You had the perfect life
Until...
3-year contract with a 6-figure salary.
Guaranteed presence in the biggest shows.
Invitations to the most trendy events.
It was great, until your company stock plummeted or a management change happened.
Your contract was terminated.
A new person will take over your chair for a cheaper salary.
You are not invited anymore to the fancy events.
But that is not the worst problem.
It is the doubt and emptiness that you are left with.
After years of giving your best to this company, after being the face of their main sports coverages, or after signing the biggest contracts, you were not enough.
In the best-case scenario, a severance package mitigates your potential economic problems.
However, if the package comes with a non-compete, it becomes a burden. You are eager to prove that you are still good.
You talk to friends and colleagues who mostly reinforce that the blame is on the company, not on you. It was an issue of executives, not a problem of the ratings.
Some would tell you that it is not your fault; it was the natural cause of the change in the ways the viewers watch their content. “People still love you; it’s just that they see you on tablets or phones, and the companies still don’t know how to monetize that.”
“Don’t worry, honey; you are a victim of the cable cutters; you will find a new role very soon.” Tells you another friend.
All this is the last thing you want to hear.
Deep down, you want your old role, with the shitty company that just let you go but that you still consider your home, a part of your life.
You don’t want to talk to anybody. You think that even your family looks at you as a failure.
The only ones you want to talk to are your former colleagues that were let go. Except with those who have found new joy in another place or with their own business. “They still don’t know what is coming,” is what your mind tells you.
After some weeks, you start reaching out to people. Returning the calls that you did not answer.
You start realizing that you are more than the VP of “XYZ” company or the main anchor of the “TXPK Sports” show.
Then, you find an internal force that starts to wake up. One that is pushing you to find a new adventure. It is a thought that tells you that you can still do your thing and find another project.
That voice is not alone. You will also hear that you are not enough, “that is why they let you go”. It is the one that brings doubts about your talents, the one questioning how you, without a solid social following, will be able to work in the new normal.
If you are willing to fight the battle inside your head, you will find that the “new normal” is not easy, but you are equipped with more tools to find success again than others who are just starting.
The key is not to try to find the same you had and be open to new projects, new realities, and new audiences.
Success now will have a different meaning and must not be attached only to the brand of the company that you would be working for. You must build your own brand as well.
You might not feel identified with this story because:
You have never gone through it. You are still successful in your job, and probably this will never happen to you.
You went through it, but as you were a “lower tier” employee, you did not get the package and had to overcome your frustration immediately to provide for your family.
You have not started working yet.
Independently of your situation, remember:
It could happen to you any moment. Especially now with all the changes in our industry.
You are not your job, you are a talented human being whose identity should not be attached to the title you had in a company. Life should go on.
If you are not in our industry yet, build your brand, build your own path. It is okay to work for others, it is not okay to be only Albert, Director of Production for WQX, you are more than that.
If you are going through this, I believe in you.
If you are not there yet but have the chance to support others, do it. Karma is real.
I am back in Switzerland enjoying the mild summer.
I am going through a new chapter of my life and career that I will share with you later. All good, just something new, but as Ryan Holiday says “the obstacle is the way”.
If you enjoy this newsletter consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
If you cannot do that, do me a favor and share it with a couple of friends who might enjoy reading about the broadcasting industry.
I feel this.