entertainment industry coach question 226: what's an avoidable mistake at a networking event?

I'll admit, no one specifically asked me this one. It's in answer to what I witnessed last night at a networking event. Here's the scenario:

Successful speaker stays after the Q & A to talk to attendees. One attendee off handedly introduces himself and brings up that he'd worked on the same show as successful speaker, as a PA, then says, "I just wanted to say thanks for coming," and tries to walk away, when successful, confident, speaker attempts to re-engage him by asking him what he's doing now.

HERE'S THE MISTAKE:

Attendee gives him a list starting from being fired from mutual show, onto failed attempts at work, leading to producing his own project which lead to 4 lawsuits, and now he's working with a famous actor's son on a project.

HERE'S HOW TO AVOID MISTAKE

Just start with "I'm working on a project with _____ son." Then talk about why you're excited about it.

WHY ON EARTH would you lead with a list of failures? Who would want to work with you after that? No one who's asking what you're working on knows about all that stuff, so you don't have to share it like it's some scarlet letter!

Please, people, when meeting new people, share what you're passionate about, NOT what's wrong with you, your life, and/or your career! No one wants to work with Debbie Downer (SNL reference)

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

entertainment industry coach question 225: how do I manage a crew that was given to me not chosen & resent that I'm here?

Well, that doesn't sound like a fun situation, however, I always say, "Acknowledge the purple elephant in the room." Call a crew meeting to discuss the obvious situation; you were forced on them. Then, hit them where it counts the most- their livelihood. In a professional way, explain that it may not be the situation they desired, but it's the situation they've been given. So they have two choices:

1. They can all keep acting the same way, and no one will have a good experience

OR

2. They can view this as an opportunity. They should remember, that whomever is normally in your place, may not always be working (this being case and point), therefore, if this should prove to be an enjoyable work situation, it may prove in the long run to mean more work and opportunities for them. Why? Because, you will have the opportunity to hire them again as well as pass on recommendations for them to your colleagues, who have opportunities for them.

One of the biggest mistakes crew people make, is being loyal to a fault. I'm all for loyalty, in fact, I demand it, but if they were SO loyal, they should have left when their "person" was fired or not brought on. They chose to stay, so now they have an opportunity to expand their relationship with you and your people.

Their choice: lemonade out of lemons or moldy lemons.

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

entertainment industry coach question 224: how long should my directing reel be?

There's no exact time frame, though the average time is between 2-5 minutes.

The purpose of a reel is to show you have talent in your classification. Search the internet for other people's reels in your classification to see what they are doing (preferably working people. you can usually find their reels on their agent's websites, or their own) and model the ones you like.

Another tip is to think long term. If in 5 years you want to be directing romantic comedies and you have 3 shorts that are all different genres, you may want to consider doing shorts that are romantic comedies, because:

1. The more you show in your genre, the more it proves you're an expert

2. You get better with each project so you want your best work to be in the genre you're targeting

3. You'll be creating relationships with people who enjoy the same type of work you do

The objection I get to this is, "But I can direct anything and I want people to see that so they'll hire me." My answer to that, is that early on you will be hired based on the relationships you create, so it really doesn't matter what genre is on your reel, what matters is how well you can sell yourself. LONG TERM, it will matter what genre is on your reel, so target the types of films you want to make.

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

entertainment industry coach question 223: should my business card include my PO Box?

Entertainment industry business cards should include your:

1. name

2. Classification (only 1 unless you're a writer/director. There are a few other exceptions. The point is, if you write a list of different things you do, you will be seen as a jack of all trades instead of an expert who can be trusted. If you do various jobs, get separate business cards for each classification).

3. phone number

4. email address

5. website address (if you have one)

6. YES a PO Box address is fine. I do NOT recommend home addresses!

If you have a graphic for your branding, that's great.

NOTE: leave white space for people to write notes about you. If you have a two sided card, be sure one side is matte finish so people can write on it without a Sharpie.

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

entertainment industry coach question 222: with my film degree & shorts no paid credits, do I include non-film work on a film production resume?

No, it makes you look green. The key is to have a neat resume so people can immediately find what they are looking for. Columns achieve that purpose. You don’t want to give them any reason to pass you up in their large piles, so dates are not recommended, nor are any classes that may make you appear “green.”

1. Put your name, classification (director in your case), and contact info at the top

2. Underneath, start 3 columns. The first, the name of your project (you don't have to list it specifically being a short if you don't choose to, nor does it matter that you haven't been paid), next the production company, and third, would be the producer. (note: these column headings change based on classification. The person who asked this question is a director)

2.5 IF you have any other entertainment industry experience other than directing that can beef up your resume you can list it in the same column format beneath your primary goal. For example: if you've been a 1st AD, or a PA that shows your set experience. Some DPs who have lesser known DP credits, also list blockbuster OP credits.

3. List any awards

4. List any Special Skills (that pertain to your ability to direct OR make for interesting conversation that would cause someone to say, "Hmm. interesting skill. I want to call him and ask him about this.")

5. Education if you went to film school or if you went to a recognizable school where there is a large alumni base (it may be a way to connect with someone who went there)

Remember, if you're just starting with a lean resume, you will not be getting jobs based off of it, you'll be getting jobs based off the relationships you create. The resume is just a way for someone with whom you've started a relationship, to be able to formally catalogue you and your contact info.

