entertainment industry coach question 691:Do you believe that location is the key to success?

This was based on an email sent to me that said: "I wanted to get you opinion about the location of where you live in relation to achieving success. I am based in Ohio and have been mixing sound for over 10 years now. I have worked on several successful reality shows and programs, but yet I still struggle to get to the next step. Getting more calls, and just getting my name out there. I know it can't be true that just because I don't live in L.A. that I can't be known as a first call mixer. I have many friends in the business that don't live in L.A. and are traveling all the time."

You just answered your own question. If others are doing it, you can too. The key is not location, the key is the strength of your business relationships.

I'm curious what the "next step" is that you're asking about because that could potentially change my answer. If the next step is to be the first call mixer and these are traveling reality shows, it seems to me that as long as you have strong relationships with the people who do the hiring, and therefore, you're "top of mind," it doesn't matter where your home base is. It's when they're shooting a reality show in Los Angeles and don't want to pay per diem and such, for bringing someone in from out of town, that it becomes an issue.

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entertainment industry coach question 682: I moved out to LA 6 months ago and I'm homesick. Does this mean I'm on the wrong path?

If your football team is in the playoffs, it's no wonder you're homesick (he's from Chicago). Seriously though, do you think it means you're on the wrong path? That's a question only you can answer. If you moved to LA to pursue a career in entertainment and you expected certain results within 6 months, and because you haven't achieved them, you're discouraged and homesick, it's understandable. BUT, you have to know the nature of the industry that you're pursuing. It could take a lifetime, there's no telling. So, YOU must decide if this is the path you want to follow.

I can give you tools and strategies for getting faster results, but ultimately, you have to decide if this is the business for you.

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entertainment industry coach question 649: After successful working in LA for 15 years, how can I work from another state?

This particular person is interested in living and working in New Mexico while maintaining work opportunities in Los Angeles. I had someone with a similar issue last year and these were his concerns: While many of my clients have successfully worked in Los Angeles while their residency was in New York, New Mexico, San Francisco, Colorado, Chicago, Detroit, etc., this person points out, that with social media, it's harder to mask where you are and what you're doing.

It's a very good point. Facebook has privacy settings, but that can be a pain in the butt. The point of social media in regards to work is to create and maintain relationships. Instead of saying, "is hiking in Santa Fe," just say that you went for a hike. Or you can say "having a great visit in Santa Fe, went for a hike." Or you could say "working in Santa Fe the weather is beautiful." I will be traveling all over the US this year and in many states, that doesn't mean I'm not based out of Los Angeles. It means I'm working on location. So, I'll be posting from all over.

When you're working, it doesn't matter where you're working because people go on location all of the time. The fact that you're asking this question eludes to the fact that you're already savvy to keeping yourself under wraps. Keep it up.

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entertainment industry coach Question 490: how do I make the most of a trip to LA?

The question continued: "I'm trying to plan a trip to LA this summer to work on contacts and push the movie my production company made."

Most people plan a trip to LA, by figuring out how many airline points they have, where they're going to stay, and how much they have to save up to eat. Once they arrive, they try and figure out where to meet people.

Before you even consider the logistics of taking a trip LA, create a plan for your trip. Who do you want to meet? What companies do you want to screen your movie for? Have a target list. Once you have your target list, if you realize you have no idea how to get to any of the people or companies on the list, you have a lot more work to do before booking a trip.

If it's not necessary to you to be so specific about who you're meeting, at least research networking events and film festivals. If you can't fill your calendar with at least 5 events in a week, it's time to do more work before booking a trip.

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

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entertainment industry coach Question 480: Can I be a screenwriter if I don't live in Los Angeles?

In my opinion, it's probably the easiest classification to be, if you don't live in Los Angeles. Why? Because you can master your craft and build your script collection while living in a cheaper city/town, not get beaten down by the rejection that so many experience, be close to family & friends, and even have a fulfilling job as you write. You can also build mentor relationships from afar via email, phone, and/or social media.

