Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1065: Is it appropriate to ask out someone on set or could I get in trouble for sexual harassment?

I'm not an expert on sexual harassment laws/rules... I'm a little concerned that you're associating asking someone out with it, but perhaps I'm naive and there are far more lawsuits going on than I know about.

If you are on a show that has an end date, maybe you can wait until wrap. If you're on a long-running episodic, trust your instincts. It's about intention. As long as you ask politely and can accept the possibility of "no" as an answer, you'll probably be okay. BUT I'M NOT A LAWYER.

That said, I do support balance in your life and if you think this 'someone' could have potential, it's worth having a love life in addition to a work life, so figure out what you have to do to say YES to romance... you're bringing out the romantic comedy girl in me :-)

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1064: 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.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1063: How important is my business card, some people don't have them.

I've blogged on business cards before, so what I'll say is, follow the advice I gave you for what to put on your business card, because it IS important to have one. The reason is because it's how people can contact you. It's one less hoop for them to jump through.

That said, you should only be handing out your card to someone with whom you've created a relationship. To just hand them out randomly, is pretty pointless. Take the time to connect with someone and have some conversation before giving out your card.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1062: What do I do when people only see me as a film loader and won't let me move up?

If you have the skills to move up, you have to create relationships with people who don't know you as a film loader. Start with indie films (if you can find one that's still shooting on film). Having big loader credits from studio features may help you get onto an indie film as an AC.

I've found that when a DP has a crew he/she can count on, it can be hard to move someone up because you enjoy having the person you rely on. Plus, if his/her AC isn't going anywhere, booting someone out to move you up isn't usually an option. That said, many many people have moved up, so target crews who use multiple cameras, align yourself with lots of new operators who don't know you as a loader, and from this point on, introduce yourself as an AC to new people you meet.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1061: What do I do about colleagues who are always trying to "one up" me?

In my book And...Action! I have a chapter "The Godfather," where I address 6 different types of relationships that don't serve you:

1. The Non-Supporters

2. The One-Uppers

3. The Physical Drainers

4. The Mental Drainers

5. The Not-So-Expert Experts

6 The Crashed and Burned

As far as the One-Uppers go, these are the people who no matter what you've accomplished, have done something better. They steal your joy.

You want to surround yourself with people who celebrate your success. You can only go as far as the people with whom you surround yourself. If you're not ready to eliminate the One-Uppers from your life because they hire you or refer you, then continue to tell them about your accomplishments knowing what their response will most likely be (to maintain the work relationship) and then REALLY celebrate your accomplishments with the people who care about you.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1060: What's a great method an A.D. can use to quiet a crew on set that gets to talking between takes of scene

I've never worked as an A.D. so maybe those of you who read this who are A.D.s can chime in (add to the comment section)

I have worked as a producer, and I've also worked on sets for A.D.s as talent. My personal feeling is you get better results by being a morale raiser than a ball buster.

Therefore, when you get the opportunity, call a quick meeting and tell everyone what a great job they're doing and how pleased you are to have such a great crew. Then tell them, one of the best ways to get more work is by creating strong relationships and the best way to do that is by making a good impression on people who can hire you again and refer you to other jobs.

Let them know that by talking in between shots, it could give the impression to the "higher-ups" that they're not focused, not taking the job seriously, or are just unprofessional. Suggest that they stay focused during the hours of the shoot and then, hang out and have fun with each other after the day is wrapped.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1059: What's the easiest way to get work?

The easiest way to get work is to be born into an A-list family who support you pursuing your career and threatens their agent if they don't make you their number one priority. But let's get real...

I mean, come on. The followers of this blog would not be very impressed with you if they met you and you asked them that. Life in general, people who are looking for the "easy way" are perceived as lazy, uncommitted, and flaky.

Perhaps you meant "What is the most direct path to work?" The answer to that question is different for everyone. I can tell you to start by looking at how many people you know who are in the position to hire you. If you don't know enough people, start there. If you want to be more specific about where you are on your career path, I can give you a more specific answer.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1058: In June I'll visit LA for a week from Germany. How can I get in contact with a Talent Agent?

