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I think my old boss sabotaged my new job :(


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Back in August I sent my resume off to an employer, foolishly including a company I had been fired from to avoid a gap. The boss at that company was absolutely horrible to me, so bad that I wouldn't hesitate to say I was straight-up traumatized by the experience. Later I found out from others who've worked for her that they were all treated very poorly. Nevertheless, she's a kiss-up/kick-down kind of gal so she has a lot of clout in the industry because nobody who works with her has any idea what a nightmare she is to her underlings.

 

My internship there ended on bad terms. Basically, this woman exploited me for months of unpaid work, while she mocked me behind my back to her colleagues. I had one week left in my internship and I made the mistake of sharing an audition video I was excited about with a trusted friend of mine who was outside the industry. This was a video of an unknown, and we had hundreds of videos come through our office that month. Of course I shouldn't have done it, but I don't believe it was quite the crime she made it out to be.

 

To add to the nightmare, an unstable coworker who had feelings for me had been secretly hacking into my home laptop for months (which is a felony), and discovered I had emailed the video to my friend from my gmail account. Jealous that I was corresponding with a guy I was once involved with, he flew into a rage and showed the email to my boss. I was fired on the spot. He confessed what he had done to my boss (hacking into my home computer), and she didn't seem to care...just to give you a taste of her ethics. She refused to give me any kind of reference.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to put this nightmare behind me and start somewhere fresh.

 

I thought it was unlikely that this new casting director knew my old boss because she worked in commercial casting, not fashion. She liked my resume and when we met for an interview she mentioned that she and my old boss went way back. I didn't say anything and tried to change the subject, hoping they were no longer in touch. She signed me on for a job and loved my work. The whole time I was in a state of panic that she would get in touch with my old boss. But then she hired me for another job and that went really well too.

 

There were a few more jobs she was bidding on that she got in touch with me about but she ultimately had to turn them down because she was recovering from an illness. Still, she promised me I would be her first call whenever a new job came up. Mid December she asked me to send her my social security number so she could file her taxes and added that she couldn't wait to work with me in the new year.

 

A few things happened recently that have me worried she's spoken to my old boss.

 

Once the industry revved up again after the holidays, I was surprised not to hear from her. Yesterday I looked on her fb page and saw mention of a job she's now working on, which she obviously hasn't contacted me about. A few days ago I emailed a good friend of hers whom I've worked for before to ask if a film ever materialized that she had mentioned to me. This woman never responded, which surprised me because she really liked my work and because she's always quick to respond. If it were just these two things, I wouldn't be concerned but something else happened today that unsettled me.

 

You know on gmail the screen that shows you all of your email accounts before you log in? Well, one of my gmail accounts the casting director set up for me through her company. It's my [email protected]. I used it when I worked with her on a job back in August. Today when I had that gmail page open my account through her company vanished before my eyes from the screen. I tried logging into it and found out it had just been erased. I can't think of any reason she would do this if she planned on working with me again. It's really weird.

 

I think she must have spoken to my old boss. It's the only explanation. If this is true, I just feel like giving up. To have six months of hard work thrown down the drain because of one bitch's opinion of me... Also, it's been so hard for me to find employment of any kind in the industry and I felt so fortunate to find a casting director who appreciated and paid me.

 

What can I do? :(

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I just sent her a friendly email, so I guess I'll know if something is going on by tomorrow afternoon. She always responds very promptly. Something is definitely wrong if I don't get a response. :(

 

Fingers crossed.

 

I just took three benadryl. I just want a dreamless sleep tonight.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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It's possible your new casting director simply chose to hire someone else, and everyone is being a coward and avoiding you since you were sort of promised the job.

 

My advice would have been to email her, and I see that you did! Good luck.

 

Let us know how it goes?

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What's the scoop on showing the audition video?

 

Did you sign a contract agreeing not to? Is the company itself open to any legal liability or potential loss of a client were that video to become widespread? I'm just trying to understand the implications behind sharing the audition tape in the context of where you were working. I don't know the rules so trying to understand.

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What's the scoop on showing the audition video?

