entertainment industry coach Question 443: I worked with a director not knowing how big he is. Can I compliment him after the fact?

Of course! If you haven't sent a thank you note yet, start there, and then follow up with a letter regarding the work you want to compliment. Be specific about why you're addressing the work, and it should have questions that require you to follow up with a phone call to get the answers.

This is an in depth question that really requires a very specific strategy per situation. I gave you a general answer, so others could make it their own.

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entertainment industry coach Question 442: How and when do I tell my boss I'm pregnant?

I'd love to throw this under "life-coaching" and say it's not my department.

When to tell: I'm not really the right one to speak to about this because there are laws depending on what your job classification is. For example, if you work at a studio, there are protections for you so you can't be fired for taking maternity leave.

Now in other classifications, it can work against you. For instance, a camera assistant, may want to work as long as she can not feeling that her job is putting the unborn baby at risk. However, the production team may feel differently because the camera assistant is carry heavy equipment cases, etc., and may be worried about injury and a potential lawsuit.

My advice, talk to a union rep or someone in human resources.

How to tell: not really sure why you're asking me this. Most people get excited and say, "I'm pregnant," getting all glowy and stuff. Is there any reason why your boss wouldn't be happy for you or that you have to tiptoe around him/her? I'd need more details to be able to help you out with this one.

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entertainment industry coach Question 441: Is it good to meet entertainment people in bars?

Ummmm so many ways I could go with this, but I'll stay strictly business. It doesn't matter where you meet new contacts as long as you are building a genuine relationship and it is clear that all you are interested in is talking business. Many industry people go out in bars so yes, there is great potential to meet people. Just be sure to watch a few episodes of Entourage, so you don't get sucked into anything you hadn't bargained for : )

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entertainment industry coach Question 440:What is the pay scale for an editor?

Questions like that should be directed to the Guild, in this case the Editors Guild. If you go to their site www.TheEditorsGuild.com, under employers is a section titled wages. I don't know that every Union offers the wages online, but you can always call a union and ask to speak to someone regarding wages.

Know that these are union wages. If you are working non-union there are no set rules, but using the union wages as guidelines can help you when putting in a bid on a job.

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entertainment industry coach Question 439: What is the difference between an agent and a casting director?

There's actually nothing the same about them except that they're both human beings.

The basic responsibility of an agents is to represent clients, setting up meetings and submitting them for jobs. In some situations they have a lot more personal interaction, they may negotiate contracts, and they can even use leverage by packaging clients.

A casting director brings in actors for acting jobs. They may or may not have the final say in the hiring process.

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entertainment industry coach Question 437: how many scripts is enough to have written?

There's no exact number. You can have one script that is the next big blockbuster/hit pilot that sells and that's it. Just know, if you want an agent, they're going to want to know what else you have because once you sell something it's a great time for them to pitch more of your material.

If you're a television writer, you should have at least 2 spec scripts for current shows. That means if your favorite show is 24 and you have a spec for it, you had better write a new one because 24 has 3 hours left. These days, agents are also interested in seeing an original pilot.

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entertainment industry coach Question 436: I've heard of the SAG Film Society. Is there any reason to join?

You have to be a SAG member in good standing, and if you are, then there are many great reasons to join.

1. You get to see at least one movie every other week and bring a guest for $90. If you do the math and factor in that some weekends are double features, during voting season they have TONS of bonus movies, and if you're in the society many movie theaters allow you to see SAG award nominated films for free, you'll see it's a great deal.

2. At some of the screenings they host Q&A sessions with the actors and filmmakers. This gives you numerous opportunities to maximize.

3. Because you can bring a guest, it gives you the opportunity to re-establish relationships as well as deepen relationships by inviting industry people to pre-releases and other blockbuster or art house films.

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entertainment industry coach Question 435:How do I find work out of LA market when states offering tax incentives are mandating local crew hires only?

The only way I'm aware of (and if others know of any, please chime in) is to be able to work as a local hire. The point of the states offering these tax incentives is so that their residents can have an advantage over the Hollywood people who have worked out here for so long because that's were the work was. Now it's being spread around.

