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THERE IS NOTHING worse than the feeling you get when you don’t succeed: that heart-sinking thud as you realise that you’ve tried, and failed.
But all is not lost, as this photo from the CEO of Brown Bag Films, the hugely successful Irish animation company, shows.
These two letters that Cathal Gaffney received – one telling him he had failed an animation course, the other that his short film had an Oscar nomination – show that failure can be just one step on the way to success:
Pic: BrownBagFilms
He put the photo online during one of Brown Bag’s regular #AMA (ask me anything) sessions, which is part of its Brown Bag LABS feature, when asked what qualifications are needed to get a job with the company.
Many years on from Gaffney’s college failure, the studio (which he co-founded with Darragh O’Connell) is the force behind shows like Octonauts and Doc McStuffins, and has been Oscar nominated for Give Up Yer Aul Sins and Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.
To make you feel even better about failure, Brian Acton, who set up WhatsApp, was rejected by both Twitter and Facebook… and then went on to sell his company to the latter for $16 billion.
An oft-quoted Samuel Beckett line comes to mind: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better”.
And if you get an Oscar nomination or a $16bn business deal out of it? How bad.
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Fail early to succeed sooner.
I have had dealings with Cathal – he is one sharp sharp boy. I cannot imagine him failing at much. More of him is what this country needs.
The biggest failure is not to try
Revenge is sweet!
Note how the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures signs the letter himself, while the college course co-ordinator gets someone else to “pp” his letter.
Doubt kills more dreams than failure
A bit like my driving test!!!
What did you get when you passed?The nomination or the 16bn?
Ballyfermot College of Further Education make a huge deal about Cathal Gaffney being an alumni; even screening the oscars in 2010. There media department is a joke. Run by people who work freelance so have some spare hours every week, but no training or talent for teaching.
“There” English department is also a joke
Get a life John, ya sap!
Did you go dere?
Yes. Did you?
Fair play to you Cathal.Should give some inspiration to Irish kids thinking of getting into that business or any other.
Most of the people who fail have mammy and daddy to fall back, so either way they have failed by default
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