entertainment industry coach question 705:How do I get contact information for potential mentors?

This was a question I didn't have time to answer on my tele-class call today. There are many different resources for finding contact information for potential mentors. It depends on their classification.

Start with the people you know to see if anyone is "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" to them and can get you the contact information. If not...

If they are in a union you can contact the union. You may be sent a directory, given information over the phone, or be allowed to send a letter which they will forward.

If they have a production company, you can get that information from IMDBpro, the Hollywood Creative Directory, and in some cases, Google.

Last resort would be to go through their agent if they have one. Before investing the time of researching them, call the agency to confirm that they DO forward their client's mail.www.theGreenlightCoach.com FIND ME

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entertainment industry coach question 532:To overcome shyness, do you know of any free improv classes for non actors?

I googled free improv classes in Los Angeles and was amazed at how may places came up. Some of them may be introductory classes, but if you went to a few, learned some techniques, took some notes, and got some books from the library, you could even start your own group.

Another possibility is to post on Facebook that you're looking for an improv actor who would like to practice teaching on a group of non-actors to potentially teach actors for money.

There are so many ways to improv for free. Believe it or not, if you just strike up conversation with someone on line in front of you at the market, you could improv. Just say "yes and..." to everything they say, and you're improving. If you are really shy, make up a character who's not shy and start talking. Who cares what others think. Little do they know they're in a scene!

Have fun with it.

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entertainment industry coach Question 504:How would I go about researching agents of composers?

This was a question asked in the comment section of yesterday's blog. The easiest way to find composers' agents, is to use IMDB Pro. You can also check out http://www.theamcl.org/ for more information.

Also try Googling them. I just Googled Hans Zimmer and immediately found: The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc. (818) 260-85001

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entertainment industry coach Question 499: How do I get my dog involved in entertainment?

Well, first you have to decide what area of entertainment your dog is interested in. Most likely his/her first choice will be craft services, but the studios may have a problem with your dog eating on the job. Dogs are supposedly color blind so cinematography is out. Very few dogs have the attention span to edit, though yours may be the exception.

Okay, seriously? Your dog has to be extremely well trained and like babies and toddlers, have an agent. Google pet agencies.

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entertainment industry coach Question 488:I met someone yesterday and want to follow up. What's the best way?

I'm going to assume this is for professional reasons because you're writing to me and not a dating coach. My first question is: did you get contact information for this person? If so, good job. If not, time to do your research. You can start by contacting whomever hosted the 4th of July party (am I going out on limb by making that assumption?) to ask for contact information. If that's not going to fly, check IMDB Pro, social media sites, or do a Google search. Your last resort will be reaching out to all of your contacts to see if anyone knows this person (the whole 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon).

If you can't find contact information, you're pretty much stuck. But let's move on assuming you can get contact information. My second question is: did you discuss anything that calls for a follow up? For example: did the person suggest a movie you should see? Then you can see the movie and follow up to share your thoughts. Did the person give you any business advice? Then you can follow up to report your results after taking action. Did you discuss any shared personal interests, like tennis, surfing, or kids? Then you can follow up to plan a day to have a friendly competition, catch some waves, or take the kids on a picnic at Griffith Park.

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 359: Do people have careers in entertainment anywhere else besides Hollywood?

Yes. I don't know how old you are or how small of a town you live in, but entertainment happens all over this country... all over this world. You must have access to the internet because you emailed me. There's a search engine (www.google.com). Put in where you live and entertainment organizations and see what comes up.

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

entertainment industry coach question 346: How do I get contact information for potential mentors?

This was a question I didn't have time to answer on my tele-class call today. There are many different resources for finding contact information for potential mentors. It depends on their classification.

Start with the people you know to see if anyone is "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" to them and can get you the contact information. If not...

If they are in a union you can contact the union. You may be sent a directory, given information over the phone, or be allowed to send a letter which they will forward.

If they have a production company, you can get that information from IMDBpro, the Hollywood Creative Directory, and in some cases, Google.

Last resort would be to go through their agent if they have one. Before investing the time of researching them, call the agency to confirm that they DO forward their client's mail.

entertainment industry coach question 250: Is it bad when people tag me in pictures on Facebook that aren't professional?

It certainly can be. Remember, EVERYTHING on the world wide web is there "somewhere" forever. There have already been examples of actors who posted "revealing" blogs when they were unknown, and as soon as they hit stardom, some reporter dug up the blog and to my entertainment, it made The Soup.

What if five years from now you are interviewing for a job (in June) and someone googles you only to find an old Halloween picture with no knowledge that it was a holiday picture. All they see is a tasteless costume or an x-rated French Maid.

I'm not saying you shouldn't share your pictures, I certainly do. Just keep in mind that if you are partying or doing something that could end up on a google search some day, it could potentially come back to haunt you professionally. This goes for the written word as well.

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

Question 26: What if I can't find anything on the person I'm researching?

This is a shortened version of the question I received in the comment section of Question 24.

So, you've googled, IMDBd, and polled your friends and there is nothing to be found on the person you're meeting with. 

1. If you're meeting at his/her office, quickly do a scan to see if there is something to ask about, comment on, or a common interest.

2. Focus on creating rapport.

3. Design general questions based on what the meeting is about.

4. Prepare your own stories to share so you'll feel confident about having something to discuss.

5. Relax.  If you couldn't find anything, the person knows there is nothing to find.

For more tips and articles by The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com