I said in my previous post back in February that my blog output would be reduced to yearly submissions barring big career news.
Well, here we are in the month of September and I'm writing with potentially the biggest career news I've had since early 2020. Unfortunately, the news is not of my choosing.
A couple of weeks ago, I received notice that Corus Entertainment was cancelling Global News Weekend, effective immediately. That also meant my services were no longer needed and, after seven years working for Global News, I am now laid off.
Not exactly the news I was expecting. I really enjoyed my time, my co-workers and my career growth at Global. And I loved hosting Global News Weekend--it was the best full-time job I've had in my life thus far.
So, it was a rough few days of trying to digest the news and figure out what's next. The last time I was laid off was back in 2012, at the very start of my broadcast career.
Reflecting how I felt 10 years ago compared to getting the news here in 2022, I soon realized that I am in a much better position now to handle this adversity than I was back then.
(And though I was surprised at the decision--considering how many different roles I worked at Global News throughout my time there--I also wasn't naïve to think that I'd be able to avoid another layoff in the media industry until I hit retirement age).
Luckily, I've been able to acquire a significant number of contacts within the freelance/contract media industry over the past decade. And I've been utilizing those contacts to set some wheels in motion for the next phase of my media career.
I will continue to work with CrossFit Media as a sideline reporter at the CrossFit Games for CBS (as I've done pretty much every year since 2015) and now I have a lot more time to work as a reporter at different CrossFit events across North America over the coming months.
At the start of the pandemic, I started hosting virtual events (like trivia) for various companies as well as in-person MC gigs for select corporate clients. I hope to be doing more of that in the months ahead as well.
I've also signed with AAB Talent Management to begin auditioning for on-camera film and television work. And there are a number of other content creation opportunities that I'm hopeful to acquire over the next few months as well.
And I have a couple of writing projects that I would like to get published. I will be working toward that goal to end 2022 and heading into 2023.
The cliché is that everything happens for a reason. Well, everything that I've listed in the preceding four paragraphs are things that I've wanted to do over the past seven years, but was unable to do so.
But now I have the time and the severance cushion to pursue these passions as I plan out the next evolution of my career for 2023 and beyond. And I know I wouldn't have taken this plunge of my own volition. So, in a way, I am thankful that Corus decided to make the decision for me. I can't have regrets because I didn't have another option.
So, here's to seven great years, but I'm excited to see what's next.
This also probably means that this blog and my social media accounts will be a little more active going forward. Hopefully, I will have lots of media work coming in that I will be able to share here.
So, check this space over the next few weeks and you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MikeGArsenault.
Thanks for reading and watching!
