Archive for the ‘career advice’ Category

Jump Up a Level in Your Career

Sunday, April 18th, 2010
(Originally appeared in a Mogul Mindset eblast sent last week.)
 
D. writes:  
 
Dear YII, I graduated in 2009, and am currently working as a development assistant at a small TV production company in the LA area. I’m writing you because I’m looking to make that big “JUMP” in my career to a major network or a bigger production company. I have tons of experience and am very good at what I do. I’m currently making $12.50 an hour and am extremely frustrated (not with the position, but the money). I guess my question is, how do I do this?  
 
Here’s the deal: Many, many, MANY people start out in entertainment making a pittance and being otherwise abused, either intentionally or not. Some do unpaid post-graduate internships on movie sets and at small production companies hoping for their big break. Some, such as your self, work in “administrative” positions doing far more than your salary and title indicates.  
 
The good news: This is a tried and true path to moving up in the industry and, congratulations, you have broken in to your chosen field! Check that step off your list!  
 
The bad news: It might take a while to make the jump up. Even poorly-paying jobs like yours are sought-after by the thousands wanting to break in behind you and moving up a notch is even more challenging. Also, you have been at your position less than a year so you will probably have to tough it out at least a few more months, but you can start positioning yourself for the leap now.  
 
The strategy: Focus on doing the things in your job that either qualify you to move up in your current job or help you land your next job, such as networking and building relationships (both to increase your worth inside this job and to locate your next job), knowing the projects and material and key players out there, getting talent attached to your boss’s projects, creating show bibles, etc. Do the admin part of your job only well enough so you don’t risk getting fired. (Being great at admin won’t get you to the next level, it will only get you more admin work and your boss will be hesitant to let his “stellar assistant” move up.)  
 
And don’t forget: Have a current resume ready to go at all times that markets you for your next move. Focus on highlighting victories in the above areas, not the day-to-day admin. Don’t be hesitant to tell people you are looking for your next step and to submit yourself for open jobs. (If it gets back to your boss, you will say you need more money and you want an opportunity to move up. He or she will understand and may even give you the chance rather than risk losing you.)
 
The bottom line: This is advice you can use throughout your career each time you are ready to move up. Start doing the job above you. It’s the quickest, surest way to success in any field.
 
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!

New Entertainment Career Kickstart Kit Coming Soon from YII!

Sunday, April 4th, 2010
Launching Outside LA: Your Industry Insider’s Guide to Kickstarting Your Entertainment Career Wherever You Are 

The entertainment industry is everywhere. This guide will tell you how to plug in and get hired and/or get started on your own creative projects by creating your own entertainment community, and either properly set the stage for your big move to Los Angeles or help you position yourself for entertainment career success where you are right now!    

Preorder for this information-packed career kickstart kit will be coming soon!

Subscribers to the MM eBlasts who preorder will get these EXCLUSIVE bonus items:  

YII’s Entertainment Career Tips for Students- Things You Can Do WHILE IN SCHOOL That Will Fast-Track You Post-Graduation

YII’s Quick-Start Essential Guide to Getting Hired in Entertainment (or In Any Field)  

AND pre-orderers who are Mogul Mindset subscribers will also get to participate in a FREE TELESEMINAR to discuss the book and get their entertainment career questions answered.

Stay tuned for pre-order announcement…

On Becoming An Agent: A Sample Mogul Mindset eBlast

Sunday, February 28th, 2010
I get asked periodically what the difference is between the content on the Your Industry Insider website and what one gets when one subscribes to the Mogul Mindset eBlasts.
 
Often, these twice-weekly emails contain snippets about certain aspects of working in entertainment along with a corresponding action item anyone can use wherever they are to advance their budding (or not-so-budding) entertainment career.
 
Other times, the MM eBlast contains a feature called “Don’t Be That Person” which illustrates something you want to avoid doing in your entertainment career (usually applicable to any career) and then gives the reasoning behind it and a corresponding “do.” Still other times, we clarify the definition of certain lingo used in the biz (tracking board, tracking shot, temp track) or detail a specific process, such as our recent eBlast about feature film development, or give advance information on upcoming events, programs, and products brought to you by YII.
 
Below is a Mogul Mindset eBlast from last week which answers a question that was recently asked by someone outside the LA hub.
 
If you aren’t a Mogul Mindset eBlast subscriber and want to be, please sign u pon the righthand side of the YII homepage and, of course, tell anyone else you know who wants to be in the entertaiment.
 
 
On Becoming An Agent
  
Hello, I live in Asheville, North Carolina and we have more per capita of genius artists and talent than anywhere in the world I’ve seen, other than the entire state of California. I am curious in how to become a talent agent for this city. Bryan
 
 
Dear Bryan,
 
I’m not sure how your state works (you should research this online), but in California, in order to become a talent agent, you need to be licensed. The best/most direct way of becoming an agent is to work for an established agency. Do an internet search for talent agencies in your area. See if you can get (at least) an informational interview with them to discuss your access to talent and what niche you might occupy with the agency. You may propose an area, such as music, that they don’t have yet and they might be willing to train you and help you become a full-fledged agent.
 
An alternative to the above is becoming a manager (or you can follow this path to becoming an agent, if licensing is not an issue in your state). Managers are unlicensed, but in order to make any money doing it, you have to be good at it. If you know of a band, an artist, or some other kind of talented individual or group you really believe in, see if they need management. Most creative types are happy to have somone else selling for them. Typically in entertainment, managers get 15% of what the client makes. So if you go out and get a band you represent $1000 booking for a gig, you get $150.
 
Doesn’t seem like much when you consider the work you put in, but if you have multiple clients and they start getting some traction, you could start seeing some healthy returns. Just make sure you get your agreement in writing. You don’t want to be left out of the windfall if all your work turns them into the next Kings of Leon.
 
Hope this helps!
 
Jenny
a.k.a. Your (Entertainment) Industry Insider
 

Three Ways to Get Your Screenplay Read

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

 

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!