Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 937: If I worked in one area for a long time and want to reinvent myself, how do I convince people I can do it

Be able to do it. If you can do the skill or craft you're transitioning to, you don't have to convince anyone. You can do it. My advice is to have an authentic story about why you decided to make this transition at this time. People love a great story and they love people who take risks to pursue their passion.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 936: How did you write your book? I want to write one.

Different people have different ways of writing books. It also depends on the type of book you want to write. My book, And...Action!, is educational, so it came very easily to me. I knew I wanted to write a book that kept the reader learning business tools, strategies and mindsets, while moving him/her forward over a year's time, so I:

1. Made it 52 chapters

2. Put the 52 topics in an order that set the reader up to succeed

3. Matched movies to the topics to use as metaphors and make the "work" more enjoyable

4. Asked for referrals to publishers

5. Was accepted by the first publisher who read my submission

Writing a fiction book is a whole different process. My advice is to go to a bookstore or library and research books on "how to write a book," if you need concrete instruction. Otherwise, my question for you is "what is your objective for writing the book?" If you want to get it published, you may want to write a book proposal first and test the waters. If you're going to self-publish, just write your book. Good luck!

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 935: What do you do when you get so many conflicting opinions for advice?

You choose the advice that resonates most with you and base it on the people you're asking. Ask yourself:

1. Whose career path do you respect the most?

2. Whose character do you respect the most?

3. What are you willing and not willing to do?

It's always easy when you're getting the same advice from everyone. Then it is clear what you must do. But when the advice is conflicting, you have to use your decision making skills to determine what's best for you.

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Getting Work in Entertainment Question 934: A CD told me not to put any links on my emails because they are distracting, is this true?

If you asked 10 casting directors, you'd get 10 different answers. You are a business. You have to promote yourself. If you are sending in a headshot and resume for a project with a note, any additional links to social media, a website, a movie trailer, a reel, a blog, etc., would go under your signature. If they don't want to be distracted, they don't have to read down that far.

That said, make a note of the CD who doesn't like it and when you write to her/him, remove your signature.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment Question 933: How many hats can I wear at one time?

If you mean on one project, you can wear as many as you can handle. The challenge is to do every job well, and when you wear too many hats, the one hat that you want to "excel" at, may backfire on you.

When I've produced shows that I've acted in, I've never been able to do 100% of the work on my acting that I do when I'm just acting. It's no fun to produce a show in order to be seen as an actor and then have the end result be something that falls short of your true talent.

Now, if you mean in general, you can wear as many hats as you want in the industry, BUT and this is a big but, do not mix your "hats" on your marketing materials. It's one thing to be a writer/director, but an actor who writes should have separate business cards for each, as should a DP/Producer. When people start seeing a list of what you can do on your cards and resumes, they figure you're not a specialist in one area.

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Getting Work in Entertainment Question 932: I find some of the things you say to do tedious.

That's not a question, but I'll address it anyway. If you find things tedious, don't do them. You have choices; you can get someone else to do the tedious actions for you, or you can find the actions that work most effectively for you and avoid the tedious ones.

I give you enough ideas that you don't have to do everything. Choose the things you enjoy or don't find as tedious. It is business after all, not everything is going to be creative and fun, but you can still make the most of the actions that are necessary to advance your career.

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Getting Work in Entertainment Question 931: how do I make my resume stand out?

If you're an academy award winner and/or have worked on top box office grossing films, that's going to make your resume stand out. Although usually at this level, you won't need a resume.

So what really makes a resume stand out if you have basically a number of unrecognizable credits with semi-unrecognizable talent? A REFERRAL. In other words, sending out hundreds of resumes cold, is pretty much a waste of time and money. Instead, target specific jobs, speak to your contacts to find out if they know anyone involved with the project, and then send a cover letter with your resume stating that you were referred by _______. That's what makes you stand out, having a connection to someone involved.

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Getting Work in Entertainment Question 930: How long should it take to sell a screenplay?

There is no way to say. All I know is if no one reads it, you'll never sell it. Some scripts get bought up lickity-split and others float around the industry for years. I'm sorry I don't have a more definitive answer for you, but making a living as a screenwriter is taking a risk, a wonderful risk, but a risk nonetheless.


The important thing is to keep writing so when your script does get read and they ask what else you have, you have two or three scripts, at least, to represent your talent. 

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