It’s the standard lament of the aspiring screenwriter: How do I get an agent if I can’t even get anyone in the industry to read my work? That’s a tough one. People inside the business – and not just agents and development executives-  are innundated with requests to read other people’s work and a lot of it is not worth the time spent reading it.* So here’s a little advice on how to get read in Hollywood:

1) Win Something. Three screenwriting contests that are sure to garner attention for you as a writer even if you are just a finalist (but are also very popular and VERY competitive) are The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, Chesterfield Film Company Writers Fellowship, and the Disney Fellowship. (Note: Running a screenplay contest can be very lucrative for those who do it, so do not be tempted to pay an entrance fee to every contest you find out about until you research whether winning it will mean anything to anyone but you and other “outsiders.”)

2) Know Someone. I mean, really know someone, not get a stranger on the phone and have a ten minute conversation with them and then ask them to help you get representation and/or financing for your film. (It happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I politely declined. And even if I did know them better- or even considered them a friend, I might’ve had to decline because I am so busy.)

I know, it may seem callous when you hear a “no” from someone (or get a “no” letter or email back) (or get a “no” in the form of no response to your request), but it’s a time consuming favor to ask and, even if they do like your script, unless they are an agent or a development executive, they still have to do more work to get your script into the hands of someone who can do something with it (rep it, help get it made, etc.). And if they don’t like your script, there’s the tricky dance of conveying that without ruining their relationship with you. It can be a lose-lose for the reader.

So, yes, develop relationships with people in the film biz (or TV, if writing for TV is what you aspire to) and at a certain point where you feel it’s appropriate, ask them to read your script, but don’t take it personally if they say “no” or “not right now.” You’re asking a lot. But do ask (again, at the right time).

[Note: Don't ask this guy.]

3) Write a Killer Letter. Yes, it happens. Query letters sent to the right people get read and if the letter is really compelling (has a great opening, enticingly conveys the gist of your unique and well-written screenplay, and “sells” you well as a writer), the screenplay will get requested and then considered.

Management companies are a good target for a great query letter, as long as you do your homework and send it to companies that rep and/or make similar projects. (In other words, if you have a Will Ferrell-type broad comedy script, find out what management or production company make those types of movies and send it to them. Sending your letter to a company that reps and/or makes dark dramas will waste your time and get you nowhere.) Also a promising target is an agent’s assistant at a mid-sized talent agency. Discovering new talent/material and passing it along to their bosses is the way a lot of assistants get promoted to junior agent. Having you as a potential client is also good for them, as a way of showing the ability to break new talent and (therefore) make money for the agency.

Another possible way to get read:  I get asked about InkTip.com periodically. It’s a site that purports to connect established producers and reps with unrepped writers and material. Though I can say it certainly looks legitimate and a lot of the companies who have supposedly found and allied with talent from the site are recognizable, and I have never heard anything bad about Ink Tip, I cannot give it a full endorsement because I don’t know anyone personally who has either found talent/material on the site or gained representation or had work optioned from the site. I will continue to research Ink Tip and let you know when I can confirm my endorsement or if my opinion changes the other way.

*The assumption I make as I write this advice is that your script is really good. It has a great concept, fully developed characters, and spot-on dialogue, and has been rewritten and polished to a sheen. (In other words, we are not talking about a partially developed or even unfinished script or – gasp! – first draft. Getting those into the world will do exactly nothing for your career, except sully your reputation right out of the gate.)

Anyone have any other ideas? Questions about the above? Please comment if you do.

Photo by Katy Tafoya

Know anyone who could use an entertainment industry insider? If so, please encourage them to subscribe to YourIndustryInsider.com and sign up to receive YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts today! Also, please visit Your Industry Insider Store to check out recommended books and DVDs. Content will be added regularly as suggestions come in from industry insiders!

As the regular readers of YII (and subscribers to the Mogul Mindset eBlasts) know, YII is a HUGE fan of “Survivor” and other reality shows. Reality shows are chock full of life lessons one can apply to all aspects of life, especially one’s career.

After all, what is your office but an isolated oasis where you are forced to coexist with other humans for long periods of time, doing the “civilized life” version of building shelters and starting fires and participating in immunity challenges? What is getting fired but being “voted out,” having your torch snuffed and being forced to make that long walk out with all of your belongings, often without so much as a parting word to those watching you go? You get the idea.

