question 195: I'm in school and want to know if I have to specialize in film or commercials?

There was a time that people specialized in one area (TV, Film, Commercials, Docs, Industrials, Sports, etc), but now people can move from genre to genre with more ease than in the past. That said, if you have a long term goal, you want to start setting yourself up for that now. If in 20 years, you see yourself in feature films, start building your resume, reel, and contacts in that area.

Many people have worried about getting "stuck" in one area. I say, get known in one area and once you're well known it will be easier for you to move around. People who try to do a little of everything and never make a name for themselves in any area, have a tougher time maintaining a long term, rewarding career.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit, www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com

question 194: I know you're a coach but your bio says you worked in development. How do you know if a script will be a good movie?

Whose definition of good matters to you? What you think is good will be different than other people's opinions. Even movies that win academy awards have naysayers. You can't please everyone.

I've heard Hollywood compared to Vegas many a time in my career. There is no science to what makes a successful movie or they'd all be blockbusters. Different people have different taste. Why was Private Benjamin a huge hit and no one's heard of Major Movie Star (basically same concept starring Jessica Simpson?

When I worked in development I only gave 2 scripts a Recommend. Both films were made (not by us). One was on screen exactly how I'd pictured it in my mind. The other, one of the scariest thrillers I'd read, turned out to be a joke on screen.

There are so many people involved in making a movie that the script is just the leaping off point. Unless it's your script and you direct it, there's no guarantee your vision will be what's on screen. If you're reading it as an actor or as a department head, what looks great on paper could turn out completely different by the time the director, movie stars, editor, and studio execs (after a few focus groups) get their hands on it.

My advice if you like the script: trust your gut, see who's involved, do your research on them, do the best work you're capable of, and see what happens.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Question 193: Is it really possible to be Bi-Coastal or should I establish myself in either NY or LA?

Anything is possible. Obviously someone who is established in their career has it much easier because when it comes to getting jobs, they're already a "name." The goal is to create relationships and maintain them. If you can do that from either coast, great. If someone calls you for a job in the morning in LA and you're in NY, that's going to be a problem. I need more information to advise you fully on this. Are you choosing to be bi-coastal or is an obligation keeping you tied to one city?

For more tips and articles by Top Entertainment Industry Career Coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 192: How do I motivate to get out of bed in the morning when I don't have a job?

The bottom line- Discipline! I know how you feel. I work from home and have no one to answer to. Some days there would be nothing better than to stay in bed and snuggle with my dogs BUT I made a choice to be an independent contractor JUST LIKE YOU. Therefore, I recognize I have to respect my business the same way I respected my work environment when I worked in the corporate world. When I had a boss to answer to, I had to be at work at a specific time, work for a specific number of hours, and give my all. Aren't those the same requirements of YOU when you're hired on project?

What you must realize, is when you're not on a specific project, you still have work. If you don't know what that work is, I'd be happy to coach you.

Here are some tips :

1. "Forced" motivation- schedule meetings/phone calls for 10 am (you can make it earlier, but hey, working for yourself has to have some perks right?)

2. Throw you hat over the fence- tell someone you respect you'll have something done by a specific date. That will force you to get out of bed and get to work.

3. I've said it before and I'll say it again- get yourself into an accountability group with people whose opinions of you matter.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 191: I feel like I might be being pushed out of the industry. What are some ways to push back and say I am still here?

You can't be pushed out of the industry. That would imply that the industry has control over you as opposed to you having control over your career. Never give away your power like that. There are more people in this industry than you could meet in your lifetime. Everyday new people flock to Los Angeles to work in our industry. Look how many people's careers should have been over for seemingly unforgivable things, and yet they come back even stronger. For Pete's sake, even The Hoff is still on TV, tormenting us with song!

So let's chunk this down. Who specifically do you think might be pushing you out of the industry? Identify that person or people first, so you can diffuse the overwhelm of feeling like an entire industry is pushing you out.

Once you've identified the source(s) of your concern, you can:

A. Evaluate the circumstances and decide if it's "real" or if you're making mountains out of molehills.

B. Choose to move on and create new powerful relationships

C. "Push back" as you put it. (I don't particularly care for this option. Why waste time "pushing back"? I say PUSH FORWARD!)

Once you've decided which way you want to go, let me know if you have further questions regarding your new strategy.

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

question 190: How do I create my own web series if I don't have money?

Collaboration! I happen to know that the person who asked this question is an actress.

