How to Get Industry Attention and Keep It
🌟Career Coaching: "Networking" doesn't haven't to be a drag. Here are ways to expand and strengthen your circle of support.
People have the attention span of goldfish, or so it was reported in a Microsoft study a few years ago. Marketers wept. Retailers gnashed their teeth. Goldfish were insulted.
It is, of course, a silly measurement. Sure, we may tune out an ad on YouTube, but we can also binge watch a season of Bridgerton in one sitting.
Similarly silly is the “overnight success” myth. The fast-flowing Deadline alerts can make it seem like every content creator but you is signing a mega-distribution deal and every talent agent you don’t know has just signed a star you’ve never heard of.
Stories like these are as old as the industry. “Give me a couple of years and I’ll make that actress an overnight success,” quipped the legendary film producer Samuel Goldwyn (whose original name was—no joke!—“Samuel Goldfish”).
The reality is that people can’t sell themselves to a stranger in seconds, no matter how spiffy their website or pitch deck.
The reality is that no one you’ve just met is going to sign you to a seven-figure deal or write the check for your passion project overnight.
It takes time.
This is why, regardless of where you are in your career in the entertainment industry, building and maintaining professional relationships—your network—should be a top priority.
Networking Is Part of Your Job
It’s a fact: people like to work with people they already know, like and trust. Producers, directors and writers often want to work with their “regular” team. It’s understandable that they find it comforting to start a new project flanked by trusted collaborators.
If you want to be one of them, then you need to build professional relationships with the people who are in a position to hire you or write you a check. And the way you build professional relationships is by networking.
The key to networking effectively is to build it into your weekly routine. The time you spend building and maintaining your professional relationships should be as welcome and reliable as Taco Tuesday or a weekly manicure. Schedule at least an hour a week for it and make certain you keep the appointment.
Laying the Foundation for an Effective Network
Networking in the entertainment industry requires time and strategic planning. Start by asking yourself two questions.
First, what projects do you want to be working on in two or three years? Take time to envision your future and set some specific goals so you can build your network purposefully.
Second, what are the titles of people in the entertainment industry who can help make your goals a reality? Big, juicy titles like Director, Casting Director and Writer are the usual targets. But there are literally hundreds of other jobs with other titles, and many of these people will be easier to connect with when you’re building your network. To get a sense of the options, check out the “full cast & crew” listings for some of your favorite films and series on IMDb.com or Broadway shows on IBDb.com.
Once you’ve done your research, make a list of the 25 people you already have in your network or you would ideally like to have. If you’re an actor, then you likely want a few casting directors on your list. Look up who is casting the type of work you want to be in and put them on your list. Writers want producers. Everyone wants an agent. Producers want everyone. You get the drift.
Include a few cheerleaders – those friends who understand showbiz and will allow you to weep over your wine when the going gets rough (because it always does) and then kick you in the butt when you’ve wept too long. Include an entertainment lawyer and an accountant, because they call this show business for a reason.
Next, figure out where the people on your list “live.” It is shockingly easy to find folks these days. Most entertainment industry professionals are active on LinkedIn, or at least have a profile there. RocketReach is a reliable resource for contact information, including email addresses.
Creating your list and figuring out how to reach the people on it takes time, diligence and ingenuity. It’s a process we call “Target 25” in our career coaching practice, and we know from our clients how difficult a task it can be. But once your Target 25 is complete, you have the foundation for a strong and productive network.
How to Turn Names into Relationships
It’s kind of hilarious to Google “first date” and see what pops up. To save you from following me down that rabbit hole, I’ll sum up what I learned: first dates make everyone feel awkward and the best way to reduce the queasiness is to make sure it’s a two-way conversation.
That, in a nutshell, describes effective networking. It’s a two-way street. If you do all the talking, you’re not building a professional relationship. If you do all the asking, you’re not building a professional relationship.
You would be unlikely to propose marriage on a first date. It’s the same in showbiz—producers are not going to download an unsolicited script just because you emailed it to them after meeting at a mixer. No investor is going to write a check because you sent a pitch deck to them on LinkedIn.
I always remind students who are entering the job market that their professors are paid to pay attention to them. Professionals in the entertainment industry are not. If you want them to pay attention, you have to build a relationship with them, or with someone who can get you to them through an introduction or recommendation.
John Tarnoff, a career transition coach, writes about the need to “Always Be Giving” when networking. “Think of it as a seeding and cultivation plan for your career garden. Your networking plan and practice become helping your contacts with their careers. By focusing on them and on their needs—not on yours—your career will be helped in return. But you have to give first, and give a lot, before you can expect to receive,” Tarnoff writes.
It’s really not hard to give in the entertainment industry. We all like to hear positive, genuine feedback about our work. There are always scripts to read. Everyone enjoys being thanked. Take a look at your connection’s online presence. Are you able to update their website or help with their social media? What skills can you offer to your network?
Networking Is A Process
Building professional relationships won’t happen overnight, and maintaining them once they’re built also takes time and thoughtfulness.
Begin by reviewing your Target 25 list once each week. Take stock of when you last connected with each person on your list. Is it time for a follow-up?
We all have friends we only see once or twice a year, and others we talk to every other day. It’s the same with your Target 25 list. You have to figure out how much attention each relationship requires to remain healthy.
And sometimes you have to let go. Your Target 25 list should be fluid, but not fickle. Your needs and goals will shift and evolve over the years, and so too will the needs and goals of your colleagues.
Over time, this process will provide you with the support system you need to achieve your goals. And hey, when you’ve finally inked that “first look” deal or landed an A-list agent, people may well look over and wonder how you sold yourself in eight seconds and became an overnight success.
