entertainment industry coach question 251: Do I look desperate if I try to speak to a celebrity after a Q & A?

It depends on how you present yourself. First of all, what is your purpose for speaking to the celebrity? If it's just to say, "I love your work," that's fine, not desperate, and NOT strategic. Celebrities hear that all the time, and while I'm sure they appreciate it, it's not unique.

A strategy is, to be unique by asking a specific question, and have a plan for following up. Your objective should be to build an advice and guidance relationship with the celebrity because he/she can give you tips on how to get where you want to go faster.

Another tip, is to watch what others do. When the celebrity steps off the stage to greet attendees, watch what people do wrong (infringe on personal space, not taking NO for an answer, gushing like a fan, etc.). When you see what doesn't work, you'll feel more confident about your professional approach.

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

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

entertainment industry coach question 249: Why do so many people seem to be working and I'm not hearing about anything?

Stop comparing yourself to other people. If you really want to know why they're working and you're not, ask them what they're doing to generate work.

The bottom line, there's always work out there and there will always be people to work those jobs. If you're not getting the jobs, you have to focus on the business tools and strategies for building and strengthening your relationships.

Also, know that whatever questions you ask, your brain will come up with answers. I imagine your mind has been not been kind with it's answer to this one. Therefore, ask more empowering questions like: How can I generate work for myself, who do I have to know to get work, what more can I be doing to advance my career?

Let your brain ponder those, because it will come up with better answers.

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

entertainment industry coach question 248:I'd like more advice on how to be my husband's manager.

This is in response to a previous post. Okay, basically, you want to create a strategy plan together for targeting people and companies. You can help by:

1. Making calls and follow up calls on his behalf

2. Being his "ice breaker" at networking events

3. Doing the research that he doesn't have time to do

4. Creating your own letter head/logo to send out letters and emails on his behalf

5. Create/deepen your relationships with the people who hire him

6. Take meetings with him (other than interviews)

7. Doing the tasks that need to be done, but make his stomach queasy

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

entertainment industry coach question 247: How do I learn what industry lingo means? Yesterday, I was an extra and was told to stand on an apple box.

This made me chuckle. It reminded me of my first shoot when I heard the DP yell, "Kill the baby." There may be a book on industry lingo, you should research that. I've also discovered that different crews/departments have their own "private lingo."

The important thing is that when you don't know, you ask. You may have to evaluate who the best person to ask is, but ask. If you spend 20 minutes looking around for an actual apple box, you'll look greener than if you actually ask someone.

As you acquire mentors, ask them what lingo they use.

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 245: How do you get the "big break"?

This was asked today on the podcast I was interviewed on. The "big break" is somewhat undefinable, illusive like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. The "big break" can be when you got your first agent, who sent you out on the first audition, that led to 2 years later the casting director bringing you in for an under five, that led to more roles, that led to your series regular role, that led to you getting a movie on hiatus, that led to more movies, that led to your "breakout film," that led to your Oscar role.

The point I'm trying to make is, don't look for the "big break." Don't anticipate if this is the "breakout film." Do your work and celebrate the successes along the way. Acknowledge the people who help you as you build the stepping stones of your career.

Terms like "Overnight Success," "Breakout Film," and "Big Break" are created for marketing purposes. How many times have you heard someone say that it took them 15 years to become an overnight success?

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

entertainment industry coach question 244: I met someone at a Halloween party and didn't tell him I was in the industry. How do I follow up now?

The same way you would follow up with him if you didn't know he was in the industry, and you just hit it off so it made sense to keep in touch.

This is when "a client" will typically say, "Well if I didn't know he was in the industry, I probably wouldn't follow up." Okay, I respect your honesty. Most of us have plenty of friends already. However, I appreciate your ability to spot an opportunity.

In the future, if you know the person is in the industry and you don't want to share that you are as well, then treat the conversation "as if" you wanted to continue a friendship with him/her. Then you will know why you're following up, because you'll have discussed the things you have in common, possible plans for a future get together, or a specific plan. I don't mean be phony, I mean, really look for the commonalities.

In this case, because you didn't reveal that you're in the industry you can either:

1. Reflect on your conversation and see if there is a commonality you can build a follow up conversation on.

2. Call specifically to tell him: you're in the industry, what you do, and have a business advice question for him (for which his answer will require you to take action, so you can follow up with him on your results).

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

entertainment industry coach question 242: I'm thinking about sending business postcards (In addition to phone calls) as a follow up to a resume.

The question continued: Is this a good idea? If so, are there things I should keep in mind when doing so?

The person who asked this is an editor. Many actors have postcards, (their headshot photo) that they send when they have announcements or to stay in touch.

Postcards are one way to stay in touch with people. They are a more costly way. I say that because you have to pay to have them printed and mailed. Many people's follow-strategy is email, which is free. That said, emails aren't always opened and postcards are usually seen. You have to decide if the investment is worth it.

Two things I want to address:

1. Why the follow up postcard after sending the resume and making the phone call? Is this a "cold-call" resume sending/call/postcard? If it's cold resume, the postcards are just as cold. The only difference is that after a resume and a phone call, the postcard would be the 3rd contact from you. Still, you know my feelings about putting a large percent of your "work" into pursuing cold leads. I'd rather see you strategically go after 10 jobs than pursue 100 jobs cold. You'll have better results.

2. What to put on a postcard? The same contact info you'd have on a business card and resume and then you have more freedom with the image. Perhaps, something that is unique to you and what you do, something personal (a cute picture of "you" in an edit bay with "your dog"), or a beautiful image that they would put up to look at. My allergist's postcard, to remind me it's time to come in, is a picture of a desert island with a palm tree and a clear blue ocean surrounding it. I have this postcard up in various locations and think of him, and my clear sinuses, every time I see it.

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

entertainment industry coach question 243: When calling my network, what do I ask these people I may have only met once at an event?

Ask for anything but work! If you just met them once at a networking event, they don't know you well enough to hire you yet. There is always the chance though, that you'll catch them on a day when they are looking to hire, so ask a question that shows you're looking for work, without actually putting them on the spot. For example:

"I met you at [insert the name of the networking event]. I thought that perhaps you could advise me on other worthwhile organizations that I can join to meet [insert classification(s) of people who hire you] who hire [insert your classification], such as myself."

Now the person knows you're looking for work in your classification, yet you didn't put him/her on the spot. If they are interested they'll offer. If they aren't, at least you've given them something they can say YES to.

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

entertainment industry coach question 241: How often should I call my list?

Call your list as often as you have "new news." Anyone can call and say "I'm available," or "Just checking in," but those types of calls are 1 in sometimes 100 (especially if you're calling someone who is listed as working in a production report).

Your objective is to deepen your relationship with the people on your list. In fact, I'd rather change your question to read: "How do I deepen my relationships with the people I know?"

The reason I did that is because there's a distinction that your mind makes when you refer to a "list" as opposed to referring to "people."

So, how do you deepen your relationships with the people you know? Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Ask a business advice question that requires a call back to answer (a question regarding an area where you're stuck, or that will help you further your education).

2. Share "new news." This can be job related or personal. People relate to people they share common interests with, so don't be afraid to get personal.

Don't have any interesting personal stuff to report? Sounds like an opportunity to do something exciting, to tell people about!

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