This is a feature I first ran in 2012, and it proved to be quite successful, because I receive a healthy number of responses, most of which I shared right here on S&A, and all of which were well-received by readers. It’s been a long while since that initial post, and, because of that, the responses, as you may have noticed, have long stopped coming. 

I was reminded of it this morning when I received an email from a director asking me if I would ever reboot the series, because, as he said, when I first ran it, he didn’t have anything to share then, but has since made some career moves that he feels are worth sharing now. 

So I thought I’d repost the original announcement 2 years later, assuming that there are others just like the above director, who’d like to participate in the series this now, and, as the title suggests, share their journeys.

I know that a significant chunk of S&A’s audience comprises of actors, actresses, directors, DPs, editors, composers, etc, etc, etc. Some are able to earn a paycheck utilizing their artistic and/or technical skills; others – and I’d say the majority – are what we’ve labeled the proverbial *starving artists*, working diligently, relentlessly, struggling to climb this incredibly steep hill, trying to reach some self-defined pinnacle of success – whether personal or professional. And still others exist somewhere between the former and the latter.

Where do you fall? And, as the title of this post states, what’s YOUR story, and would you like to share it with the rest of the world?

Think of it as an extension of the successful S&A Filmmaker Diary series which we started 3 years ago, with Matthew Cherry as the guinea pig. I’m looking for your individual stories of struggle and/or success, regardless of what rung on the ladder you are currently on.

It takes a certain amount of courage to be able to be vulnerable and share one’s plight, but I suppose that’s exactly what I’m asking for; After all, not only is S&A just a source for news, its goal is also to become a community of cinema lovers where we can all share/debate/discuss/learn/teach/commiserate/etc.

Here’s your chance. You might learn something; you might teach someone something.

What’s YOUR story? You can email me at obensont@gmail.com, with "What’s your story?" in the subject line. You can submit your story in any format – written, or even documented on video – and I’ll share it here. I probably won’t share ALL of them (obviously content and presentation are key). But don’t let that deter you. 

It could be a story about a current situation you find yourself in; or it could cover several days, weeks, months, or years. It could be that you just want to vent your frustrations; aspects of, or people in this business that enrage you; aspects of, or people in the industry that encourage you. It doesn’t have to be all negative, nor all positive. We’re complex people, and so I assume our stories are as well.

If you’re uncertain of how to present your story, check out past submissions here. 

So, who’s first?