 

Did you sign a contract agreeing not to? Is the company itself open to any legal liability or potential loss of a client were that video to become widespread? I'm just trying to understand the implications behind sharing the audition tape in the context of where you were working. I don't know the rules so trying to understand.

 

I signed an NDA that I had a lawyer friend look over and he said it would never hold up in court because many of its clauses were illegal and no damages were incurred from my sharing of the video. Would the company be open to any legal liability or potential loss of a client were that video to become widespread? Doubtful as it was an audition tape of an unknown they didn't end up casting. I saw the casting director herself blithely share audition videos with her friends outside the company.

 

Would I do it again? No. I've learned my lesson. But I believe she was just looking for an excuse to fire me because she didn't like me. She had almost fired me once before for calling in sick twice...after months of working five days a week unpaid, despite only committing to two, and doing the work of two paid employees...

 

I was actually in a better position to sue her because some of her practices were in direct violation of the Black Swan law regarding unpaid internships. I considered it but I don't have the funds to take on a lawsuit and it could end my career.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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You signed an NDA but chose to break it..

 

It doesn't matter if it wouldn't hold up in court, you signed it knowing that you couldn't share the data but you did anyhow..it's the spirit of the contract that was broken IMO.

You also made the mistake of putting the wrong reference on your resume.

 

I think at this point it should be chalked up as lesson learned.. and sometimes it's a small world, you never know who knows who.

 

and in the future.. take contracts you sign seriously. something like that could haunt you in your industry forever, learn from this and hope for the best.. it may workout

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Eternal Sunshine
I signed an NDA that I had a lawyer friend look over and he said it would never hold up in court because many of its clauses were illegal and no damages were incurred from my sharing of the video. Would the company be open to any legal liability or potential loss of a client were that video to become widespread? Doubtful as it was an audition tape of an unknown they didn't end up casting. I saw the casting director herself blithely share audition videos with her friends outside the company.

 

Would I do it again? No. I've learned my lesson. But I believe she was just looking for an excuse to fire me because she didn't like me. She had almost fired me once before for calling in sick twice...after months of working five days a week unpaid, despite only committing to two, and doing the work of two paid employees...

 

I was actually in a better position to sue her because some of her practices were in direct violation of the Black Swan law regarding unpaid internships. I considered it but I don't have the funds to take on a lawsuit and it could end my career.

 

I know that it's technically braking the rules but I hate the fact that people get obsessive about rules when they are looking for an excuse to fire someone. If it was someone they wanted to keep, I have no doubt they would turn the blind eye.

 

That's what bothers me. If it was black and white "everyone that breaks the rules gets fired" I would have no problem with it.

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I know that it's technically braking the rules but I hate the fact that people get obsessive about rules when they are looking for an excuse to fire someone. If it was someone they wanted to keep, I have no doubt they would turn the blind eye.

 

That's what bothers me. If it was black and white "everyone that breaks the rules gets fired" I would have no problem with it.

 

Employers tend to care about their employee's integrity, and whether they will break contracts and rules willy nilly whenever they want, and then act like it's no big deal. That's a huge problem.

 

Within industries, like casting in general, not limited into sub-casting groups like fashion versus commercial, the world is small. Your choices and your reputation follow you everywhere. In fact, they often proceed you and get to the new employer before you even try. In architecture, design, construction, that's definitely the case, and it doesn't matter if you're residential or commercial, of way across town, or even across the country. People are natural sharers and networkers. You have to be a good employee in order to warrant a good reputation.

 

The fact is, your old employer didn't sabotage you. But yet that's how you classify the situation. You're not a victim, OP. You sabotaged yourself by your own actions.

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Someone somewhere doesn't like those women and you will eventually find them. It's a small world and not everyone likes everyone else. Try getting somewhere its a male boss and probably they won't be in on the ladies' network.

 

If all else fails, tell them the real truth of what happened and how you feel you were fired for private personal reasons.

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If all else fails, tell them the real truth of what happened and how you feel you were fired for private personal reasons.

 

So, tell them 'I broke a contract and did a bad thing, but that isn't why they fired me'? :confused:

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You signed an NDA but chose to break it..

