Networking Tips

I attended my first industry conference this week. While its focus was around a genre I'm not particularly interested in getting into at the moment, it was still great attending the panels and meeting different people.

This was also my first big opportunity at networking. This experience helped me come up with some advice for those who are not social butterflies or are new to networking. I fall under both categories. This can be applied to any networking event, not just entertainment.

Attend these events
These conferences can cost a lot of money, however. If you can't afford to attend, see if they need volunteers. If it's at a public space, such as a hotel, just show up. You may not get into panels or workshops, but you'll get to meet people in the lobby, during food breaks, etc.

Meet as many people as possible
You'll want to learn as much as possible. Everyone will have a different story to tell, their own piece of advice to give. If you find someone you click with, that's great, but don't get stuck talking to one person because it's easy. That's one opportunity gained, many others lost.

With that said, quanity drives quality
The goal is not just to hand out your business card left and right. You should find the people who can help you the most. Talk to a variety of people to find the few who really understand what you need and can help you get there beyond the small talk.

Seek advice, give advice
People attend these things to learn. And again, everyone has a different story to tell. Your own experiences might be helpful to someone. You scratch their back, they'll scratch yours.

Prepare some talking points
You can't network if you have nothing to say. Be able to engage others. Contribute to conversation, and when appropriate, be ready to steer a conversation so that it can answer questions you may have, if it isn't already.

Anyone in entertainment will tell you the importance of networking. The coordinator of this conference told me that besides her first gig, she never once had to interview for a job. Keep meeting people and get your name out there. You'll never know when that one conversation will turn into something more.

Film Studies

The film minor at UCLA requires seven courses in four different categories. I fulfilled four  reqs on topics that interested me most, like screenwriting and editing. The last three were mostly history courses. I appreciate history, but I'd rather not sit in long lectures about them. A few lectures for one course I took covered silent films. For four hours. Each.

I spoke with academic counselors and asked if I could substitute courses for those requirements. They said no, those requirements are in place to give students "a wide scope of knowledge within film."

I believe filmmakers should be exposed to a variety of genres and styles. But if the film minor intended to build a well-rounded student, why do some courses not fulfill any requirement, like a course on producing independent features? Of all the courses I've taken, that was the single most useful class. It provided practical information for a career.

Two other classes that would not count: one where I was a production assistant on a short film, and a writing course where scenes we wrote were performed by student actors weekly. Again, two of the most useful courses I've ever taken. Yet they would not count towards the film minor simply because they were offered by the theater department.

It's a major disappointment that classes that provide an education as well as practical experience for a career are not considered to give students a "wide scope of knowledge." To top it off, one of the counselors I recently dealt with was disgustingly rude. (Really, why work with students if you're gonna be a dick about it?) I know requirements are in place for a reason, but I absolutely hate that administration so often fails to serve the needs of students.

First Job Interview

I finally received a job interview, and out of all the jobs I applied for, this one was closest to what I want to do: a production assistant with an established studio, owned by a major media company, that produces web shows. They target younger viewers, but I was very surprised and impressed by the quality of the shows they made.

A rule for any job interview is to know your resume well. But since I didn't really have film experience in my resume, I wasn't expecting to talk much about it. Of course, that was the first thing we talked about. I was nervous because I wasn't expecting to go into detail about my resume. But beyond that, the interview went well. It was very conversational, and they weren't expecting anyone with a lot of experience since it is an entry-level position.

Although the interview went well, I'm not sure how promising of a job it will be. It's a part time gig, since they don't have nearly as much shooting time as a network TV show--their web shows are very short. They've wrapped up shooting, and won't start again for a few weeks. The producer simply wanted to have potential PAs to choose from when shooting begins again if they needed any, so even if I did make a good impression, I may simply not be needed.

I was very excited for this job, but it makes me a little nervous how the work would not be steady. I know as a PA, jobs can come and go as production starts and finishes, but at least TV and films can provide more consistent pay.

But alas, it was the only company so far to grant me an interview. I haven't had much luck with other jobs, so I really hope this will be the one that gets my foot in the door.