6. rich
I don’t really like to talk about work but for the purpose of this story, which is entertainment, I must tell you what I do. So.. I am an art director in advertising. Which means, in an extremley overly simplified way, that I am in charge of the visual component in advertisements like tv commercials. The people you see, the clothes they’re wearing, the decor, the lighting, the general aesthetic of the place they are in, the way they move in space, etc. Sometimes it’s not even a person I’m “art directing” I have also told different cuts of steak how they should look and move.
Now that we ~*set the scene*~ I want to tell you about a very special person to me. Someone that I miss very dearly. A personal connection the pandemic took away from me and many others like me. The connection I’m referring to is the one between creative and craft service caterer on set. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many craft servicers but there is one I will always remember and think of fondly. And that’s Rich. My guy, Rich. He was the bee’s knee’s of catering for a film production crew but more specifically, catering to me. Him and I had a unique opportunity to get to know each other, one that is not always given to people - we worked together for a client that had recurring film productions every 3 months. The shoots were about 4 days long. And then every 6 months we’d do an overnight shoot which was absolutely miserable, or it would have been if it wasn’t for Rich. So for one whole calendar year, I got to see Rich for 14 days. Our friendship was part of a routine we couldn’t avoid. It was incredible.
We hit it off immediately. And I’ll give myself a lot of credit for that. I have always had a knack for scanning a room, observing who the most important people are and then heading in their direction to become besties with them. I knew within moments of being on set that this was going to be a neverending stress-eating type of set environment so naturally, I headed to craft services and put on a show of character for Rich. I asked him his name, I explored his cheese board, I asked him which was his favorite cheese, I tried his favorite cheese, I was honest with my review, I told him that while I enjoy a cheese platter I’m a real slut for crudités. He said “let me see what I got” and the next time I returned to his table there it was, a platter full of my favorites - cucumbers, carrots, peppers, celery, you name it - he had it and at least three different kinds of dips to go along with it. Our relationship continued to develop in this way, I’d bring the conversation and he’d bring the refreshments. I’d tell him how being on set can be so boring, you really need to continuously drink coffee to stay alert but that I hated the jitteriness after multiple cups of coffee (not to mention being on set is not the ideal place to pass bowel movements often). The next day Rich had a CBD cold brew for me, he told me the CBD is supposed to help calm your stomach/your nerves while the cold brew keeps you caffienated. It helped, a little. But I drank the whole thing because I was consumed by the sweet gesture. He had one waiting for me every morning on set from there on out. And he didn’t give these out freely!! He only ever had a few at a time but I always got one.
And our friendship wasn’t just transactional. What I lacked in food and beverages, I made up for in conversation. I’d hang out at his table long past the last olive on the charcuterie was eaten, just talking. I’d even introduce him to people on set that would then inspire conversation between the two of them. I always made sure people knew him by name and not just “the craft services guy.” Now, instead of people just grabbing a snack and going, like most jobs, they’d linger in conversation with him and I could tell that made him happy. He was a talker and a lover. And in turn, it brought me happiness to see him become part of the family on set.
It was a simple friendship. But the beauty of it was its melodramatic consistency. We had a genuine appreciation for one another. We never asked for anything from the other one, we just showed up for each other however we could, whenever we could. There were no expectations but we exchanged enough stories to have a foundational understanding of what the other one liked in life. It was magical. Like I said, I miss him dearly. If our paths never cross again, may we both find the same connection with another soul we come across. I love you, Rich.