 

It doesn't matter if it wouldn't hold up in court, you signed it knowing that you couldn't share the data but you did anyhow..it's the spirit of the contract that was broken IMO.

You also made the mistake of putting the wrong reference on your resume.

 

I think at this point it should be chalked up as lesson learned.. and sometimes it's a small world, you never know who knows who.

 

and in the future.. take contracts you sign seriously. something like that could haunt you in your industry forever, learn from this and hope for the best.. it may workout

 

Sorry this was meant for aggie382, not Art.

 

There's a tendency for people on this forum to swoop into threads of posters they rarely respond to when they can nab them in a "gotcha" moment. That's an impulse everybody should be mindful of not gratifying.

 

Anyway, I'm not following your point. I already said it was an unfortunate mistake that I regret making. I'm not shirking responsibility. I just don't believe it's the kind of huge offense that should haunt me in the profession forever. It's possible for both things to be true.

 

I spoke to other people who work in the industry about it and none of them thought it was that big of a deal. In fact my other boss at the company, who hadn't been that nice to me, even told me she thought my boss was overreacting and she regretted how things ended. Yes, I've been pretty open about it because I don't believe it to be a cardinal sin, just a mistake I've made and learned from. If people asked me why I was fired, I would tell them the truth. Everybody makes mistakes.

 

As for integrity, my boss made it clear she didn't care about the integrity of her employees when she condoned my supervisor for hacking into my home computer for months from the office, a felony. Don't even get me started on her integrity in violating the own NDA she had me sign. Trust me -- integrity isn't something she seeks in her employees. I've seen her encourage much shadier behavior.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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There's a tendency for people on this forum to swoop into threads of posters they rarely respond to when they can nab them in a "gotcha" moment. I think that's an impulse everybody should be mindful of ignoring.

 

Did you not come back within an hour of your first post with 'Someone, anyone?' Then throw in that you took three Benedryl for dramatic effect? (Higher than the recommended dose, I might add).

 

Bottom line, two wrongs don't make a right, and if you see others' lack of integrity as a valid excuse to let yours slide into the toilet, then by all means, do so.

 

Good luck in your career.

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So nothing is up with my current boss. She emailed me back immediately. She's still recovering from her illness and now I feel kind of bad about pinging her since I thought she was back in full swing. The job she posted about was a little thing she did on her own. She promised me that she'll be in touch as soon as she's feeling better and has a bigger project. She said she can't wait to work together again.

 

Also -- I got a phone interview on Monday for a great casting job that I thought was a long shot. I found out about it through somebody I know and never thought I'd hear back. Even if I don't get it, I'm excited that I got an interview.

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Did you not come back within an hour of your first post with 'Someone, anyone?'

 

You and I both know that's not why people responded. I didn't get a response until I wrote the post about the NDA.

 

Then throw in that you took three Benedryl for dramatic effect? (Higher than the recommended dose, I might add).

 

Taking three benedryl is being dramatic? That's what I always take. You're really stretching.

 

Bottom line, two wrongs don't make a right, and if you see others' lack of integrity as a valid excuse to let yours slide into the toilet, then by all means, do so.

 

Good luck in your career.

 

Did I say that two wrongs made a right? No. Reread what I wrote.

 

If you're so interested in my threads, I'd appreciate you taking the time to give some useful advice that could help me in the present, rather than raking me over the coals for a mistake I made in the past that I already admitted to regretting and learning from.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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You posted after many people's bedtimes, and got replies when they woke up. No need to read something sinister into everyone's every movement, which is what you just did with your boss.

 

I'm not the one with the flair for the dramatic.

 

 

The simplest answer is usually the correct one. You need to get yourself into therapy to discover why you're always a victim, real or perceived, because all of your threads have a common theme. That is my useful advice.

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You posted after many people's bedtimes, and got replies when they woke up.

 

It's not a matter of when but who. I got responses from people who never write in my threads as soon as I mentioned the NDA.

 

The simplest answer is usually the correct one. You need to get yourself into therapy to discover why you're always a victim, real or perceived, because all of your threads have a common theme. That is my useful advice.

