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.

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 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!

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 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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entertainment industry coach Question 432: There are so many classes in Los Angeles, how do I find the best?

This was asked by an actor who was writing about acting classes in Los Angeles. The answer, applies to any classification that offers classes to improve skills/art, in any location.

You can interview different teachers on your own, though many teachers are sales people as well, and can be very convincing that they are the best.

When I first moved to LA, I found myself some mentors, an agent, a working actress, and a casting director. I asked them which they felt were the top acting schools/teachers in LA. Based on their answer there were 4 schools that were on all three lists. I interviewed each and made my decision.

Choosing a good school/teacher is important to many casting directors when they look at your resume.

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 431: How do I work when I'm uninspired?

Maybe you don't. Maybe you're uninspired because you need a break. Or maybe you are inspired but are afraid of what will happen if you work through the fear. You reached out to me, therefore you want answers, you want more. Know what your big picture looks like. Where do you want to be in ten years? Who do you want to help? What change do you want to create? What is your purpose? Knowing these answers may not inspire you at the moment, but they keep you reaching out to people like me. They keep you in the game. Maybe that means that you take a break, or maybe it means pushing through even when you're uninspired. Just because you're not inspired doesn't mean the journey is wrong. Continue to ask for help and for answers. You may find them in the most unexpected people. And have faith that you will be inspired again.

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 430: Can anyone work in entertainment?

I would imagine the answer to that is yes. It depends on what you want to do, but if you have no specific preference, there is something for everyone. The more into a craft/art/skill you target, the more of an education/natural gift/tools you need. But there are plenty of positions that don't require an education, natural gifts, or extensive tools if you just want to be a part of the team that makes the magic happen.

The one thing I will say is that anyone can work in entertainment if they are willing to be located where movies/TV etc., are being made. You can't expect to work in entertainment if you're living in a small village in a third world country and you're not willing to move. That's even extreme. You can live in a small town in the US, and never work in entertainment if you're not willing to relocate.

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 429:Is it possible to have a full time job and pursue a career in entertainment?

Is it possible? Of course. You definitely have to master the art of the 80/20 principle in that you want to be doing 20% of your work for your entertainment career and have 80% results coming from that focused work. I had a full time job for 11 years and wrote screenplays, auditioned, produced 1 pilot and 4 episodes of a television show, acted in projects, directed a short, and on and on.

It's about time management. When you get to the point that your entertainment career needs more time than your full time job permits, that's what I refer to as an A-list problem. Give me a call then and we'll work it out.

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 428: I'm a mom and I wonder if it's unprofessional to bring my baby to commercial auditions?

I know of a few babies who have lofty college funds because their moms took them along on an audition and the mother and baby both got cast.

If you audition a lot commercially and you're in the "mom-range" I'm sure you see babies all the time. But since you're asking this question, I'm guessing you don't audition a lot and you're afraid to put yourself out there because now you have a baby.

The best solution is to find a friend who can come with you and take care of the baby while you're in the room. This way if the baby gets fussy, your friend can go for a walk outside of the casting office. BUT, just in case they're looking for a mother/baby team, it could be a great opportunity having your baby there. And you'll certainly feel a lot more comfortable auditioning with your own child than a strange baby.

Disclaimer: If you do not have a friend who can come with you, it would not be professional to tote your baby into your audition- especially, unannounced. Nothing worse than improving with a guy who's supposed to be your husband and you're deciding if it's time to start a family and your baby in the corner starts crying.

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 427:Your newsletter on self sabotage was great! Can you explain Secondary Gains better?

Absolutely. In my newsletter, I first had you look at the obvious ways that you self-sabotage. What's not always obvious are the unconscious ways you self-sabotage. These may be the "secondary gains" you're getting from sabotaging yourself.

For example:

Someone who can hire you, tells you to follow up with him in a month to see if he has anything available. A month goes by, you procrastinate (possibly telling yourself stories about why this isn't the right time to follow up). A month and a week goes by and finally, you call. He tells you that he's disappointed that you didn't call the week before because he had a job available. Now you beat yourself up but good.

But why didn't you follow up? The secondary gain is the "thing" that you are getting that feels better than the possibility of getting the job. Now you may be thinking, "but I really wanted the job." You can think and say that all you want, but if you didn't make that call, you sabotaged yourself, and there was something that was a stronger pull that you gained, by not making that call.

So dig deep. First you'll discover the fear: maybe it's rejection, or change, or success. Then you'll have to look at what's underneath the fear.

Why would someone be afraid of success? Perhaps he/she is worried about how personal relationships would change, or not having enough time for family, or not having it be everything he/she expected. The secondary gain, is keeping you status quo. You'll never know those answers because everything is staying the same.

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

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