Once you have a number of great quality scripts, and relationships that you've been nurturing, then you can plan a business trip to LA to take meetings.

The key is to never stop writing, because you always want to be current and you always want to be growing as a writer.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

entertainment industry coach Question 449: How do I get answers about who hires me when my only sources of info are the people I'm competing with?

This is a great question that people in many different classifications struggle with. When you're let's say, a still photographer, it's not as obvious who hires you for a job. Yet, the people who WOULD know are other still photographers, who are your direct competition, right?

Not necessarily. The only ones in direct competition with you are the ones at your level. If you're breaking into a new market, established still photographers shouldn't feel threatened by you. Some will. Some are very closed off with information. Remember, you can reach out to still photographers all over the country. The camera guild has a directory (it also has one for publicists, which is crucial for still photographers because it lists photo editors and VPs of photography, etc.). If you live outside of Los Angeles (which this person does) you want to do the research of the people who hire you, develop a mentor/advisor relationship through phone and email and then, as you get to know them pretty well, find out a good time of year to come out for a week of meetings. There's nothing like meeting in person, and people really respect someone who is willing to fly out to meet with them.

Los Angeles still photographers (or insert your classification here if you live somewhere else) may be more open to speaking with you because again, you are out of state and therefore, they may not view you as direct competition.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

entertainment industry coach Question 405: How do I go from being a big fish in a small pond to Los Angeles?

Strategically! Do some ground work in LA before making the move. If you’re doing well where you are, save your money and start building relationships with people who live in LA. If you move here cold, with no contacts, you’ll literally be starting from nothing and it can take 2-5 years to build up your career and that’s if you’re working strategically.

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

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entertainment industry coach question 384: What should someone who is 12 and wants to be an actress do?

Well, if you don't live in Los Angeles (which I can tell she does not), use your "kid power." What's kid power? Most people LOVE to help a kid with drive. Make a list of actresses, actors, directors, and producers that you would like to one day work with. For example: Steven Spielberg often talks about how he was directing movies in his back yard as a kid. Find people like him and reach out to people in a letter. Tell them how old you are and what you're doing now to pursue your dream. Tell them where you live and ask them for advice on what more you can be doing right now. If you plan to go to college, ask them for advice on which colleges to consider and what you can be doing now for extra curricular activities to help you get in. Explain that you don't plan to pursue acting as a job until you're finished with your education, but in the mean time would like to build relationships with mentors so when you do move to NY or LA, you'll be ready and educated on the business side of the industry.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at www.TheGreenlightCoach.com and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

entertainment industry coach question 381: How do I capitalize on a current project when I'm off to work on another?

A-List problems. I love them! This is what I was asked by my client tonight after we watched the fabulous movie starring John Hamm and Josh Lucus, that he had produced and DPd. You see, he did such a GREAT job producing this film, that he's been hired to produce a slate of movies in Louisiana and he leaves on Tuesday. His film, STOLEN, is playing currently at the Laemmle Sunset 5. The more people who go, the longer it will stay in the theater. It was such a good movie. The acting was superb, the story heart-wrenching. If you live in in Los Angeles you should go see this movie!

So let me count.... that was 7 lines I just wrote promoting Andy Steinman and his wonderful work (now that's 8) Here's his IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0826150/ (9) The link to his movie facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/STOLEN/315537805072?ref=ts (10) and the link to buy your tickets from the theater http://www.laemmle.com/viewtheatre.php?date=03192010&thid=2 (11)

Hence, the answer to the question is: HAVE YOUR FANS PROMOTE FOR YOU.

If you're a camera operator who wants work, but the DP who hires you isn't working, start a marketing campaign for the DP. If you want to stay on peoples' radar when you're off working, have other people promoting you.

