class called Intro to Motion Pictures & TV, that I discovered what I wanted to do. I want to work on TV shows and/or movies. That’s the goal. My dream job is screenwriter/director, but I also love editing videos. I still edit videos weekly. Most of what I edit is my own gaming videos that I post to YouTube, but I’ll edit videos for people if they ask me to.

The final challenge of the next six months will be finding a job in the motion picture and TV field. The film industry is a hard one to get into, and having a degree doesn’t guarantee a job. To start, I’d be looking for any job in video work. I feel like I’m a pretty good video editor, so I’d probably start there to build up a portfolio of work. I have done work for people in the past, so I wouldn’t be starting from zero. I’d be adding onto what I already have. While my future is uncertain, I am positive that I will find a job in that field. It’ll just take some time.

A New Hope

Where do I begin? Another year has come and gone. It doesn’t feel like 2023 is in a few hours. But here we are. Another year, another chance to be someone new.

2022 started of so well. I was in Colorado for a week, and it was one of the best trips I’ve taken. I had so much fun skiing and just not being home. In April, I went to Galena, Illinois. In July, I went to Michigan. In September, I made my return to Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was the first time I had been down there in about 20 years and it was amazing.

Overall, I did a lot of fun stuff in 2022. I’m truly grateful for it. But 2022 wasn’t all fun. There were things that really just sucked. As the year went on, it just seemed to suck more and more. And of all my resolutions from last year, I only kept two of them. They can all be found here for future reading.

So, what didn’t I do in 2022? I didn’t post two blog posts a month, I didn’t read one book a month, and I didn’t film any of my short films. Does this make the year a failure by itself? No. I just kind of wish I did more. I know I could have done more. I just didn’t feel like it.

I did improve my video editing skills. I edited countless hours of video in 2022. I also finished writing my movie. I didn’t specify what the movie was, but I’m pretty sure I know which one it is. That also means that I took that movie and turned it into a TV show instead. The idea works better as a TV show since there’s so much to explore.

I do want to do a few things in 2023. I want to read one book a month. I have so many books, and I just got five more for Christmas. I’ll keep editing videos. I also want to put a serious effort into submitting film scripts to contests. It’ll be expensive, but it’s something I need to do to get where I want to go.

I also want to learn to say “no.” I often agree to things because I don’t want to make people mad. Well, that ends with 2022. I’m going to do things for me in 2023. That also means I need to let the past go. I often look to things in the past or people, and it never works out for me. To go forward, I have to stop going backward. The past is set in stone, but the future is undiscovered. It’s new. It’s exciting. That’s where I should be looking.

2023 is a chance to start new. It’s a chance for me to be someone different. And I fully intend on doing that. I look around and see where I am. I see where I can be. I see who I can be. It’s time I changed who I am so I can be who I’m meant to be.

Advice From a Guy That’s 30

Originally, I wanted this to be an actual blog post, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to make it into a sort of list. Do I know everything? No. Do I know a lot? Sort of. This is just a collection of things I’ve learned over the last 30 years. They aren’t in any order either.

We tend to care too much. We should care about the important things, but things out of our control, we should let go. It took me a long time to learn this one in particular. Once I stopped caring about the small stuff, things were better for me overall.
Don’t worry about what others think of you. It’s impossible to make everyone like you. The most important thing is to just be yourself. If people don’t like you, that’s their problem, not yours.
Do the things that make you happy. Don’t let others stop you from enjoying your life. I read comics and play video games. People look at me weird when I tell them. Guess what? I like playing games, and comic books are amazing between the artwork and the stories. If they don’t like it, it’s their problem, not mine.
Travel when you can. The world is so big, and there’s so much to see. Go out and see it when you can.
No life will ever be perfect. The idea is to make the best of what you have. Sure, you’ll have good and bad days, but the bad days will pass. The good days should be enjoyed.
Learn your worth. It took me a long time to learn mine and when people weren’t treating me right, I walked away. Even in past jobs. Were they happy? No, but they had every chance to make it right and they didn’t. I have no regrets.
Live without regret. I know it’s easier said than done, but take a chance. Get out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised how things can turn out. I can happily say that there isn’t a single thing I regret. Just don’t do anything illegal.
Don’t wish to grow up too fast. Enjoy your younger years. One day you’ll blink your eyes and you’ll be all grown up. People want to skip to the end, but half the fun is the journey you go on to get there.