Because she's an actress with an idea, to create a web series, the bare minimum she needs is:

1. a writer(s)

2. a director

3. a producer

4. a camera person

5. an editor

On many web series, 2 people can be all 5 of those. She also needs equipment for camera, sound, and editing.

With no money, she'll be looking to collaborate with people who want to build their credits and skills/experience, believe in the idea, and want to create relationships with others working on the project. They will volunteer their time, equipment, and resources.

The little details of creating a project like this, that I'm not going into, will be discovered when you begin collaborating. You will probably need some money (for batteries, lunch, etc.).

BE SURE to have non-disclosure agreements when discussing your project as well as contracts for all involved. EVEN IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH YOUR BEST FRIENDS!!! You can even download these for free on the internet and make them fit your needs. Protect your project! If you want to make everyone equal partners in it, fine. Just put it in writing!

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

question 189: How do I get work in the entertainment business?

Before I answer this question, I'm going to ask you to read the archives of this blog. Start at number one, because early on, I was addressing many questions that dealt directly with getting work. Once you've read through the archives, you should have a lot of ideas. At that point, you will still have questions, but you'll be more clear and therefore, will want to ask me more specific questions that are the "next-step" questions for you.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 188: How many jobs do you need to have on a resume to be taken seriously?

People looking at resumes are looking for recognizable titles and people. If you haven't been hired by recognizable people and you haven't worked on projects that people know, it's really NOT about your resume. While it's always about building and maintaining relationships, when you don't have a strong resume it's ALL about the relationships.

When you build strong relationships, people will hire you because they like you and see your talent and/or potential. Having a resume will make you look professional, but the relationships will get you the job.

Accept smaller/unknown projects to build your credits/reel/contacts. People you meet on these projects may be the people with whom you grow into larger projects.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 187: How do I get into the Union?

This particular person is referring to the MPEG (Editors Guild), but I will answer it generally because there are different criteria for different Unions. Here are just SOME of the entertainment Unions: SAG, AFTRA, WGA, DGA, IATSE (which covers most below the line unions such as Locals 600, 700, 80, and many many more).

So first of all, you have to research the website of the union you're interested in. If it's "hair and makeup" or "production design" and you don't know how to find them, check with IATSE.

Once you know what union you want to join, check their website to see if they have the instructions for joining. If not, call the union and ask to be connected to the person who can give you new member information.

Deciding whether it's the right time for you to join the union is a whole other topic, one I covered early on, so check the archives.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 186: How do you deal with a boss you can't stand? part 2

Okay, so I have more details from yesterday's question asker. He works in a "department" where his boss (the head of the department) is a screamer, who emotionally and even physically injures people. That said, his boss is hugely "in demand," so the person who asked me this question fears leaving because the perks of working in this department are: lots of money, good contacts for the future when he moves up in classification, steady work, and the rest of the crew are like family.

So here are some tips for tolerating your boss:

1. Immediately start building relationships outside of your "crew family" so that you may find yourself in an equally prestigious work opportunity with a better boss. Part of this is to be meeting people that make you happy and inspire you.

2. Start planning for your future by building a reel. This will make your current job feel like a day-job while you pursue something you're more passionate about. Create a 1-2 year plan to be out of there! It will give you something to live for (I'm being dramatic, but as I said yesterday, I've been there).

3. Because you said he is a screamer, but never mentioned you feel your job is in jeopardy, recognize that he's just a schmuck and his screaming is due to lack of management skills and most likely a small.......... sense of self. I know, that doesn't help in the moment, HOWEVER, on top of recognizing this, I want you to create an emotional anchor* that you can fire off when he's done.

What's most important is your health! Working for someone like this can literally be hazardous to your health because of suppressed emotions and stress. So you MUST find a healthy outlet.

*an anchor is a tool to change your emotional state. For more information on how to create an anchor, contact me or order my book And...Action! at Amazon.com

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 185: How do you deal with a boss you can't stand?

Soooo many answers to this question. Unfortunately, this general question leads me to a series of more questions:

1. Do you need the job for: the income, the prestige, the education, the connections, etc?

2. What are the underlying feelings for your boss: unhealthy stress, anger, jealousy, resentment, fear, insecurity, etc?

3. Have you pursued other opportunities?

You see, I can advise you on how to change your perspective and make your workplace tolerable (Lord knows I have YEARS of experience doing that), but I need more information to understand why you're choosing to stay in a job with a boss you can't stand.

I look forward to hearing from you or anyone else in this situation in my comments section. More to come on this topic...

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com