entertainment industry coach question 345:My friend is directing a pilot and I can't get him to call me back. How can I entice him?

Is it an emergency? My guess is- no, because no matter how busy someone is, if it's an emergency, they find time to return your call. Which leads me to my point. I'm not saying that you did this, but I know many people do. They wait until pilot season, see who's working, and then start making calls.

It's fine to let people know you're available, in fact, it's your job, but "I'm available" calls don't usually get returned calls unless there's a job for you. And "just checking in" calls, really don't get returned during pilot season. People get so pissed off about this. They say to me, "Who do these people think they are? No matter how 'big' I get, I'll always return people's calls."

Really? When a production report gets distributed, and a director (and other classifications) gets announced, he/she is bombarded with calls ranging from complete strangers, to people whom they met once (and now think they're friends), to people they know looking for work (who only call when they're looking for work), to good friends in the business (who are not in their 'top 10' top of mind calls.)

So now, the director has 127 calls in his voicemail, from people looking for work, 'just checking in,' or with an "enticing" reason for him to call back.

*note: if the enticing reason to call you back is so that you can build your relationship in order to get work- you should have made that call BEFORE pilot season.

The director is working on a pilot. This is one of the highest pressure jobs, with the most demanding hours, and usually an impossible schedule. On top of the pilot, he may have a family whom needs his attention on the few off hours he has, or maybe he needs to go to the gym to work off some stress, or have the 'check engine' light checked on his car so it doesn't break down on the way to the studio.

Do you see what I'm getting at? By the time a director books a pilot, he pretty much knows who he's hiring. If you didn't get called, left a message for him, did not get a call back, and it's not an emergency, this is NOT the best time to be persistent. He is BUSY. It's not personal.

If when you book a pilot and have 127 people calling you daily, you are able to return every call, PLEASE, write to me so I can interview you on time management.

Give your director friend a break, and let him concentrate on his very important task at hand.

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