While Andy is out of town working, as he keeps me posted on his successes, I'll be happy to promote him on my social media sites, in my blog, etc. If he has 20 other people doing that... he's creating buzz and you can too.

In addition to Andy, I'd also like to congratulate camera crew members, Boris Price, Nate Havens, Matt Mosher, and wonderful Still Photographer Jessica Brooks, who also worked on the project!

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at www.TheGreenlightCoach.com and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

entertainment industry coach question 350:What would be the best way to revive contacts without coming across as flaky or too needy?

The background of this question is of a person who has been traveling back and forth from LA due to family emergencies. The contacts in this person's life think that she just disappeared. Because the emergencies will continue taking her to and from LA, she wants to know how to re-establish and maintain her relationships.

In a situation like this, as long as you're not begging for work and feeling needy, you won't come across as needy. Flaky people are those who say they are going to do something and then they don't do it. Hence the term "he flaked."

The concern your contacts will have is that if they hire you, you will be unable to fulfill your duties because you may be called away suddenly for a family emergency. Therefore, you have to decide with whom you have a strong enough relationship to share what's happening in your life, in the hope that they will be understanding and hire you for short term and day playing jobs to keep you working.

For the rest, you can re-establish by sharing the good things that have been going on, complimenting them on something they've worked on, and seeking advice on basic things like networking events to join and charity organizations to get involved in. This way the maintenance of your relationship can be set around your involvement, as opposed to trying to get work from them.

When your family issues reach a resolve that you feel comfortable committing to longer jobs, you'll be in touch with enough people to reach out to.

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

entertainment industry coach question 329: Do you believe that location is the key to success?

This was based on an email sent to me that said: "I wanted to get you opinion about the location of where you live in relation to achieving success. I am based in Ohio and have been mixing sound for over 10 years now. I have worked on several successful reality shows and programs, but yet I still struggle to get to the next step. Getting more calls, and just getting my name out there. I know it can't be true that just because I don't live in L.A. that I can't be known as a first call mixer. I have many friends in the business that don't live in L.A. and are traveling all the time."

You just answered your own question. If others are doing it, you can too. The key is not location, the key is the strength of your business relationships.

I'm curious what the "next step" is that you're asking about because that could potentially change my answer. If the next step is to be the first call mixer and these are traveling reality shows, it seems to me that as long as you have strong relationships with the people who do the hiring, and therefore, you're "top of mind," it doesn't matter where your home base is. It's when they're shooting a reality show in Los Angeles and don't want to pay per diem and such, for bringing someone in from out of town, that it becomes an issue.

My next FREE newsletter is all about evaluating the contacts you currently have. It will be going out tonight or tomorrow, so sign up at www.TheGreenlightCoach.com, and see where you stand with your current contacts.

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

entertainment industry coach question 320: I moved out to LA 6 months ago and I'm homesick. Does this mean I'm on the wrong path?

Do you think it means you're on the wrong path? That's a question only you can answer. If you moved to LA to pursue a career in entertainment and you expected certain results within 6 months, and because you haven't achieved them, you're discouraged and homesick, it's understandable. BUT, you have to know the nature of the industry that you're pursuing. It could take a lifetime, there's no telling. So, YOU must decide if this is the path you want to follow.

I can give you tools and strategies for getting faster results, but ultimately, you have to decide if this is the business for you.

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

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

entertainment industry coach question 303:How do you make real, sincere friends in a city full of hucksters and posers?

Family you're born into, friends... you choose. When you're young, you are put into forced social situations, like school, where you find your "group." The groups shift and expand as the grades get higher and smaller grade schools merge into larger middle schools, and finally everyone into one high school.

And then off to college. A whole new group of people with whom to assimilate. Perhaps, you're still forced into social situations like dorms, classes, sports, the Greek system, making it easier to sort for the like-minded people.

As we are sent out into the "real world" of being an entrepreneur, which make no mistake, you are as an entertainment industry professional, the forced situations aren't as readily available.

