entertainment industry coach Question 496: My wife is upset that I travel so much but nothing's being shot here. What do I tell her?

I don't know you or your wife and I'm not a family therapist so I can't tell you what to say. What I can do is give you a couple of talking points and you can see if any of them feel applicable to your situation:

1. People in our industry love what they do and because of tax incentives in other states (or cheaper costs if shooting in another country) are being forced to take work anywhere they can. They don't want to be away from the people they love. It's not even a matter of priority. They're not picking "work over family," they are simply trying to maintain their career longevity by continuing to work, make money to support their families, and keep doing what they love.

2. This is your passion. Talk to the people in your life about living your passion and wanting their support. Find out what their needs are and see how you can make the most of the times when you are home. Use Skype to "see" each other everyday. Go the extra mile (even when you're exhausted) to make the people in your life feel cherished while you're away.

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entertainment industry coach Question 495: How do I know if the emails I'm sending sound too "needy?"

I have no way of knowing that, without seeing what you're writing, knowing to whom you're writing, knowing your relationship to the people to whom you're writing, and understanding your objective.

Did you realize ALL of that goes into an email? Because I only critique emails for my clients, here are a few things you can get feedback on from a partner before sending out an email.

1. Are you asking for something the person can say yes to?

2. Are you asking for work? If so does the person to whom you're asking "know you, like you, and trust you?"

3. Is your language confident, concise, and clear?

4. Does the person giving you feedback think it reads "needy" and if so, why and what changes do they suggest you make?

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entertainment industry coach Question 494:Kathy Griffin had a career before she got her reality show. How would an unknown do it?

This question was stemmed from yesterday's blog about how well Kathy Griffin has branded herself.

Personal branding in our industry is different for all classifications, yet has similarities. The person who asked this is an actress, so I'm going to address actors since they have a very specific and public way to brand themselves.

Use Kathy as a model. If you watch her show, she has branded herself, her friends, and her mother, each in a specific way, the same way characters are created in scripted television. The best way to follow Kathy's lead is to determine where you fit in casting. Assemble a cast of your "friends and/or family" around you who are unique and entertaining and create either a video or photo essay blog and/or YouTube channel. For an example of a photo journalistic story see: www.bethdubber.com (Beth is a photographer, so another example of how personal branding is similar between different classifications).

Once you've started, you have to market it. It's much easier than marketing a headshot because it's actual work that you're proud of.

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entertainment industry coach Question 493: I'm watching Kathy Griffin D List and can't blog because I'm laughing too hard!

I turned on the TV this morning and because my DVR was recording Top Chef last night, I woke up to Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D List. I've never seen it before. She is judging a a toddler pageant, and I am laughing my butt off, which is necessary after my Kettlebell class last night causing my butt to KILL!

So why am I blogging about this? There is a lot to learn from Kathy's brilliant branding. If you look at her IMDB page, she has 64 acting credits. I know her best from Suddenly Susan, where she seemed to hit a peak.

Now we all know that with longevity in an entertainment career there are peaks and valleys. I imagine from 2001-2005 when things slowed, she maintained her writing and her stand-up. Then she jumped on the Reality Show band wagon and made it work! She's starring, writing, and BRANDING herself as D-List, when clearly she's putting out there that she is in fact ready for A-List roles.

It's working. Already in season six, you can see that her acting credits are growing again, and they are A-List, her comedy is HYSTERICAL, and she is a very smart business woman.

Kudos to Kathy's life on the D-List; she's climbing another peak and her business smarts is A-List in my book!

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entertainment industry coach Question 492: when asking questions of filmmakers at screenings, what's a smart way 2 get their contact info to follow up

If you know who's going to be at the Q&A beforehand, do your research and see if you can find their contact info before. If you can't find it or don't know who's going to be there, then DO NOT ask in front of the whole room. Instead, after, if they stay to meet and greet, thank them for answering your question, tell them you plan to implement their advice and then ask if their contact information is listed on their Guild's website because you'd like to follow up with them about your results or to contact them if you have questions in the future. If they say no, (that it's not listed at the Guild), have a notepad ready, perhaps they'll see it and offer up contact information or you may have to ask if it's okay to follow up and ask how they'd like to be contacted.

Be as discreet as possible so people around you don't start asking for the same information, putting the person in an uncomfortable situation.

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entertainment industry coach Question 491: Do you think email is as effective as an actual snailmail letter?

Snail mail is more personal and more effective, AND you know it doesn't disappear into internet ether, or spam filters. That said, a personal email address is better than sending to an agent or production company. Although what you can do if the only address you have is an agent or production company (and a personal email address), send to both, and write in the email, "I sent a hardcopy to your agent (or production company) incase for some reason this email doesn't get through."

When sending to an email address, be sure you have a compelling subject line if the person doesn't know you or vaguely knows you like:

1. Referred by your friend Joe Splicer

2. We met at the Guild mixer last February

3. We worked together on ____________

4. Because I love your work on _____ I'm seeking your advice

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entertainment industry coach Question 490: how do I make the most of a trip to LA?

