New In Town? 5 Best Ways To Get A Job In Entertainment
1. Know Someone. Yes, I know. Easier said than done. But if you are currently a student, this is a strong case for getting an internship in the business. If you are not going to school in LA, see if your school has a Semester-in-LA program. If they don’t, see if you can go through another schools’ program. That way, when you are ready to move to LA and work in the business, you will at least know the employees at the place you interned and your fellow interns from there. These will be your first industry connections. Treat them well. Impress them. And then stay in touch.
If you are currently looking for a job in LA and don’t know anyone, try to network as much as possible. If you just leave your apartment, you are bound to meet people who work in the industry. Have some business cards made up so people know how to contact you and hand them out, along with a brief description of what job you are looking for. There. You know people. But since that is unlikely to lead to a job in the timeframe you need it to, let’s move on…
2. Go Through a Personnel Agency. This is like knowing someone if you don’t know anyone. There are several personnel agencies that specialize in the entertainment industry. Apple One, Millenium, The Friedman Agency, The Comar Agency, Ultimate Staffing, and Synergy West all either specialize in entertainment exclusively or have an entertainment division. (Look for an upcoming post on dos and don’ts of working with personnel agencies.)
3. Temp. This is the same as going through a personnel agency, but being open to temping until you find a permanent job is an excellent way to get your foot in the door and impress more people, and also an excellent way to see some different areas of the industry before you settle into a permanent position. (It’s like job tourism. Try to have fun with it.)
4. Be Willing to Work For Free. Crazy, right? But if you want to work on a film or TV crew and you have no experience, find an indie film and offer to work on it for no money. It will pad your resume and you will get to know some people who are working on film crews.
5. Know Where to Look Online. There are several on-line job boards that specialize in entertainment careers. Showbizjobs.com is a favorite of mine. Also, entertainmentcareers.net, entertainmentjobs.com, and VarietyCareers.com. Media-match.com is good for getting freelance jobs.
No matter what resource you use to get in the door, it all comes back to #1. Who you know will always be the most important resource and your key to moving up in the industry. Treat your contacts well. Keep in touch even when you don’t need anything. And when you can help them out, make an effort to do so.
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