I’m sure there’s more but I just can’t think of them at this moment. If I do, I’ll update this list.

Being 30 isn’t all that bad. I work with teenagers sometimes and they like to call me old. They make jokes about how I had pet dinosaurs and that sort of thing. Sure it’s funny, but realistically, I’m not that old. And most days, I don’t even feel like I’m 30. I feel younger.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve witnessed a lot. I remember September 11th (I was in 4th grade at the time). I saw the creation of smartphones, something I never thought I’d have. Now, everyone has one. I saw the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time in over 100 years. I watched the Chicago Blackhawks win not just 1, but 3 Stanley Cups. I lived during a global pandemic that’s lasted way too long. I’m also older than Google. What did I learn from it all? The world is far from perfect. Everyone has their own story to tell. A reason for who they are. But that’s also why I am the way I am.

There’s so many negative things that happen in a given day. So many things that make people feel horrible. I like being the person to make people laugh. I like making a positive impact even for just a moment. I like telling stupid dad jokes. I like being goofy. It’s what I do. We’re all going to grow old one day, but who says that we have to grow up?

People take life too serious; they take themselves too serious. People need to enjoy themselves more. There’s no need to be stressed over things that literally won’t matter in a few years years. Enjoy your life in the moment, because once this moment is gone, it’ll never come back.

The Movies That Inspired Me

Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of movies. So many, I can’t even remember them all. But within the last few years, some of them have had a major impact on me personally. These are the films I credit with my decision to pursue a career in film-making.

One of the first movies that influenced me was Logan. To be completely honest, I never got into the X-Men. Never cared for them. Never really understood them. Logan was a movie that forced me to look into the X-Men and what they were. And as a result, Magneto became one of my favorite villains in Marvel.

The way Logan was put together…written, filmed, the acting, it really did inspire me. The storytelling is some of the best I’ve seen. I loved every bit of that movie. To this day, Logan is still one of my Top 10 favorite movies of all-time, maybe even Top 5. I’ll still go back and watch it from time to time too.

The second movie that really influenced me was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The first one was great, and it was a nice addition to the MCU. The second one took a more emotional route, and I felt that was the right call. I loved the theme of it, and James Gunn is an absolute genius when it comes to making films that are both funny and heartfelt. While it did have fancy effects and cool sets, it also showed me that movies can be character driven. And when starting out with a low budget, you need characters to carry films.

The third movie I’ll talk about is Inception. While I didn’t understand the movie at first, I came to love it. The first time I saw it, I was very confused. I didn’t understand what was going on at all. Since then, I’ve come to love the movie. I’m super fascinated by the idea of controlling dreams, running missions in other people’s dreams, and just the idea that people got hired to implant ideas in other people’s heads. Inception solidified my love of Christopher Nolan movies, and as a result, he’s become my favorite film director.

If I’m being completely honest, Marvel has had a huge impact on my desire to make movies of my own. Everything they do is just so exciting and fun to watch, and that’s the stuff I want to do one day. I love the stories. I love the characters. And most of all, I love seeing these characters come to life. My ultimate goal is to make a Marvel movie one day. Will it happen? Probably not, but I can dream, can’t I?

I’m forever grateful for the films I’ve seen over the years, especially the ones that truly inspired me to take this path. Being a successful filmmaker is going to be tough, but I also don’t see success in dollar signs. If I make a movie, released it, and a couple of people see it, that’s success. I did what I set out to do. I made a film and released it.

But, as Saito, a character from Inception said, “Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone.” Eventually, I’ll have to take that leap of faith. I’ll have to jump into unknown territory for a chance at something more amazing. If I don’t, I’ll be stuck in the same spot forever. I have so many stories to tell, and I hope that one day, I can share them with the world.