The New Chapter
I'm now a Stuntman and the Assistant Stunt Coordinator for the TV Show LOST on ABC. How's that for getting your attention.
For those of you who are actually still checking my blog, the beautifully faithful, I have to apologize profusely for the dead silence you've experienced on this site over the past month. But as far as good juicy info is concerned your all in luck, because there's a directly adverse correlation between the volume of content on this page and the amount of drama going on in my life. This lapse in content would therefore equate to a whirlwind of news for all you faithful, all two of you that is.
I don't even know where to begin so bare with me as I babble through the last several weeks getting you up to speed, as informative and unliterarily inspiring as possible, but much like the end of a good Bond movie, don't fret, for my literary prowess will return in posts to come, so stay tuned.
Falling into the Stunt Business
Ok, so not much longer than a month ago I posted ...AND They Pay You to my blog regarding a CNN Money article that talked about stunt driving as an unorthodox six-figure career. My wife's father caught wind of the article and offered a window of opportunity to come work for him on the TV show LOST, on ABC. Her father creates, stages, and directs all action sequences as the Stunt Coordinator, as well as all hiring, and as I can now attest to, there's no shortage of people hounding him to break into the stunt business.
Preparation for the Unprepared
Faced with a difficult decision, Heather and I deliberated over the idea of leaving an established network of great friends and family, leaving a home we had moved into just three days prior, leaving secure, enviable careers with time vested, leaving the mainland USA, and doing all this within a 2-3 week window as the second season of shooting had just begun.
After much prayer and consultation, and prayer, we truly felt this was an opportunity seldom seen and seldom taken, but anyone that knows us understands our tout for taking the road less traveled, and knows our desire for the extraordinary, and extraordinary this was.
So the idea was sold, but pulling the trigger and would be a trick in such a short amount of time.
We needed to re-pack our lives and somehow get them into storage (on the other side of the mountains), prep and ship our belongings and car, somehow get goods to NJ, somehow get rid of a car, somehow get out of the lease on the house we just signed, gracefully leave my job abruptly and somehow keep Heather's, all the while saying goodbye to everyone over there on our way out the door.
Like a couple thoroughbreds just out the gate, we were off to conquering the world one task at a time, and enlisted the help of family and friends to get it all done. Stealing a line from a classic 80's epic, the list of leg-workers in our court to make this all happen is long and distinguished...And so's my... Anyway, my brother Chris flew out to help with everything, from getting needed work done on the cars, to buying the 2nd car we needed to get rid of, to helping us pack and move our belongings across WA, to taking some of our belongings back across the country on his road trip back, and just about anything else you can think of; a true go-to guy, no questions asked, and he did it with no regard for his own time.
Heather's family was no exception to the go-to column, and I just started jotting down some names and realized just about everyone in that clan had some part to play in getting us to flight-ready status, and however minuet it may have seemed to them then, looking back it was certainly instrumental. From the cross-state hauling to party-planning, it was HUGE and Heather and I brag to each other how amazing our network of family and friends is.
We don't take for granted all the love and support we had from so many and cherish our time with each and every one of you. It brings me to tears thinking about the blessings God gave us in our relationships and it won't soon be forgotten the impact you've all had on our lives.
Believe it or not, things were shaping up quite well and although the inevitable unforeseen circumstance arose, it was tackled accordingly, and we stayed the course towards our move to Hawaii. Did I mention the show was in Hawaii and that's where we'd be moving to? Guess not. We were moving to Kona, on the Big Island, and going to commute via plane between the islands to Oahu for shooting; guess that tid-bit is worth sharing, huh.
With only a few days left and most of our tasks completed, it looked to be smooth sailing up to flight time and the last things on our agenda had to do with parties and get-togethers; they called these celebrations of us finally getting out of their town "going away parties", but they can't fool me, I know the truth.
