The Office On The Road
The office on the road is not for the faint of heart. It requires working in physically cramped spaces, Internet access in remote locations, an ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks, the most reliable cell phone service provider, and a willingness to turn in quality work on deadline while taking breaks to lift and move heavy objects – a workout for both your mind and your body. These are some of the things I’ve noted since we’ve left Greensboro.
I don’t have a printer or even a desk. The entirety of my work is done sitting on a milk crate and the technology at my disposal makes this condensed work environment is possible. In addition to an arsenal of pens, notebooks and a voice recorder, these are the most important tools:
With the proper technique, a DSLR camera can make a good picture out any kind of shooting situation. The Canon I’ve been using has been useful in both low and high levels of light as well as capable of capturing action shots with a high rate of success.
Seeing as I’m updating the Smirkus Facebook page and sending drafts and updates to the offices in Greensboro, access to the Internet is paramount. I haven’t had any problems with this model from Verizon yet.
Because the pictures have to get from the camera to the computer somehow…
I’ve been using this Mac for over three years and it has all the basic software for word-processing, editing and organizing photos, and producing short video clips. I’m a Mac person.
These tools, when paired with the media at my disposal, allow me produce content at ease and share it widely from the comfort of my milk crate. As a communications intern, I’m the eyes and ears of the public relations and marketing wing of Smirkus while on the road. The job involves almost constant communication with a large and diverse audience including parents of troupers, fans of Smirkus, media outlets, non-profits, and even other circuses. Facebook and WordPress blog hosting are two mediums that Smirkus favors. From the administration tabs, I can track how many people are viewing my posts, where in the world they are, and connect with other users. After every show there are usually two or three more “Likes” on Facebook and more people seem to be reading the Big Top Tour Blog every day. People in the midway recognize me as “the blogger” or “the writer-photographer-kid” (direct quote) on a regular basis.
When all of this is done at the end of the summer, wide and flat wooden surface with a lamp, an outlet, and a normal, upright chair will be an incredible luxury. But this is what I signed up for and things haven’t gotten too crazy yet. I promise I’ll let you know when they do.
Evan Johnson, Communications Intern