The question continued: "I'm trying to plan a trip to LA this summer to work on contacts and push the movie my production company made."

Most people plan a trip to LA, by figuring out how many airline points they have, where they're going to stay, and how much they have to save up to eat. Once they arrive, they try and figure out where to meet people.

Before you even consider the logistics of taking a trip LA, create a plan for your trip. Who do you want to meet? What companies do you want to screen your movie for? Have a target list. Once you have your target list, if you realize you have no idea how to get to any of the people or companies on the list, you have a lot more work to do before booking a trip.

If it's not necessary to you to be so specific about who you're meeting, at least research networking events and film festivals. If you can't fill your calendar with at least 5 events in a week, it's time to do more work before booking a trip.

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entertainment industry coach Question 489:what do I do when a stranger in my FB friends asks me about help with representation?

This happens a lot. A person whom you don't know either from Facebook (or other social media), someone from your union or acting class, or someone who you do know but don't know his/her work, asks you to connect him/her with an agent.

Now the person who asked this particular question, is referring to an actress who is a FB friend and a complete stranger. So consider this:

There is a difference between recommending, referring, and passing something of interest to you along.

Therefore, here are some options:

1. When you are recommending you are putting your name on the line basically telling the agent that you believe in this person. You can't do that with a stranger.

2. Referring someone is less of a trust issue and more of a relationship situation. You're saying to the agent that you can't speak for the person's work, but as for being a "person" you think very highly of them.

3. Passing along something of interest to you, is seeing a headshot (that you know truly looks like the person) that makes you say, "Wow!" You can pass that along to an agent friend, being clear that you don't personally know the person, but thought it was a great headshot. If the agent agrees, perhaps something will come of it.

4. Do nothing. This is a cold call and poor work practice. Why should you put your reputation on the line?

#4 Ouch! I'm mean! But, in my defense I'm not trying to be mean. I'm trying to demonstrate to readers that this is most likely what's going on in the peoples' heads whom they're sending cold emails to. This way, if they get no responses they'll know why. And if they get 1 or more responses they can feel especially psyched, because clearly something made people go out on a limb for them.

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entertainment industry coach Question 488:I met someone yesterday and want to follow up. What's the best way?

I'm going to assume this is for professional reasons because you're writing to me and not a dating coach. My first question is: did you get contact information for this person? If so, good job. If not, time to do your research. You can start by contacting whomever hosted the 4th of July party (am I going out on limb by making that assumption?) to ask for contact information. If that's not going to fly, check IMDB Pro, social media sites, or do a Google search. Your last resort will be reaching out to all of your contacts to see if anyone knows this person (the whole 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon).

If you can't find contact information, you're pretty much stuck. But let's move on assuming you can get contact information. My second question is: did you discuss anything that calls for a follow up? For example: did the person suggest a movie you should see? Then you can see the movie and follow up to share your thoughts. Did the person give you any business advice? Then you can follow up to report your results after taking action. Did you discuss any shared personal interests, like tennis, surfing, or kids? Then you can follow up to plan a day to have a friendly competition, catch some waves, or take the kids on a picnic at Griffith Park.

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 487: Is it appropriate to talk business at a 4th of July party?

It's not inappropriate, but I'd encourage you to build relationships on a personal level and if the person with whom you're speaking brings up business, then you can respond.

There are ways to share stories to let people know what you do and what you're looking for as far as work, without coming straight out and talking business.

Remember, if you build a strong relationship on a personal level at a party, it will open up the opportunity for a second conversation and then a third and so on. Eventually work will come up. As opposed to going straight for the "I am looking for work" conversation which tends to bring up peoples' walls.

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 486:I'm brainstorming ways to meet more people in the business in NYC, since I don't live in LA. Help

First you have to research the NYC market. Who lives there? Who works there? You can start by seeing if the NY Union branch offices have directories. Then research the local filmmaking organizations like IFP.org. They will have info on working NY residents. Once you have a target list of New Yorkers...

1. Social media: You have to decide what level of contact you want. LinkedIn is the more professional network you may find more executives to connect with there. Facebook is where the relationships are really happening in our industry (for now).

To make the most of social networking, you want to target the specific people whom you want to get to know. Instead of sending a lone "friend request," FB gives you the option to send a message with your request. Tell them a bit of your story; that you're a screenwriter in New York and would like to follow his/her posts to stay up to date on his/her work.

Once you are friends you can see the personal side. Does this person have kids? A sports passion? A hobby like photography? Anything you can connect to and comment on. That's how people get to know you. If they ask questions, answer them. If you are a Rangers fan and they are an Islanders fan stay away!!! Kidding... sort of.

2. Get mentors! I've written about this in my blog before so check the archives. Once you've built up your social network and know the people you have commonalities with and they would know who you are from Facebook (etc.), reach out for a business advice and guidance mentorship.

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

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