Vegas Baby, Vegas
Needless to say, being prepared days in advance of something doesn't sit well with me, as it leaves nothing to do at the last minute, and what fun is that? So, Las Vegas sounded like the perfect solution to filling that gap of 2 days before my move across the Pacific.
Some close friends and my brother Chris (one of his many road-trip stops) were making a long weekend of Mandalay Bay to celebrate monogamy induced through marital bliss. This was by no means in my cards on several levels, but an expense-paid invitation was offered that Thursday afternoon for a Thursday afternoon flight to Vegas, returning directly to Portland, OR, to catch up with Heather at her moms. Again going back to my Carpediem'esk' outlook and unrational behavior in both mind and body, this sounded like a perfectly normal way to fill the next 36 hours, so I hung up the phone with the group and literally ran to check the ferry off Bainbridge Island for the very last time.
The trip lived up to most of it's expectations and my boy Greg Gellas can officially say he spent more money in one weekend than a brain surgeon makes in a week, and we can all say we partied in the number 1 club in the country (and it only cost $437 for the 7 of us just to get in; again thanks to Greg for that bill, covering both the cost of admission and for greasing the bouncers).
Times in your life when you can rendezvous with great people from across the country in one place are few and far between and our time is too short not to capitalize on every opportunity we come across to share in those experiences with them.
Not having slept made the flight back to the Pacific NW a Godsend, and we spent the next day-and-a-half tying up loose-ends and saying our goodbyes. Monday morning, August 8, we were sitting on an Aloha Airlines flight that capped one chapter and was flying us towards another, that we had absolutely no preconceived notions on its parameters or, well, on anything, anything at all. All we knew is that we'd be living on an island neither of us had ever been to, chasing a career path neither one of us has any experience in, but we did know we willing to make a go of it, and that's all either one of us could expect from the other.
LOST, Somewhere in Hawaii
As fast as things happened in our preparation to get to HI, things were moving equally as fast once we got here. Heather and I both got laid immediately. Heather and I both got laid immediately...get it. Having not met anyone from one half of Heather's lineage ever before, this a new experience on so many levels I can't even begin to tell you. Heather's dad, Mike, and wife Stephanie, were gracious from the get-go and as quick as we were introduced to Kona that we were off to work in Oahu, which was a pleasant surprise.
Not knowing exactly what I was in for and having never been to a Hollywood movie set, the first thing I learned upon entering the set was that I will forever be over-dressed (not only on the set, but on the island, any of them). But on the same token, being introduced as the Asst. Stunt Coordinator and looking like I can tie a tie leads people to believe that I know what I'm doing, and that I've done it before, and who am I to correct an assumption. By day two on the set people actually asked me for advice and how to handle the stunt-related topics, and that coupled with the main ingredient for stunt work (or 90% of all movie and TV work for that matter), common sense, allows me to play the part quite well; this is Hollywood after all.
Within two weeks Heather and I were doing our first stunts as doubles, Heather for Michelle Rodriguez "Ana-Lucia", and myself for Henry Ian Cusick "Desmond", both new to the show this season. I also worked as an animal (hint, hint). Heather will also be doubling Evangeline Lilly "Kate" and I'm slotted to double Dominick Monaghan "Charlie". With any luck at all we'll be doubling even more characters as they're introduced, pending their physical stature is up to snuff with ours (aka. we're lucky enough to resemble them on a bad day). Utility stunt work, doing stunts not as a main character, will also fill some days. I'm gradually making myself recognizable with the in-people and continue to build a foundation to take over the industry on.
Cops is Missing Out
It's been just under a month since we've been here, and all I can say about the Island of Oahu is our TV show LOST wouldn't be the number 1 show out here if COPS filmed here more. In the first three weeks we've gotten $8,000 of stuff stolen out of our truck, a hit-and-run accident, and I was attacked. The funniest part about all this is that every time the police show up to handle the report (not the crime, but the report) they always tell us how bad an area we're in happens to be and that they couldn't believe we didn't know better than to be there. My rebuttal stands firm at the fact that if those areas are so bad, why aren't they more heavily patrolled.
