Wingman was created around the time we were finishing shooting on Fluffy 3. I was trying to come up with some new character to write about once the Fluffy trilogy was completed (and I had not yet discovered Clive the Zombie). The story was originally conceived as a 12 part web series. The first 6 episodes focused on Wingman's search for a new job, and the second half was about Wingman's encounter with super-villain Mr. Big.
While developing the scripts, I began to discuss the idea with Jon Vanderford, who was looking for his first directorial project. Jon loved the story and its relevance to the current job market. He saw a story that could connect with people and bought into it. The rest, as they say, is history.
The real root of the story came from my own struggle to find the career of my choosing. I've been writing drama, film scripts, fiction, and a little of everything I can get my hands on for over 17 years. Hard as I've worked at it, I am not a full-time writer. There's always been an income, and it's always on the rise, but it's not enough to live on, and certainly not enough to support a family on.
Wingman is really about coming to grips with that struggle. It's about realizing that even if you're not a full-time hero, you can still be a hero. And even if you're not a full-time writer, you can still identify yourself as a writer. As the character Bus Boy says, "I think there's a hero in all of us. I just don't think we're all cut out to make a living at it."
Some are cut out to be full-time heroes. That was God's plan, and that's who they became. For the rest of us, there's no reason to give up and walk away just because it's not our full-time vocation. When you have a gift, you need to use it. There's a purpose and a plan, and while it might not be your sole source of income, it's still a part of who you are. You can sulk over it. You can give it up. Or you can embrace what you have and be thankful knowing that even as a part-timer, you can be a hero and make a difference in the world.
Of course that doesn't necessarily mean you have to settle for a crummy job. Far from it. A few years ago, I went back to school to get my teaching license to pursue my second dream career choice, teaching. I am now a licensed English teacher in the state of Indiana, and after all that hard work... I am still working in sales.
Talk about your double dose of irony. Shoulda just written another Fluffy movie.
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