 

And I guess all of those other people I met in the industry who told me she's a nightmare to work for were also paranoid and playing the victim?

 

If anything my problem is that I don't recognize soon enough when I'm letting myself be victimized. I stayed at the internship too long when my coworkers said I should have quit because I didn't realize I was being taken advantage of until I was emotionally spent.

 

One thing I've learned from that experience is not allowing myself to be victimized in a professional setting by enforcing stronger boundaries with others, because I work in an industry where plenty of people will exploit you if you let them. It was sort of a culture shock to me and a good introduction to the industry, because I've been lucky enough to mostly have had jobs where I'm treated with respect and good work is appreciated. Fortunately, having worked with a few different casting directors since that internship ended I don't think she's the norm.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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Well, boundaries are good to have. As is knowing when to cut bait.

 

It sounds like a cutthroat industry; I wish you well.

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Hi Tuxedo,

 

I am glad things are OK with the new boss. I wouldn't hire someone who signed an NDA and broke it, especially within the context. I wouldn't be able to trust you knowing that agreements mean so little to you that you will show them with your friends. People make mistakes all of the time and no one is perfect but this isn't an accidental "oopsie". You intentionally showed the video knowing better. I am glad no big whoop came of it - great, but by the tone of your posts you seem relatively cavalier about what you did. "No one was hurt" "Oh my boss did it" "The agreement would never hold up in court" etc. It seems you've been given a second chance in that your old boss hasn't told the new boss what you did. You're in a tough business so don't do anything to make yourself dispensable, including breaking NDA agreements just to show your friends and muse. There is someone waiting to take your place who is going to be a more trustworthy employee.

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Hi Tuxedo,

 

I am glad things are OK with the new boss. I wouldn't hire someone who signed an NDA and broke it, especially within the context. I wouldn't be able to trust you knowing that agreements mean so little to you that you will show them with your friends. People make mistakes all of the time and no one is perfect but this isn't an accidental "oopsie". You intentionally showed the video knowing better. I am glad no big whoop came of it - great, but by the tone of your posts you seem relatively cavalier about what you did. "No one was hurt" "Oh my boss did it" "The agreement would never hold up in court" etc. It seems you've been given a second chance in that your old boss hasn't told the new boss what you did. You're in a tough business so don't do anything to make yourself dispensable, including breaking NDA agreements just to show your friends and muse. There is someone waiting to take your place who is going to be a more trustworthy employee.

 

If you're picking up that I'm a little cavalier about the ethics of it, then you're right. I didn't cause her or her company any damages, and even her colleagues thought she was overreacting. It would be another story if I had spread it all over the internet or if it had been an unreleased screenplay, but I showed it to one trusted friend outside the industry. Sorry but no amount of scolding is going to convince me that what I did was some terrible sin, especially when I saw her sharing audition videos with her own friends. I'm sure you and everyone else in this thread has made far worse mistakes.

 

Do I regret doing it? Yes. But only because it could have jeopardized my professional future. That's the truth.

Edited by tuxedo cat
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If you're picking up that I'm a little cavalier about the ethics of it, then you're right. I didn't cause her or her company any damages, and even her colleagues thought she was overreacting. It would be another story if I had spread it all over the internet or if it had been an unreleased screenplay, but I showed it to one trusted friend outside the industry. Sorry but no amount of scolding is going to convince me that what I did was some terrible sin, especially when I saw her sharing audition videos with her own friends. I'm sure you and everyone else in this thread has made far worse mistakes.

 

Do I regret doing it? Yes. But only because it could have jeopardized my professional future. That's the truth.

 

What you did may not have been a crime or a 'terrible sin,' but what you did, and your attitude about it since, demonstrates to everyone that you're untrustworthy and lack boundaries. That's a huge, huge problem.

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How could someone hack your computer?

 

Because my boss was having me work overtime and on weekends she had him do something on my computer to add access to the company's server when I was outside of the office. He used this connection to screen share my home laptop and confessed to looking through all of the files on my computer some of which were very personal, hacking my email and facebook accounts...all because he was trying to see if I was involved with other guys. This went on for months. He continued hacking into my computer even after I was fired and he had promised it would end.

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