The fact is that the worst thing about Hawaii are Hawaiians, or locals, whatever the nationality may be, because actual Hawaiians are actually a small minority of the population here, being primarily filled with descendants from the Indonesian and Asian worlds, with a few generations of ancestry on the islands. Fortunately where I live on the Big Island and most areas on the other islands don't deal with these kinds of atrocities nearly at all, making the distinctions between Oahu (although the North Shore is less deserving of this lashing) and the other islands much like those between the cities of Manhattan vs. The Bronx. Oahu can be spoken in the same breath as Puerto Rico or Jamaica, whereas you can't travel beyond the tourist locations and feel well protected from the elements.
For the Future
I don't even know if this has brought any of you up to speed, but it gets but a few of my thoughts shared with you and unfortunately I wasn't able to give you the play-by-play you deserve and will be getting in the future, and maybe now I can get back into a rhythm of sharing on some of the other fun topics wearing on me...Like people who complain about Natural Disaster clean-up efforts!
For those of you who are actually still checking my blog, the beautifully faithful, I have to apologize profusely for the dead silence you've experienced on this site over the past month. But as far as good juicy info is concerned your all in luck, because there's a directly adverse correlation between the volume of content on this page and the amount of drama going on in my life. This lapse in content would therefore equate to a whirlwind of news for all you faithful, all two of you that is.
I don't even know where to begin so bare with me as I babble through the last several weeks getting you up to speed, as informative and unliterarily inspiring as possible, but much like the end of a good Bond movie, don't fret, for my literary prowess will return in posts to come, so stay tuned.
Falling into the Stunt Business
Ok, so not much longer than a month ago I posted ...AND They Pay You to my blog regarding a CNN Money article that talked about stunt driving as an unorthodox six-figure career. My wife's father caught wind of the article and offered a window of opportunity to come work for him on the TV show LOST, on ABC. Her father creates, stages, and directs all action sequences as the Stunt Coordinator, as well as all hiring, and as I can now attest to, there's no shortage of people hounding him to break into the stunt business.
Preparation for the Unprepared
Faced with a difficult decision, Heather and I deliberated over the idea of leaving an established network of great friends and family, leaving a home we had moved into just three days prior, leaving secure, enviable careers with time vested, leaving the mainland USA, and doing all this within a 2-3 week window as the second season of shooting had just begun.
After much prayer and consultation, and prayer, we truly felt this was an opportunity seldom seen and seldom taken, but anyone that knows us understands our tout for taking the road less traveled, and knows our desire for the extraordinary, and extraordinary this was.
So the idea was sold, but pulling the trigger and would be a trick in such a short amount of time.
We needed to re-pack our lives and somehow get them into storage (on the other side of the mountains), prep and ship our belongings and car, somehow get goods to NJ, somehow get rid of a car, somehow get out of the lease on the house we just signed, gracefully leave my job abruptly and somehow keep Heather's, all the while saying goodbye to everyone over there on our way out the door.
Like a couple thoroughbreds just out the gate, we were off to conquering the world one task at a time, and enlisted the help of family and friends to get it all done. Stealing a line from a classic 80's epic, the list of leg-workers in our court to make this all happen is long and distinguished...And so's my... Anyway, my brother Chris flew out to help with everything, from getting needed work done on the cars, to buying the 2nd car we needed to get rid of, to helping us pack and move our belongings across WA, to taking some of our belongings back across the country on his road trip back, and just about anything else you can think of; a true go-to guy, no questions asked, and he did it with no regard for his own time.
Heather's family was no exception to the go-to column, and I just started jotting down some names and realized just about everyone in that clan had some part to play in getting us to flight-ready status, and however minuet it may have seemed to them then, looking back it was certainly instrumental. From the cross-state hauling to party-planning, it was HUGE and Heather and I brag to each other how amazing our network of family and friends is.
