Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1000: I don't live in LA so what can one do?

She also wanted to know of any reliable script competitions.

I chose this as my 1000 question to answer, because so much production is happening outside of Los Angeles and everyone is confused. The people who live in smaller or non-production cities don't know how to get work when Los Angeles productions come in and bring people with them. And the Los Angeles people don't know how to get work because the jobs are so spread out across the country and beyond.

What you all can do is:
1. Get focused in your research (so you don't find out about productions when it's too late). Talk to your film commission to find out what's coming. If you're in Los Angeles, you'll find out about productions that are going, so you want to find out who the people involved in the project are so you can get some "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" going, and reach out to the people to take you with them, if they can.

2. Expand your contacts to include people who are in "the know" (I suggest mentorship as the best way to learn from those who are working in the industry). I interview industry mentors every month in my Greenlight Mentor Program, and the best way to learn about what's happening and what people are projecting will happen, is to learn from working people. If you live outside of Los Angeles, you can SKYPE, telephone, or email. If you live in Los Angeles, start by phone, and then work up to meeting in person. If this sounds confusing, perhaps enrolling in my program is a great place to start for you. I bring the mentors to you.

3. Use the internet. Google the people who tend to bring work to your state and see if they have a blog, a YouTubeChannel, or social media pages. Comment, ask questions, and build relationships in cyberspace no matter where you live.

*And in the case of this particular person who wanted to know about script competitions, etc. Check out Jen Grisanti.

I can't stress enough how important it is to seek out action and then take it. Too many people get stuck in not knowing what to do. The only way to find out what to do is ask people who've done it.

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

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