People always say that for showbiz, it’s about “who you know”. I have been in the business for 15 years, and I only believe this to be partially true. I started trying to figure out my way in showbiz without ever having studied it, without knowing the difference between a producer and a director, without knowing anybody in the industry, and with no family connections. Now, the story is different: I have produced a couple of feature films that have been released theatrically, and have had several projects that were packaged with A-listers in front of and behind camera that have fallen through (for now) for various reasons. I have studio execs, agents, A-list actors, top models, big shot producers, and Oscar winning directors in my rolodex. All this to say: I figured it out in my own way, and so can you. I regularly get asked for advice by aspiring filmmakers - and I find myself parroting the same things over and over again…so it’s just easier to put the basics down in this blog post/checklist.
I don’t know anything or anyone - how do I begin?
Firstly, which seems a bit obvious, you should really be passionate about entertainment…it’s not for the faint of heart, and for those unwilling or unable to endure this rollercoaster of a ride. I have seen many people try to tell me how badly they want it - but their actions don’t match their words. In many ways, making headway in showbiz is like being a spy - with a lot of the same skills required, particularly “soft skills” - but more on that in a separate part of my website.
We live in an unprecedented era of democratized content creation and distribution. You can literally film stuff on your phone, and then test it by posting it for the world to see. Whether you’re an aspiring writer, an actor, a producer or a director - find like-minded people and just do stuff. It might not be great, but you’ll perfect you craft by doing it more and by getting real feedback from the public.
Do you know that one older sister of a former classmate that is now an assistant at a management firm in LA? Or is there an alumnus of your university that’s in a writers’ room in New York? Get ANYONE and EVERYONE you have access to in the industry, and introduce yourself. And then treat them like royalty. If they’re not 100% relevant to what you want to do right now, that doesn’t mean that they won’ t become it at a later point…or that they can’t introduce you to someone that is useful.
A superpower you have as a student or a novice, is that most people are willing to give their time, advice and occasionally opportunities to you for free. All you have to do is be nice, professional and some semblance of useful (currently or the potential to become so). Never take this for granted - even the lowliest of assistants has had to claw their way to that position.
It seems simple enough, but not too few people do it right: be nice, be professional and actually CARE. It is pretty evident when somebody is totally transactional, and if you’re just starting out - there’s not much you have to offer. You’re basically in no position to be transactional, and it just ends up being exceedingly disrespectful to people that are taking time from their busy schedules to speak with you and give you free advice. So, take initiative make it easy for the other person to meet you and speak with you on their terms and their schedule. Be punctual. Write correctly, speak correctly, send thank you emails or thank you letters, handwrite them when you can, and remember the details. Don’t misspell their names. You know, common sense stuff.
If you’re doing things correctly, every single meeting with just about anyone should bring you at least ONE useful piece of information, or move you closer to your goal (through an introduction, a collaboration, or other). What I call sponge-brain is essentially actively listening and registering anything that could be remotely useful to your endeavors during a conversation with someone - even if that someone is in no particular position of influence. For example, they might tell you of somebody they know who is doing something you want to be doing. Remember and retain all those details. Also acquire pieces of information that might make you more effective, more convincing as a professional and a more valuable collaborator.
Show biz success is often correlated with the quality, relevance timeliness of the information you possess. If you know who the players are and what projects they are working on, and who’s financing those projects, and how they’re being distributed - and so on - that gives you power and value. Acquire information and use it for leverage.
Go to great lengths to find like-minded people that are DOERS and that have complementary skillsets to yours. And then just get to creating, and grow together as a individuals, but also as a team.
Yes, even as a newcomer, you probably have some unique insight, connection, skill, access or information that few other people do. Find out what that is, and whether it’s marketable (even as a niche) and then lean into it with full force.
It’s cliché, but really with any entrepreneurship and in show biz, you should try to find ways to get what you want in non-conventional ways. If you are lacking X money to get your project made and are struggling to find it - is there anything else that you can get that would make that project more valuable - like adding talent with many followers, or integrating a brand that has many fans?
When pitching, look to see your pitch from the position of the person you’re pitching it to and their personal interests. For example, if I am pitching to a network executive - I know that they are typically risk-averse because they want to keep their job. I need to make sure my pitch aligns with their mandate, but also that it makes so much sense for them that their job isn’t at risk and that their upside is high. It seems self-evident, but it’s not at all - and very few people do this correctly even when they’re not beginners.
Whatever role you want to perform in showbiz, it is increasingly important to have a personal brand. And that means, create and publish your work in whatever way, shape or form you can and is pertinent to your situation. Think like a social media content creator.