We don't take for granted all the love and support we had from so many and cherish our time with each and every one of you. It brings me to tears thinking about the blessings God gave us in our relationships and it won't soon be forgotten the impact you've all had on our lives.
Believe it or not, things were shaping up quite well and although the inevitable unforeseen circumstance arose, it was tackled accordingly, and we stayed the course towards our move to Hawaii. Did I mention the show was in Hawaii and that's where we'd be moving to? Guess not. We were moving to Kona, on the Big Island, and going to commute via plane between the islands to Oahu for shooting; guess that tid-bit is worth sharing, huh.
With only a few days left and most of our tasks completed, it looked to be smooth sailing up to flight time and the last things on our agenda had to do with parties and get-togethers; they called these celebrations of us finally getting out of their town "going away parties", but they can't fool me, I know the truth.
Vegas Baby, Vegas
Needless to say, being prepared days in advance of something doesn't sit well with me, as it leaves nothing to do at the last minute, and what fun is that? So, Las Vegas sounded like the perfect solution to filling that gap of 2 days before my move across the Pacific.
Some close friends and my brother Chris (one of his many road-trip stops) were making a long weekend of Mandalay Bay to celebrate monogamy induced through marital bliss. This was by no means in my cards on several levels, but an expense-paid invitation was offered that Thursday afternoon for a Thursday afternoon flight to Vegas, returning directly to Portland, OR, to catch up with Heather at her moms. Again going back to my Carpediem'esk' outlook and unrational behavior in both mind and body, this sounded like a perfectly normal way to fill the next 36 hours, so I hung up the phone with the group and literally ran to check the ferry off Bainbridge Island for the very last time.
The trip lived up to most of it's expectations and my boy Greg Gellas can officially say he spent more money in one weekend than a brain surgeon makes in a week, and we can all say we partied in the number 1 club in the country (and it only cost $437 for the 7 of us just to get in; again thanks to Greg for that bill, covering both the cost of admission and for greasing the bouncers).
Times in your life when you can rendezvous with great people from across the country in one place are few and far between and our time is too short not to capitalize on every opportunity we come across to share in those experiences with them.
Not having slept made the flight back to the Pacific NW a Godsend, and we spent the next day-and-a-half tying up loose-ends and saying our goodbyes. Monday morning, August 8, we were sitting on an Aloha Airlines flight that capped one chapter and was flying us towards another, that we had absolutely no preconceived notions on its parameters or, well, on anything, anything at all. All we knew is that we'd be living on an island neither of us had ever been to, chasing a career path neither one of us has any experience in, but we did know we willing to make a go of it, and that's all either one of us could expect from the other.
LOST, Somewhere in Hawaii
As fast as things happened in our preparation to get to HI, things were moving equally as fast once we got here. Heather and I both got laid immediately. Heather and I both got laid immediately...get it. Having not met anyone from one half of Heather's lineage ever before, this a new experience on so many levels I can't even begin to tell you. Heather's dad, Mike, and wife Stephanie, were gracious from the get-go and as quick as we were introduced to Kona that we were off to work in Oahu, which was a pleasant surprise.
Not knowing exactly what I was in for and having never been to a Hollywood movie set, the first thing I learned upon entering the set was that I will forever be over-dressed (not only on the set, but on the island, any of them). But on the same token, being introduced as the Asst. Stunt Coordinator and looking like I can tie a tie leads people to believe that I know what I'm doing, and that I've done it before, and who am I to correct an assumption. By day two on the set people actually asked me for advice and how to handle the stunt-related topics, and that coupled with the main ingredient for stunt work (or 90% of all movie and TV work for that matter), common sense, allows me to play the part quite well; this is Hollywood after all.
