I Almost Refused This Assignment, But …

So 3 weeks ago, while on holiday in Houston, I received an email… The email said there was a new political satire program that was looking for script writers.

I love satire and writing, so I was definitely interested.

They sent me a writing assignment that was to be due in 24 hours time.

So the next day, I ran to the nearest Starbucks and submitted my entry a few minutes before the deadline.

The next day, they acknowledged my submission.

Then silence… Then another email to write another more complicated writing sample. This time I had 48 hours.

I was in Seattle traveling when I got that email. So I had to find another Starbucks to submit my entry.

I hit send and after another acknowledgment … yet another silence followed.

I did not hear from them for a long time. Then last week after I landed in Lagos, I got an email saying that they were thinking of seeing how I would perform on set. Like on camera!

I mentally read and ignored that email. “Set keh!?” I was afraid. I am a writer not a performer.

And even though I fantasize of being on stage aka Daily Show style, I was scared! I felt I would be terrible. I just wanted to write and hide behind the Camera.

But then I remembered why I QUIT work. It was to do all the crazy things I never had the balls time to do, and this was one of them.

So with 24 hours to go, I finally acknowledged their email and said yes! It was my scariest yes.

I had to write a 2 minute script on current national affairs and deliver it as a correspondent comically. So with 24 hours I got to writing and putting this script together.

But now the hard part was the video.

I wish there was something I could say I did magically to get me on stage, but there was nothing. I simply had a deadline and I was going to do it no matter how shitty it was.

So I did!

And this is the result, that video down there:

Now I don’t know if I will get on that show or if this will suck to them, who knows …

But I am just glad that I did not chicken out. That I just did it. That I overcame my fears and jumped in front of the camera instead of fantasizing behind it.

And my message to you is to embrace the fear and JUST SHOOT DO IT!