Timelines

On Thursday, June 23, after teaching a two-hour theater class to five kids at Fridley High School, I bounced over to St. Paul to pick up my first-ever check for professional on-camera work from one of my agents at Talent Poole. Tom Poole was in the office, but my check was not. I had to go pick it up from his wife and partner in the business, Geanette Poole, whom I had never met. But before I left, Tom asked if I had a little time to chat with him about a project for which he thought I would be a great addition. Inside my thought factory, I had a blip of "I just want to grab my check and get back to getting my stuff done!" My stuff, to which I always escape when I don't want to do something else. But then I reconsidered: "I better stay and talk. He is my agent, after all, and he is talking about a job." What proceeded was a conversation that had me almost in tears of laughter and slack-jawed with all the ideas bandied about. I left there bubbling with excitement for my coming relationship with this agency and with Tom, who was clearly enchanted with my work and my potential and my talent.

I drove to Tom & Geanette's home just a few blocks away to pick up my check, which Geanette had accidentally taken home in a flurry of some sort. Wiggling up to me came their little dog, by which Tom warned me against getting licked. Geanette was younger than I imagined... she actually reminded me a lot of an old high school friend's hip and gentle mother. I retrieved the payment and shook hands, exchanged smiles and was on my way.

Four nights later, June 27, I emailed Talent Poole to ask about getting my voiceover career ramped up: getting my demo done, being placed on their website, doing my own website? I received a response from a woman I've never dealt with before telling me the agency was on hold due to a medical emergency and Geanette would respond when things calmed down, probably after a month. I was worried for the Poole family, but my slowly budding career was more on the forefront of my mind.

See, about 9 days prior to my email, on June 18, I ran into my buddy John at a mutual friend's wedding. John informed me that he had taken a job as an agent at Nuts, a "rival" agency in town (I refuse to believe that anyone is actually in rivalry with anyone else... unless they are, but that Minnesota Nice gets in the way. Yeah, I'm sure that's it). He was a little bummed I had gone with Talent Poole, an exclusive agency, meaning I couldn't also be with Nuts. Nevertheless, John called me a couple days later, maybe on June 20, to ask me to come in to audition anyway. I returned his call and said, "sure, why not?" I like being wanted.

Skip to June 23, meeting with Tom. Skip to June 27, email from Talent Poole re: medical emergency. Which brings us to the next day, during which I found out the medical emergency was that Tom had been hit by a car on June 24 or 25... I have read two different dates.

I *just* saw him. It's so weird when that happens. I just saw him the day before an accident that fractured his skull, resulting in severe brain trauma and a coma.

Tom passed away on July 6.

I had my audition with Nuts on July 7. I was melancholy and felt like I was betraying my agent in a time of need, but that's my M.O. Taking on guilt when I don't need to.

July 11, I received the letter from Nuts offering representation. A week later, I mailed off my acceptance with 12 headshots/resumes. I promptly emailed Geanette (a draft I had been saving till I knew it was what I wanted to say) to let her know that I was making a business decision to go with the other agency because Talent Poole was on hold and because I wasn't sure exclusivity was the right choice for me to make as a newbie to the business here. She emailed me back almost immediately wishing me luck and letting me know that I always had a place there should I choose to come back. And also that Talent Poole wasn't "on hold!" I guess I was misinformed, or just assumed because I hadn't heard anything further since my email on June 27, the status remained. Oh well. The point is that bridges were not burned. And my decision feels right.

I had only had two conversations with Tom in person: the aforementioned, and on the day I came over to their office to sign on as talent. On both occasions, Tom's Arkansian drawl and playful distaste for being indoors out of the sun struck the "kindred spirit" chord in me, as weird as that might seem. But I can't really talk much about him, having not truly known him, so I suggest you read this and this and this to get an idea of what a loss this is to Tom's family and the Twin Cities theater community.