The Home Stretch...

So what of the last day of the festival?... for most, it was a time of recovery from the fun BBQ the night before and the after parties that went on to the wee hours of the morning.  For me, I had scheduled 3 meetings with commissioning editors prior to my departure with the first set at 9 am.  It was a ghost town, I would say only one third of the usual crowd was milling about but nevertheless although I was heading out midday to fly back home, the meetings went really well and I had an opportunity to attend one last session- The NFB/Discovery documentary pitch competition.  I have to say this again, it is a great learning tool to watch others deliver pitches and then hear the follow up questions and comments by the judges who all happen to be commissioning editors.  As I grabbed my luggage and hopped on the bus to head to the Calgary airport, I sunk into a seat, closed my eyes and smiled - I was happily exhausted. Happy because I was fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to attend this prestigious event. Exhausted because I really 'worked' the festival and got a lot out of the experience.  It's a full time job socializing and making acquaintances with those who may very well effect the future of your film and television career.  So if you didn't know - now you know!