Maybe you work with ”Coach,” a ponytailed whackjob with a penchant for referring to himself as a “dragonslayer” and telling stories you’d have to be crazy to believe. Or a pint-sized schemer “Russell” who allies with everyone and is loyal to none. If you are lucky (in my opinion), you work with a “Boston Rob,” who plays hard, but almost always shows you the smartest move, if not the most ethical.

But in “Survivor: Allstars,” there is a gentler lesson to be learned. Some people do change. Even a self-proclaimed office “dragonslayer” can be reduced to a gaffawing teenager when faced with a romance or even a bromance with another player. A morally-challenged strategist like Boston Rob can become a provider, insisting on building fire for the tribe when no one else thought that there was a chance of success. And Russell… well, not everyone changes.

So as you travel your career path, allow for the possibility that a former villian can become heroic, but also the chance that whoever you made the alliance with had their fingers crossed behind their back. It’s the smart way to go.

There are still a few spaces open for the FREE one-hour “Entertainment Career Strategy” teleseminar on January 26th at 8pm EST/5pm PST.  The call is limited to 20 participants and subscribers to YII’s Mogul Mind eblasts (who always get special opportunities and bonus offers from YII) were given first crack at signing up to get expert entertainment industry career advice.

Here’s how it will work: Participants will email questions about their entertainment career goals in advance and, during the call, they will be provided with concrete, proven strategies and career paths to achieve them. 

You may have noticed a box in the top right corner of the YII homepage that invites readers to sign up for Mogul Mindset eBlasts. In fact, a lot of you have already signed up! (Some have even gotten in touch to say how much you enjoyed the Jumpstart Mini-course that came with the sign up!)

Here’s a little background on the “mogul mindset” concept, followed by more information about the eBlasts themselves.

The term “mogul mindset” came from reading Virgin chief, Richard Branson’s autobiography, “Losing my Virginity,” and realizing that his mind worked in such a way as to make success on a global level almost inevitable for him.

Listed below are just some of the patterns of thought I identified that led to his amazing accomplishments and that I think anyone can use to maximize their chances of getting to the top of the Hollywood heap:

Ask “How Hard Could It Be?”  As a teenager, Richard Branson decided to start an alternative student publication. That idea became Student, a magazine which featured all of the English celebrities of the day, and ran for several years, ultimately with a circulation of 100,000 distributed throughout the UK. Later, he started a record label, Virgin Music, and then an airline, both from scratch.

Put One Foot In Front of the Other  When young Richard Branson wanted to start what became Student, without a pause, he made a list of potential contributors and advertisers, and called the local bookstore chain to see if they would stock the magazine. Later on, when considering starting an airline, he picked up the phone and tried to lease a jumbo jet from Boeing. And then he called a potential competitor’s booking line to see how busy they were. Step one, step two…

Don’t Let Fear of Failure Get In the Way of Success When you have big dreams, lots of people will tell you you’re crazy. And others will secretly- or not so secretly- root against you (and maybe even plot against you!) when you start to make progress toward your big dreams. Richard Branson was often torn apart in the press when he started forming Virgin Airways. If you think that stopped him, you haven’t taken a Virgin flight lately– but you could!

Stay True to Yourself- In Richard Branson’s case, this means pursuing businesses for the fun and adventure, and trying to remain above board even when the competition is being underhanded. It also means sticking up for himself in court- and in the court of public opinion- as when he had proof that British Airways was employing unfair- and even illegal- tactics to ruin Virgin Air.

The Mogul Mindset eBlasts are designed to convey bite-sized lessons from the bigwigs in this industry (and sometimes others) and provide a related call to action. Also included is a feature called “Don’t Be That Person” about actual missteps made by people climbing the ladder (so the savvy MM reader can avoid making the same mistakes), and the opportunity for subscribers to ask and get answers to their entertainment career questions.

So if you or someone you know could use a little motivation and/or education in their career, the Mogul Mindset eBlasts are just the solution.

YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts will provide a head start if you’re still in school, get you started on the right foot if you’ve just graduated, help you transition from another industry, or get you unstuck if you’ve hit a roadblock on the path to success.

Sign up today!

Photo used with limited permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/halonfury/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Good, bad, or (most likely) somewhere in between, everyone has one.