When I first moved to LA away from my friends and family in NY, I met a lot of "doozies." My sister referred to them as my "Freshman Year Friends." The similarity is clear: a new place, brand new people, and the longing to connect and have that familiar feeling you have with your "old friends," can cloud your judgement.

Be patient. There are certainly "hucksters and posers" in this city, but remember, that's your perspective. Those hucksters and posers have a whole circle of friends who think they're the coolest guys since James Dean.

Finding like-minded people means being open to the possibility that all of the wonderful and real people (by your definition) are out there. You start by finding one. That one person will have more friends whom you will likely connect with and they'll tell two friends and they'll tell two friends, and so on and so on...

Also, do what you love to do. If you love the beach, go to the beach. If you love sports, get onto a team. You're most likely to find people you connect with doing what you love to do.

The most important thing to remember is to focus on your reason for being here. Don't let anyone throw you off your game because they're not your "type." Do your job, and do it well, and before you know it, you'll be surrounded by great people.

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

entertainment industry coach question 287: After successful working in LA for 15 years, how can I work from another state?

This particular person is interested in living and working in Colorado while maintaining work opportunities in Los Angeles. While many of my clients have successfully worked in Los Angeles while their residency was in New York, New Mexico, San Francisco, Colorado, Chicago, Detroit, etc., this person points out, that with social media, it's harder to mask where you are and what you're doing.

It's a very good point. Facebook has privacy settings, but that can be a pain in the butt. The point of social media in regards to work is to create and maintain relationships. Instead of saying, "I went for a hike in the Rockies," just say that you went for a hike.

When you're working, it doesn't matter where you're working because people go on location all of the time. The fact that you're asking this question eludes to the fact that you're already savvy to keeping yourself under wraps. Keep it up.

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

entertainment industry coach question 246: I like in Boca Raton, FL. How do I meet people from here?

Depending on your classification, you can start closer to home. For example, if you're in the camera department, there is a Local 600 office in Orlando. You can call their office and begin there. If you're not in camera, research local unions in your classification in Florida. Because Florida does have more production than most states, you can begin reaching out to the entertainment community in Miami and Orlando.

In addition, you can reach out to people in Los Angeles and New York (larger production cities) through Facebook, unions, production companies, etc. I'd have to know what classification you're in to give you the specifics, but I can tell you that most unions have a directory either on line or in hard copy.

1. Research the people you want to contact to build a relationship with and be sure you have contact information before doing thorough research.

2. Reach out to the people you want to create a relationship with on Facebook. Be sure to send a personal note about who you are and that you'd like to ask for some advice.

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

entertainment industry coach question 216: How do I make it as a filmmaker in NY?

The same way you make it anywhere else, including Los Angeles. The difference is, you have to work harder to find the entertainment community. When I lived in NY, I could be walking down the street next to an investment banker, an accountant, a magazine editor, a shoe designer, a PR person, a florist, a hotel manager, a taxi driver, and on and on...

In LA, you can be walking next to the same people BUT, the people are ALL 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. NY is big, and not revolving around the entertainment industry the way LA revolves around it.

So what that means for you, is that to be a filmmaker, you need to:

1. work on your craft

2. build your resume and reel

3. join entertainment industry networking groups

4. get mentors

Plenty of amazing filmmakers come out of NY, so take advantage of the fact that you are in a city where incredible talent is accessible.

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

Question 193: Is it really possible to be Bi-Coastal or should I establish myself in either NY or LA?

Anything is possible. Obviously someone who is established in their career has it much easier because when it comes to getting jobs, they're already a "name." The goal is to create relationships and maintain them. If you can do that from either coast, great. If someone calls you for a job in the morning in LA and you're in NY, that's going to be a problem. I need more information to advise you fully on this. Are you choosing to be bi-coastal or is an obligation keeping you tied to one city?

For more tips and articles by Top Entertainment Industry Career Coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com