For Pete...

As noted earlier this week here on iBlog - yes, I've nicknamed my blog - I started job hunting this week for positions that are a little more relevant to the career paths I would like to venture down as I stand on the verge of 30.

In combing through the media job boards this week, I came across a posting for The Score Television Network. They're looking for On-Air talent. They are a sports network looking for on-air talent. Another way of saying that is "Hello Dream Job #2!"

Later today, I'll be sitting down in front of our digital camera and recording a demo tape to send in along with my resume, a program pitch that I was working on before I knew of the aforementioned opening and crossing my fingers. I'll also be wishing my brother the best of luck.

See, my brother was at the top of his class in the Radio & Television Arts program at Ryerson before he decided to walk away from it after his third year. School wasn't his favourite - it runs in the family - and he didn't need a degree to confirm his talents as a broadcaster. That was proven when he landed, at the time, his dream job, as a host on The Racing Network, a satellite network dedicated to horse racing. Sit and talk about horses all day, throw to a race from some track across North America, rinse and repeat. It was perfect. He was also hired as their lead guy, ahead of his friend and former classmate who finished the RTA Program.

Fast forward to today. My brother left the Dream Job years ago to pursue something even closer to his heart, racing horses on his own. It's a tough racket and he has done okay, but okay doesn't always pay the bills and keep you in the lifestyle you'd like most. So I flipped him the job posting.

If I'm being realistic, I know that pairing myself opposite my brother is a real-life David versus Goliath moment and I've got the slingshot. Sure there are loads of other people who will undoubtedly apply, but all I know is that Pete and I are both after the same brass ring and he has a better chance to grasp it. Some people would say I'm crazy for giving him the heads up, since it will undoubtedly diminish my chances at success.

For me, it was a no-brainer. He's my brother and he'd be great at the job. Better than me. And if I can make his life and that of my beautiful niece better in any way, that is what I am going to do. Even if it is at my own expense...