We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremiah Caleb. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremiah below.

Jeremiah, appreciate you joining us today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

In 2008, I was living my best life in New York City. I worked in a restaurant, booked regular acting jobs, had my own apartment in Washington Heights, had a great community and was planning my wedding. Then the financial crash happened. I lost my job, and just could not recover. I lost almost everything within a month. I was forced to leave my apartment and give away most of my possessions. Thanks to the kindness of my friends, I was offered a couch to sleep on. It became clear that the doors were closing for me and so I made my move to Los Angeles.

I didn’t have a car so I walked the streets with a stack of resumes on most days in search for a job at a restaurant or bar, to no avail. Despite having a polished resume, one always had to fill out a long application by hand for every establishment. I had a couple of contacts here who had also moved out from New York but I could not get help in finding work. All this while I was applying for a fiance visa for my bride to move to this country and begin our life together. I was getting desperate.

So one day I put out a post on facebook that I was looking for employment. Out of nowhere, I received a message from an old college friend I had not spoken to in years. As it turns out, she had become influential in the catering world. She had me meet her for lunch at a catering venue in Santa Monica and got me hired as a bartender for private events. The rest was history. In this industry, if you perform well, you are quickly referred to other caterers and event planners for work. Over the next decade, I rose in my career from bartending, to mixology, and management positions in the restaurant, hotel and event world. Looking back, I can see how it all led to the eventual birth of the Caleb Staffing Network and being in a position to employ hundreds of others in this city.

That one act of kindness from my friend who believed in me, and invested in me led me here. I never forgot it.

Jeremiah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I come from a diverse background. I was born in Singapore, raised in the UK and East Tennessee, and spent my adult years in New York City and Los Angeles as a working actor and book author. Therefore I have a wide world view and empathy for those who have had similar struggles to carve a path for themselves. CSN was born out of the pandemic. I merely wanted to help other artists like myself who were in need of work. I began networking and referring friends to event planners and caterers I was managing for. Eventually, my role as a staffer became a regular one and I was pressed to start a formal company to do things correctly. I entered a short-lived partnership and learned about labor laws and what it meant to operate a business in the state of California. By the time, I broke away to start CSN from scratch, I was fired up with knowledge, passion, and creativity.

Through it all, I am most proud of the sense of “tribe” I have been a part of creating in this city after years of feeling lost. The majority of our staff work in the entertainment industry. Giving back to my industry even when in my dry seasons gives me a deep sense of purpose. With a portion of our revenue, I have been able to breathe new life into my non profit charity which has been around for 15yrs, sponsoring education for destitute orphans in the slums of India.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When the pandemic hit, I faced the reality of losing a lot again just as I had 12 years prior. Only this time, I was married with a newborn with a small network of industry professionals. Rather than look for similar work again, I tried to think outside the box. “How can I still impact others from a place of brokeness?” The more I focused outwardly, the less time I had to feel sorry for myself. The more I focused on helping others succeed, the more I grew in leadership and mentorship skills. I started to become the mentor I always wanted for myself.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

New clients were referred to me by old and current clients. The very people I worked for became clients. I always try to stress to the younger generation that it really matters how hard you work in your current job. Building a strong work ethic and trust is crucial. You never know whom from your past could give you a step up towards success in the future. We don’t do much advertising and our social media following is meager. Yet, somehow the word has spread about CSN and we have been so blessed to cultivate mutually respectful relationships with our small core clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.calebstaffingnetwork.com
• Instagram: @calebstaffingnetwork
• Facebook: NA
• Linkedin: NA
• Twitter: NA
• Youtube: NA
• Soundcloud: NA

Image Credits

Timothy Sayre
Alyson Fox
Riker Brothers