I’m no stranger to career changes.
When I graduated college, I took a full-season internship with the Washington NFL franchise. I’d interviewed for one in scouting there, which was my career aspiration at the time. But I got one in Public Relations instead, largely due to my gameday PR experience the year before and my special contributor experience at the Baltimore Sun. After a couple of years, I got that shot in scouting and spent most of the rest of the decade doing just that. I blog regularly about my sports experiences here.
Eventually, I returned to my sports communications roots but found it much changed after a decade in scouting. I was also working for someone who didn’t appreciate my writing, so I shifted tack. As a scout, I spent a good deal of time working in video, cutting up film for the players. I parlayed that experience, combined it with some digital design and television production classes, and soon I was making commercials and promotional videos.
But that didn’t sit quite right. I enjoyed the work, but wanted more. Off and on, I’d written movie scripts as a hobby and had even taken some classes. Soon, I realized I knew enough to make a short film. So I did, and that got into the Maryland International Film Festival. After I finally burned out on sports (and it had burned out on me, ha), I shifted into narrative film full-time, and that’s where I am today. Like with my sports experience, more can be read about that here.
This new venture of mine in wine is not a career change by any means. Nor is it, however, a hobby. Anyone working independently in the creative arts knows that it’s a good idea to have multiple income streams as well as a different kind of creative outlet.
I took some wine classes when I lived back in DC about 10 years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. One of my favorite things when I travel, too, is visiting local wineries. There’s something about being at a winery that fully relaxes me. The quiet detachment of the vineyard. The smell of the fermenting wine. The pace of the whole thing – when success is measured in months and years rather than how much productivity can we get done this hour or quarter.
So I took my first path towards a side venture into the wine industry by taking my exam to become a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). I passed… at the end of February 2020. COVID-19 put a dent in the hospitality industry for a long time, then I moved cross country (twice), made several short films and a feature.
From this more settled position in Northeast Ohio, I’ve decided it’s finally time to restart this journey. Unlike my sports and film blogs, I’m coming at this from much closer to the start of things than sharing my experiences from the road. I’m setting out to become a wine judge in competitions, perhaps to do some importing or own a vineyard someday. Maybe. We’ll see what happens. Hope you enjoy following along.
Jack Gorman
Mentor, Ohio
February 23, 2025
