15 Sep Define Your Path
I got my first Production Coordinator credit on a feature film being produced by an exec from Catalyst. That was my longest amount of work since I moved to LA: three weeks! I learned a lot on this set within my position and then as I watched this producer.
After, I sent my network of contacts an email sharing this experience and said, “I am now looking to be a Producer’s Assistant.” and attached my resume in case they heard of any leads. I did this every couple of months when I would have an update to share and a clear request. Things are constantly moving and changing, and people will forget your needs quickly as they are figuring out their own. This gentle reminder every so often kept us connected, even if they did not have any opportunities for me, and that is great! Another exec from Catalyst (are you seeing a trend here?) emailed me back to get coffee and see how he could help.
“I want to help you because I saw how hard you worked at (Catalyst), and I see how driven you are.” So because I busted my booty in this one regard, he was ready and willing to help me in another. I explained some of the issues I was having being a multi-hyphenate and being older (based on the typical age of someone moving to LA to work in entertainment… NOT fishing for compliments. My sparkly personality shaves off 4 years easily.). He asked me to explain my journey to LA, and then told me that I should use that to paint the picture when I’m meeting people. Again, spoonfeed people the information so they understand. Here is my narrative:
“I started off in New York City as an actor wanting to be on Broadway. After a few years, I created a web series and learned I like production because I can wear multiple hats. From there, I produced Catalyst Content Festival which gave me a network of people living in LA and a solid reason to make the move and focus solely on production.”
It takes away any mystery of my intentions (no, I’m not going to ask my showrunners to put me in their show) and sets a standard for my goals (I want to produce and write television). Once you have your goals clearly defined and your path to get there even more clearly defined, people can see where they fit in to help you on your journey because, like this executive, people do want to help you!