You must lay the groundwork now, in other words, before you get to LA. The mistake most people make is waiting until they are in LA and then trying to get in to see an agent. I can go into all of the reasons why this doesn't work, but why bother? Just know it is not a smart strategy.

Instead, make a plan.

1. Research the Talent Agents you're interested in meeting with and make a Target List.

2. Ask the people you know for referrals to your Target List and if they don't know those particular agents ask if they know any others with whom you could meet.

3. Reach out to your social media friends, letting them know you'll be in LA, that you have a target list of agents with whom you'd like to set up meetings and ask if anyone is willing to look at your list and help you.

4. If after all of this you still have no contacts to agents, it's time to reach out with a great cover letter and other marketing materials you use to the agents themselves.

Side bar.... is your plan to move to LA if you get representation? That's a question an agent will most likely ask so be prepared to answer.

Also, do you have an agent in Germany? If so, perhaps you want to ask your agent if he/she has connections in LA.

There are plenty of German transplants in Los Angeles in all areas of entertainment. While you are working to set up agent meetings, you should also focus some time on setting up meetings with these transplants.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1057: Is the Super Bowl a good reason to reconnect with contacts?

It's a great time to reconnect with me since I'm a Giants fan and we're in the Superbowl! Holla!! While not everyone in our industry is a "Sports Fan," everyone can relate to the competitive nature of achieving "the big goal. "

After all, the Super Bowl is really "the Oscars" of football.

So reach out in the spirit of going after that BIG GOAL!

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1056: Is it too late to break in if I'm over 40 and never worked in the industry?

You didn't tell me what classification you're in... what you wanted to break in as. I can tell you the easiest gig for someone your age would be getting work as a background actor. And if you're a writer, good material is good material at any age (even if you need your 22-year-old nephew to take the meetings as you .. kidding... sort of).

But if you had something more technical in mind like Director of Photography, or Editing, or Directing, there is not only an art to these forms, but specific skills to master that can take years. That's not to discourage you, just to give you some perspective. I've heard stories of people in our industry who've started at 40 and had very successful careers.

Some careers, you may want to stay away from because they require a lot of heavy lifting and dragging. Not that you're ill equipped to handle that now, but think about the physical training regimen you'll have to maintain to do that work into your 60s.

How about instead of me guessing, you just tell me what you want to do in the comment section.

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Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1055: How do I book a co-star or guest star?

When I received this question I asked him to tell me what he'd already been doing toward that goal. He responded with:

- Looking for online auditions

- Waiting for agent & manger to send him out

- Getting new headshots

- Taking some casting workshop

- Emailed some directors at their IMDB contact information

NOW... if any of you have ever been to one of my seminars, I tell you that for every classification there are 3-5 things that the majority of the people do over and over again. The first 4 of his actions fall directly into the "actor category" of what everyone is doing.

So, he wants some new actions to take. Here goes...

1. Research the shows that cast a lot of co/guest stars every episode. Then out of those, create a target list of the shows that have been on for 2-3+ years IN YOUR CITY. Why? because with the number of people they have to cast every episode, they've already gone through their "go-to" people and are more open to bringing in new people. (Now that you have a list of those shows, strategically target the casting workshops, but not just to attend & do a scene, but to take the first step to building an ongoing relationship with the CD. Most people think they're doing that just by attending but they are NOT).

2. Get mentors on the shows on your list. They can be actors, writers, directors, crew members. This is one of those actions that make people scratch their head, but it's the most effective way to build relationships WHEN DONE CORRECTLY. If you are interested in an effective strategy for getting mentors one that has helped 100s of my clients, check out The Greenlight Mentor Elite Program.

3. Ask your contact list for referrals to anyone who is involved in the shows on your target list. Your goal is to get set visits. Again, there's an entire strategy for set visits; why you're there, what to do, who to talk to and about what. I've addressed set visits numerous times on this blog.

Start with those 3. They should keep you busy and if done properly can get you work faster than you imagined!

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