Saturday, January 9, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 313:What should my next step be from corp videos to producing TV, Film, and Docs?

The next step will have to do with researching the market. As you can see by the complete question below, it comes from someone in England... Liverpool to be exact.

"I've been spending the last 5 years producing corporate videos for non profit orgs. But my dream is to produce either documentaries or dramas and work in TV or Film. What should my next step be? As my showreel is mostly corporate videos"

As a coach, my job isn't to know the market in England or anywhere else. I happen to know it in Los Angeles because that's where I live and work. I have a pretty good idea of it in other larger production cities in the US, because I've either done seminars there, or have clients who work there.

My job is to give you universal tools, so here's the next steps for you, no matter where you live:

1. Research the market; who is doing what you want to do successfully?

2. Research the people; who are the people who've transitioned from Corporate Video to TV, Film and Docs?

3. Start building a reel of narrative work. As someone who wants to produce, seek out projects that you believe in.

4. GET MENTORS!!!!

5. Join entertainment organizations for filmmakers, for TV, and for documentary, and start establishing new relationships. Each medium has different "players" and you need to know them.

Even if you had no background in corporate video, and wanted to break in, these are the steps you would take. You have an advantage because of your background so use that in your conversations. Know what your background brings as an advantage for producing the type of work that interests you.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

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