still cannot believe this happened https://twitter.com/ithayla/status/1289310320230461440

my impostor syndrome wants to yell and scream but fuck it

I've been hired by @OspreyGames, @wizkidsgames, @FFGames, @RestorationGame, and many others in the past

and I got those jobs because I worked my ass off for (checks) over a decade now.

I dedicated myself to my craft. I always did my best to help others. I made connections on twitter. I spent thousands and thousands and thousands of hours in order to 'get lucky'

I'm not saying this to show off. I am still a beginner when it comes to the industry. I'm hoping that I can lift the curtain a little and demystify what it takes to break into board games.

Every job I ever got in this industry was a friend messaging me saying 'Hey Calvin...'

@captainraffi got me my first big break in board games, writing for @BoardGamePrices. How did we meet? I stood up against racism on r/boardgames and we became buddies.

how did I get into Crazy Rich Asians? Met the casting director doing a no-budget short film for nearly no pay

Luck exists. The right person is awake and on twitter at the right time. The casting director saved my number.

But the circumstances that led to those lightning strikes moments were created by me. Imagine if I'd turned down the no-budget film because it 'wasn't worth my time'

Imagine if I turned down my job at BoardGamePrices because 'I don't want to write listicles and news articles.'

(I didn't, but I knew I had to cut my teeth on something)

They paid for my trips to Essen. Without those I wouldn't have made the connections or friends I have now

So yeah. Don't be a jerk. Stand up for your principles. Help others. Work on your craft. Say yes to things. Show up to things.

btw you can read my TI story, it's out now. https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/94/c5/94c59830-533e-47aa-a708-25634575161b/twilight_codex_v1-compressed.pdf

oooof