Recently an actress I've worked with booked a job in the Bay Area because she grew up there and they could hire her as a local.

I personally know this person has already relocated to Los Angeles, so if he's not interested in relocating to a state with incentives that's busy and keeping LA as his production city, then he and everyone in his position are going to have to focus on generating work in LA.

In the mean time, get involved with http://shootmoviesincalifornia.com/ where they are working with politicians to get better incentives and other forms of enticements to keep producers in California.

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entertainment industry coach Question 435:Why is it nearly impossible to make friends in LA who hang out like my friends from FL?

Ironically, I've had this conversation twice this past week, with people from Florida. You Florida people must be very cool to hang out with and very loyal to your friends.

Let me start with this analogy, even though many people in the entertainment industry don't fully relate to it because they didn't need to go to college since they were pursuing an art or a trade.

Most kids (excluding those who were moved around a lot) grow up from elementary school through high school with the same friends, give or take a few. That creates a serious bond. Then they are sent off to college where the first people they meet are those who live on their dorm floor. They tend to gravitate to these people at first because they are close in proximity and all going through the same awkwardness of the lack of familiarity they had with their home friends. These are what are referred to as "Freshman Year Friends." Now, in some cases, people stay friends throughout college, but in most cases, Freshman Year Friends are left behind until you find the people with whom you're truly compatible.

That's pretty much what happened to me and everyone I know in LA. The first two years of friendships were total bombs. But eventually, you find the people you click with.

Now this particular question went further by adding, "If someone calls me it's because they want me to work for them, no one wants to just hang out."

I refer to that as an A-List problem. Getting called for work is a good thing. You're going to have to examine the values of your friends back home in Florida and get really clear on them so when meeting people you can easily identify those who share the values and then make the extra effort to create a friendship. If you've tried this and it's not working, perhaps you should seek friends out of the industry.

Keep in mind, as people get older, their responsibilities change, their time is limited by those responsibilities, and therefore it's more challenging to make friends. But when you do find those few (and really that's all you need) they are SO worth it!

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entertainment industry coach Question 434: What are good side jobs for making money?

That depends on the flexibility you need, your skills, and your interests. Temp work is always an option. I encourage people to go to temp agencies who place people in entertainment offices or check if any of the studios still have temp pools. Then you can be creating relationships while making extra money.

If office work isn't your thing, it's a matter of looking at your interests, seeing what jobs are in someway connected to your interests, and then deciding if the hours, flexibility, and money work for you.

I've known people who've sprayed perfume at department stores, done handy-work/construction, made jewelry, sold gym memberships, personal trained, or taught exercise classes. Really, there are so many options, it just depends on job availability and meeting your needs.

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

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entertainment industry coach Question 433: When is an agent not enough and I need a lawyer, a publicist, etc?

The easiest answer is- you'll know. The biggest mistake people make is when they feel their agent isn't doing enough they immediately think they need more people to make things happen. So they pay a lot of money to publicists and lawyers hoping to get more leads.

The problem with this is, if you have nothing unique to market, you've just spent a lot of money for nothing. Agents, overall, are very good at what they do. Why? Well, the obvious reason is that if you don't make money, neither do they. If you have something that's "hot and sellable" your agents will be all over it. Once the frenzy begins, then you want to get a publicist involved. Again, a publicist can't publicize "nothing." If you don't have a hook that's interesting to the media, there's not much an expensive publicist can do for you.

Now, once the agent is promoting your "hot and sellable" and the publicist is getting your hook out there to the media and EVERYONE wants a part of you, contracts are going to start coming in, deal offers. That's when you need a great entertainment lawyer on your team.

One of the exceptions is, if you don't have an agent, and can't send material to production companies without representation, you can get an attorney to submit it for you.

This is a huge topic because there are exceptions all over the place varying from how motivated you are, what you have to promote and the potential team members you meet. But my blog is for the general public. So if you feel you're in a specific situation that needs more clarity, we can do a coaching session on it and even include current team members and potential team members.

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

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