Are you a loudmouth, a health nut, a hard worker, a partier?

In an increasingly freelance world where job security is becoming more and more scarce, having a good reputation is the key to having a healthy, lucrative, and growing entertainment industry career.

Make sure yours is a good one.

If you’ve never had a “real job” before and you’re either not old enough or not available or not able to get a paying position, work for free. Go to an office, a golf course, a community center, a museum, and ask if you can help out every Saturday, or Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.

It doesn’t have to be official volunteer work, though it can be. Or it can be at your mom’s office or your dad’s store. The idea is that it will expose you to the post-educational world, give you a taste of what it’s like to have a job, and teach you the ways of the work environment.

You will get an idea of what you like to do, what you can do, what you are truly good at. This is not something you can learn from reading a book or taking a class. There is no substitute for life experience here. 

Plus, since you are going to do an excellent job, when the time comes to get real work, you have someone who can vouch for you, who can recommend you to a potential employer and help you land that paying gig. Which means that even though this position didn’t pay you in dollars, you got something out of it. So it wasn’t really working for free, was it?

Congratulations! You’ve already gotten your first production job.

In addition to calling everyone you know in the biz to get job leads, if you live in Los Angeles or New York, you bought a copy of either the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday or Daily Variety on Friday when they publish their production listings, and you found the movies in pre-production and in preparation in your area. 

If you live somewhere other than LA or NY, you contacted the local film board to find out about productions in town. 

You cold-called every single one, always being polite and friendly and not being thrown off by the sometimes abrupt phone manners of the production personnel on the other end of the line. You emailed or faxed your neat, well-written resume to everyone who said they might be able to use you and then you called to follow up until you heard a no or, finally, a yes.

How do you get your second production job?

On your first job, you follow instructions to the letter and do every single thing that is asked of you, you solve problems yourself if you can and notify your supervisor if you can’t, you jump in and help anyone who needs it, and you don’t complain ever to anyone. You make friends with the other crew members, especially the assistants in the departments you might want to transition into (the bosses are probably too busy to be your friend), and you stay in touch with everyone who might be able to hire you in the future and everyone who tells you they might know someone who can use you.

That’s how you get your second production job.

Photo by GarryKnight.

Seriously, people, are you trying to tell me everyone hasn’t gotten the word about potential employers (and internship coordinators) doing searches to see what turns up on the web about job candidates? Or is it that we do not understand the types of things that may damage our chances in the job market?

Obviously, we know that if your Facebook or MySpace page is all about how you drink your face off six nights a week or offhandedly mentions that you’ve been trying out petty crimes in your spare time just for kicks, that would affect your employment prospects. 

Here are some other problem postings on public pages:

Describing yourself as “moody”— or having your friends describe you that way. Nobody – and I mean NOBODY- wants to knowingly hire someone who is moody. You wouldn’t either. Think about it.

Badmouthing or gossiping about your current or past employer or job. 

References to – or pictures of – your bad behavior on other people’s pages. The search engines are pretty sophisticated. Plug in your full name and see what comes up. You might be surprised.

So if you want to avoid unknowingly ruling yourself out for jobs, you have two choices – make your page private so only your friends can know that much about you (and get your friends to do the same for pages that reference you) or clean up the content.

Regardless, get over the moodiness or learn to hide it. That won’t fly in the work world no matter how good you are at your job.

Photo by Mikey G Ottawa.

My resume bullshit detector is always on. Whether I am looking for an intern or an employee, the red flags stand out in glaring relief. And anyone experienced in the art of resume review has the same talent. Plus, the entertainment industry may seem vast to you when you are on the outside, but it’s really a small town where everyone knows everyone, if only by reputation.

For instance, no one is going to believe an intern was left alone to cover the desk of the president of Universal Pictures. We know all about her. She wouldn’t allow for it and you wouldn’t last for four minutes without your arm being chewed off because you weren’t dialing the phone fast enough.

So when I see a resume which says that you, as an intern, “covered president’s desk when her first assistant was on vacation,” I set it aside. In the round bin next to my desk. Or, if I am really interested in you based on other impressive items on your resume which look less suspicious, I dash off an email to the assistant to one of the other executives over there asking about you. If she confirms your story, I will be shocked. But most likely, she won’t.  And you just blew your opportunity to interview with me.

Rookie mistake.