I have discovered no guide or book that warns of the lifestyle of the migrant film worker. And, as I have traveled from one film to the next, I have pretty much made every mistake there is.  It is with that in mind that I share my experiences with you:

The allure to this industry is akin to running away and joining the circus. It is an amazing adventure, especially in your late teens and twenties. It is a lifestyle choice, strenuous and all consuming. It will launch an assault on life with a seemingly insatiable demand for all that you are. That’s what it is for me.

When my career took off, I was swept up in a tornado of locations. Months, and suddenly years, of my life were gone. Films came out with my name in the credits. I was living my dream.

And then I woke up to find that I was alone. Many of my close friends had simply given up. I couldn’t keep track of them, and they couldn’t keep up with me. My wife wanted a divorce. My children were disappointed. Everyone was a victim of my blind passion as a migrant film worker.

Ask yourself this: is this really a dream worth pursuing?

What if you were offered a job on a big budget production in Hawaii for six months? You would have to fly yourself there and put yourself up in a condo. “But it is for an A-List action movie,” you tell your wife, “And, oh yeah, I will need to travel to Hawaii one week before our first year anniversary.” How would you handle this opportunity?

How about being offered a job in Mexico for four months? You’d be working with A-list actors and living large on more per-diem than one man can spend. This time you are finally the member of a prestigious union; the deal includes first class travel and amazing accommodations, and a maid. For this job, though, you have to miss your four-year-old son’s first season of AYSO soccer. How does this sit with you right now where you are in your life? Is this insanity? How would you make this decision?

I am amazed at how little I considered others in my decision-making process in the early stages of my marriage and career. I never saw these decisions coming. I simply took everything that was offered, assuming it was part of God’s plan and assuming my wife agreed. Almost every time, I chose the adventure over my family. To this day, the doubt and guilt I feel is staggering. I had to lose nearly everything that was important to me to understand.

Today I do things very differently. A conscious contact with God, and keeping that relationship at the forefront of all I do, is the only way for me to survive. I am not talking about evangelism or witnessing to crewmembers.  I am talking about complete reliance on God, who has taken me down a humiliating, ego-leveling and nearly devastating path. I have had to learn to give all that I can to a project and then find more to give to my family. I have had to learn to make every decision with my wife and family. My desire for each day is to know God and be the man he created me to be, exactly where He places me.

Even this has not been easy. I made the switch to television because I thought working in Los Angeles and not traveling would be easier. NOT! There is no ideal scenario for working in the film industry. It is an arena in which learning to rely on God for strength and guidance must become the focus. Without that, I would have lost it all years ago.

I hope this glimpse into “the Biz” is helpful and look forward to interacting with you as you walk this journey. In conclusion what I would say to anyone actually considering a career in entertainment and a family: DON’T DO IT! But if you are like me and can truly do nothing else, be sure to keep your spouse and family as a high priority. Include them in your decisions. Especially work at making it clear to potential employers how important your family is to you. It just might help them remember theirs.

- Korey Pollard is First Assistant Director on FOX’s Lie to Me and a member of Compass Film Academy’s Board of Advisors.