Stop networking now? But isn't networking the key to success in this industry?
OK. Let me explain.
What if you could never meet another industry contact and had to base your entire career on the people you know right now? How would you behave? Would you have a career?
Take a look at your contacts. How long has it been since you communicated with them? What added value are you bringing to the relationship? Now, I'm not saying be all things to all people. (I've tried - see last week's post - there's not enough *you* to go around). What I'm suggesting is offering what you can. A director I know needed a specific voiceover actress type. I found him 4 options and he hired one of them. Another person I know needed a male actor. I found 3 options and one of them got the job. (Now that we have email, facebook and twitter, this usually doesn't even require a phone call.) When I heard about a film festival that sounded cool, I volunteered to work in their office. Yeah, for free.
Bottom line is that when someone needs a position filled, are you going to be the first person that pops into their head? Are you going to be the first person they call or recommend? Just going to networking events, collecting business cards, or even having that one ubiquitous coffee date, is not going to get you jobs. Cultivate relationships with the people you already know by getting to know what THEY need and then looking for ways to either help them yourself or connect them with the people who can.
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Success in LA - multihyphenate actress-writer-producer Rebecca Jupiter thinks outside the box - if you enjoyed this or any other post, please become a follower over on the right. It's free and takes only a few seconds. Thanks!
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Words of Wisdom Becca. Hence the importance of never burning your bridges
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I can't tell you how many clients I've had who have had the instinct to call someone, then put it off for a week, and when they finally get the person on the phone a week later the person says, "Man, I wish you would have called me last week. I had a job to fill."
ReplyDeleteSo yes, get back in touch with your contacts ESPECIALLY when your gut tells you to.