Within two weeks Heather and I were doing our first stunts as doubles, Heather for Michelle Rodriguez "Ana-Lucia", and myself for Henry Ian Cusick "Desmond", both new to the show this season. I also worked as an animal (hint, hint). Heather will also be doubling Evangeline Lilly "Kate" and I'm slotted to double Dominick Monaghan "Charlie". With any luck at all we'll be doubling even more characters as they're introduced, pending their physical stature is up to snuff with ours (aka. we're lucky enough to resemble them on a bad day). Utility stunt work, doing stunts not as a main character, will also fill some days. I'm gradually making myself recognizable with the in-people and continue to build a foundation to take over the industry on.
Cops is Missing Out
It's been just under a month since we've been here, and all I can say about the Island of Oahu is our TV show LOST wouldn't be the number 1 show out here if COPS filmed here more. In the first three weeks we've gotten $8,000 of stuff stolen out of our truck, a hit-and-run accident, and I was attacked. The funniest part about all this is that every time the police show up to handle the report (not the crime, but the report) they always tell us how bad an area we're in happens to be and that they couldn't believe we didn't know better than to be there. My rebuttal stands firm at the fact that if those areas are so bad, why aren't they more heavily patrolled.
The fact is that the worst thing about Hawaii are Hawaiians, or locals, whatever the nationality may be, because actual Hawaiians are actually a small minority of the population here, being primarily filled with descendants from the Indonesian and Asian worlds, with a few generations of ancestry on the islands. Fortunately where I live on the Big Island and most areas on the other islands don't deal with these kinds of atrocities nearly at all, making the distinctions between Oahu (although the North Shore is less deserving of this lashing) and the other islands much like those between the cities of Manhattan vs. The Bronx. Oahu can be spoken in the same breath as Puerto Rico or Jamaica, whereas you can't travel beyond the tourist locations and feel well protected from the elements.
For the Future
I don't even know if this has brought any of you up to speed, but it gets but a few of my thoughts shared with you and unfortunately I wasn't able to give you the play-by-play you deserve and will be getting in the future, and maybe now I can get back into a rhythm of sharing on some of the other fun topics wearing on me...Like people who complain about Natural Disaster clean-up efforts!
posted by Jonathan at 7:14 PM
5 Comments:
Wow, what a start to your new chapter but I have a feeling it's only the beginning of Jon & Heather's Big Adventure!
I miss you guys tons but I'm so, so proud of your drive and ambition to always be more than you can be. Definitely doesn't surprise me!
For some reason, Jon, I don't remember your writing being this good when we were sitting at the computer till early morning trying to finish your school reports! "to celebrate monogamy induced through marital bliss". Great line.
I hope you get time to write again soon. I truly enjoy sharing your new chapter with both yours and Heather's blogs.
I hope to see you soon!!!
Love you, Mom
So glad you finally wrote again!!! I (and many others )have been anticpating ( just like waiting for the start of a new season of your favorite tv show) your return to writing your blog!!
As I have told you before I have always enjoyed your writing, and think you may have missed your true profession. Some day we will be attending your book signings or the the premieres of the films you have written...
So what is this about being attacked...didn't hear that one yet.
We miss you so much (especially on Sundays)... gatherings here are just not the same. But am so thrilled you and Heather are experiencing such an adventure...
Write again, and next time don't make us wait so long...even tv shows are weekly...love Aunt Mary
Hey Jon,
Nice to finally see your are back on the blog! We have been keeping up to date with Heathers blog. BTW it is Lei'ed brau! I had to read that like 4 times! :)
So we are looking forward to the season Premier of Lost. I guess it will be a few episodes in until we will see you? Did you get to play a boar?
Take care and email me!
Chris S.
Aloha blogger faithful. Thanks for the comments. It's nice to see that people are actually giving me a second chance to capture their blog-readership :)
Hi, Jonathan. My name is Jim Thomsen, co-editor of The Bainbridge Islander, and I think your pinballing Bainbridge-to-Hawaii odyssey would make for a fun story for our publication. Would you mind if I "interviewed" you and Heather via e-mail? Feel free to contact me at jthomsen@kitsapsun.com.
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