One might assume that people who vote for film, television and music awards will know when the contenders are released and will already be thinking about them come this time of year. But not.
Before awards season arrives, campaign season arrives, when the air is filled with the phrase “for your consideration.” It appears where “ho, ho, ho” and Christmas cheer used to be.
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and living life in America.
Campaign season is life’s palate cleanser: a reminder that while much of the entertainment industry’s veneer isn’t real, the competition is. And while everyone loves working collaboratively, the reality is that the campaign season feels a lot like a condensed season of “Survivor.”
For the biggest awards, depending on the category, the promotional advertising circuit is physically demanding, especially for creatives who are also working on new projects at the same time. And there’s always this nagging question buzzing in your ear like a mosquito: Does any of this matter in a contest where some voters may reject the merits of a work of art simply because it was created by someone they don’t like?
Or who didn’t play the game.
Or wait your turn.
It is not just the entertainment industry that organizes this circus. Journalists also have awards season. Whatever the field, these competitions aim to highlight your work and mount a charm offensive. That comes naturally to some people, but for contenders who fall into the group 39% of Americans identify as introvertsnot so much.
Even alone, in the quiet of my own office, the process of submitting my work for an award is uncomfortable. I can’t imagine how intense it must be for introverts whose work is being considered for their industries’ highest honors on a much, much bigger stage. And those whose publicists host endless lunches with potentially influential people.
For years I had assumed that everyone in front of the cameras this time of year was having the time of their lives. And many are. However, I have come to understand that creative introverts dread campaign season. They are allergic to self-promotion. Not to mention, the world is designed to reward extroverts. At school, they attract the attention of teachers. At work, they talk in Zoom meetings. Introverts would prefer not to. But you can’t reap the harvest in awards season if you don’t plant seeds through self-promotion.
And with the Golden Globes this weekend, the work of promoting the work is just beginning for Barbenheimer and his gang. Of course, being rich and/or famous with great abs helps, whether one is an introvert or not. However, having access to life’s amenities does not always translate into being able to live comfortably.
It’s a compensation. And when you look past all the glitz, you see that we all have some version of a campaign season.
In your world, maybe it happens at the company’s annual golf outing or Christmas party, when ambitious people work with bosses to get a promotion. Hollywood’s moment comes with the red carpet and haute couture, but creatives in that industry are a lot like the rest of us: They push for recognition of our hard work.
To be seen.
To be considered.
And after a year in which hundreds of thousands of workers held work stoppages Across the country, including writers and actors, it must seem particularly strange to many in Hollywood who now go from fighting for a form of industry consideration to campaigning for it. Even more so for introverts who didn’t want to leave the cocoon to do either.
For extroverts, maybe it’s like an extended holiday season, full of fun and surprises.
We introverts prepare for less fun things, but we know that sometimes competition matters because we believe our work matters.