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

entertainment industry coach question 221: how many movies do I have to watch of someone's before I ask them to mentor me?

There is no magic number. While I HIGHLY encourage you to do your research on people before asking them to mentor you, my concern with this question is to make sure that you're not using it as a procrastination method. If you're not, fantastic. Watch at least two, for a business and guidance mentorship. If it's a creative mentorship you'd want to watch as many as possible because if the person refers to something pertinent to the craft in a specific movie, you want to be able to say you saw it.

Never lie about seeing a movie that you haven't. Use it as an opportunity to say that you were waiting to watch it until after you spoke so you could get directions on what specifically to look for.

Back to the business and guidance mentorship. Because it's more about business advice and guidance, you won't really be talking about the films, you'll be talking about how the person got the jobs and maintained a career.

Most people will tell you that it was luck meaning they had talent and an opportunity. Don't fall for it. Dig deeper. Successful people aren't always aware of or are too humble to admit, that they are doing something right. I know PLENTY of talented people who got a "lucky opportunity" and then went straight back to the struggle grind. There is more to it than talent. They are doing something right that has to do with their work ethic, attitude, and more than likely going the EXTRA mile. Find out what they did on that extra mile... that's where the gold is.

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

entertainment industry coach question 220: how does a film student in India get training/internship from US DPs?

Because you're a cinematography student in India, I would suggest that before you reach out to get an internship/training with a "famous" DP, as you put it, you reach out to them for advice and guidance. Here's how you do that:

1. Make a list of questions for DPs that you want to learn from. For example:

What should I do to get the most out of film school?

What do I need to know about getting an internship in the United States?

What can you tell me about the business side of the business?

What are the questions I should be asking and don't even realize it yet?

2. Make a target list of the DPs you would want to answer these questions.

3. See if they are on Facebook and research how you can contact them (one way is through the Cinematographers Guild).

4. Once you know you have a way to reach them, write them a letter telling them about yourself, requesting a business mentorship where you can contact them by email 3 times to ask them questions about how to get the most out of film school and prepare for your future career. Include that you will follow up with them (if you have contact information), or that you don't have anyway to follow up with them but how they can reach you by email.

5. Mail the letter, and follow up.

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

entertainment industry coach question 219: what do you do when you've achieved all your goals?

This question came from my And...Action! teleseminar today. I liked it because I interpreted it to mean that this gentleman, had set certain career goals for himself years back and is now living those dreams. And still, he was on the call, asking this question.

My answer to him was to come up with new goals, however, at this point, he doesn't have to put the label "goals" on them. I suggested he come up with things that will make life even more fulfilling. Challenges, new adventures, unimagined ideas. Now is the time to perhaps give back, and if you already do, give differently.

And while you're doing that, make sure you continue to use your tools; maintaining relationships, staying current with technology, so should circumstances change, you'll always be in the position to maintain your career stability.

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

entertainment industry coach question 218: "are you concerned that the content of your movie is going to make people rethink having kids?"

This was a question asked of Viggo Mortensen tonight at the Q & A after a screening of THE ROAD, I attended. I chose to address it, because we are all in this industry to tell stories. The choice of stories we tell vary. I didn't know anything about the movie I was going to see, and without giving any spoilers, I'll just say, it was not a movie I would have chosen to see had I known the content. In fact, about half way into it, I asked my friend, "why would anyone choose to tell this story?"

And then Viggo came out and spoke. And his answers about the depth of the relationships, and the choices that we make, and how people all over the world (not to mention in some of our own back yards) live desperate lives everyday. Did the movie make him sad? Yes. Did it also give him an ironic sense of hope? Yes. I didn't fully get the hope, but perhaps that was just the state I was in today.

I guess I chose to blog about this because no matter the subject of the story, or why people choose to tell them, they have their reasons, and I respect them for it. I'll never see a Saw, even though a good friend is the DP, but some people get something from it. What I really took away from tonight was the gift of hearing a passionate artist talk about his craft. I'm always encouraging you to get mentors. This is why. As sad and bleak as I felt after the movie, I was uplifted by hearing his passion, and passion's what keeps me going.

Final note: Viggo answered the question by saying that he personally would not be influenced by the book or the movie on his decision to have kids. That's not an exact quote, but I'm sure the woman who was filming him on her phone will have it up on YouTube tomorrow. (Not cool in my opinion by the way. Keep that up and people won't feel comfortable volunteering their time to come speak to screening audiences anymore... I'll get off my soap box now.)

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

entertainment industry coach question 217: How do you make money in this business?!?!?

He went on to discuss that he is the "King of the freebies." Well, there is lots of money to be made in this business, and the industry is also ever-changing which means that less money is being divvied here and more is being taken over there...

What this means to you, King, is that you have to be creating relationships with people who can hire you for money in conjunction with doing the freebies. In a past post I listed reasons why freebies are right for some people. What's important to remember is while you are working on freebies you MUST be building relationships with people who HAVE money, otherwise you get dubbed "The King of the Freebies."

This is what coaching does. You learn the strategies to target the right people, get in the door, make a great impression, maintain the the relationships, get first paid job, market it, get hired for paying jobs from that point forward.

I don't normally plug my events in this blog, but literally my "Greenlight Your Career Bootcamp" happening in Los Angeles, October 24-26 gives you the tools, strategies, and blueprints for exactly that. So, if this is the next step for you, which it sounds like it is, contact me for more information and how you can get a discounted rate.

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