How to be luckier

I’ve talked about luck on here before.  Mostly, I think I've expressed my own belief that luck can play a role in a person’s (or writer’s) success, but only to a certain extent.  I think it’s one thing to get a lucky break, but quite another to take that lucky break and make something substantial out of it (let’s just say, I’ve seen plenty of people get “lucky” and land amazing jobs…only to be fired shortly after because they couldn’t handle the responsibilities).

They shoulda had one of these babies!

However you might feel about luck, I don’t think anyone would say they DON'T want to be lucky.  But how can a person "be luckier" (an oxymoron)?  Lifehacker ran an article yesterday called "What Lucky People Do Differently Than Unlucky People" that describes a psychological experiment I recognized immediately because it also appeared in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers a couple years ago (see, I told you to read it already!).  Go ahead and read it again, though.  The experiment involves two groups of people, one that considers themselves "lucky" and one that considers themselves "unlucky."  Each group is asked to count the number of photos in a newspaper.  The lucky group, on average, completes the task in seconds while the unlucky group takes minutes.  This isn't due to the lucky group's superior picture counting skills, but due to the fact that most saw a message on the second page of the paper that said to stop counting and gave them the total number of pictures.

In other words, the lesson appears to be that lucky people catch a break (in this case) because they are more relaxed about the task and not so focused on one narrow thing that they missed a better opportunity.  This is a little hard for me to swallow.  After all, successful people have specific goals and get things done and I worry sometimes that if I don’t stay focused on specific tasks (like finishing a script) that I won’t finish anything.

But, I think there’s a balance to all this.  Like I said before, getting a lucky break and having success after that break aren’t necessarily one in the same.  Maybe it’s best to think about this luck stuff not in terms of tasks you WANT to complete/will be beneficial to you as a writer to complete (like writing your dang script) but tedious tasks you DON’T WANT to complete/don’t make you a better writer (like searching for a job, networking, and counting pictures in a paper).  So maybe the best advice is, be more relaxed in networking situations and don't try so hard to just pass your script along, and you might have the good fortune to make a friend who will help you more than a casual connection.  Or, stay open minded in your job search instead of focusing on one specific job or bust.  Or, just win the lotto already if you’re so lucky, jeesh.

Bad networking types - PART 2

And now, the dramatic conclusion to yesterday's post on bad networking types!  Here are a few more people everyone dreads running into at a mixer.  Take note, and try not to fall into any of these categories.

Debby Downer

Some people (like Woody Allen) can be down on themselves or self deprecating in a way that’s adorable, even lovable, or simply in a way that doesn’t make you want to ditch them for whoever is on the phone...“Excuse me, I’ve gotta take this.”  But, the majority of us can’t do this well.  I’d say this is the type of bad networking personality I fall into the most…and I totally hate when I do.  Try not to be a Debby Downer.  Maybe you want to downplay accomplishments and ambitions so you don’t sound braggy...that’s fine, but putting yourself down makes people uncomfortable and diminishing yourself makes it hard for people to get to know who you are and exactly what you do.  Likewise, if you got laid off, your girlfriend left you, you got passed over for that promotion you deserved, and you just can’t get a break, try not to dwell on it too much.  If the person you're talking with tells you "sorry" or "that sucks" more than once during your conversation, that's a bad sign.  It’s cool to say you’re looking for a job and you need help.  Some people don’t know to offer help or don’t want to insult you by offering help if they don’t know you need it.  I think the key is seeming upbeat while still serious and not self loathing or pitying.

The Drunk

I actually don’t mind the drunk too much.  Sometimes The Drunk is fun or does something hilarious.  Honestly, they probably hate these things as much as I do...but avoid being The Drunk or getting the reputation for always being The Drunk.  Save The Drunk for your birthday party, Vegas, or not when you’re meeting a bunch of potential work associates for the first time.

The  Town Gossip

When you come face to face with a bad networking type it’s important to handle yourself gracefully.  As much fun as it is to pick on all these types, it’s best to vent your feelings at home…alone...on your blog, and not at the actual event.  Don’t put down or gossip about other people within earshot of them (or to their face…I’ve seen that happen too).  You never know who you might be speaking to when you gossip away.  Even raised eyebrows and rolling eyes are bad.  I know it can be tempting to bond with other people over how much you HATE the drunk guy, the braggy bragster, little miss brown noser, or the aspiring actress who keeps handing out her headshot, but try and restrain yourself.  Resist the urge to become that person because, they often come off worse than the people they're gossiping about.  It might seem okay to pick on someone while you’re laughing it up with a couple people who seem to agree with you, but honestly, if we’ve just met and this is my first impression of you, I always wonder if you’re not going to make fun of ME when I turn my back.  Why would I want to trust or help someone like that?  While you're out networking, focus on being the best YOU can be and not on critiquing the performance of the other networkers.

Bad networking types - PART 1

I’ve stressed connections several times on this blog already.  As a result, I think networking can be an essential part of "making it" in Hollywood.  I’m not so great at networking (99.9% of people will tell you the same thing when you meet them in networking situations, then immediately tell a story that doesn’t have to end with “and then I found $5” to be interesting).  

Whether you’re good at it or not, I think when most people say they’re bad what they really mean is they dislike doing it.  And why shouldn’t you?  I have some good friends I’ve met networking, but there can be a certain air of phony baloney to Hollywood networking ("let's do drinks!").  Like speed dating, it can feel weird to have to "turn on" your personality.  Also, I think there are certain types of bad networkers who make the experience extra uncomfortable.  So, to help you on your quest to be better networkers here are some of my least favorite networking types.  Try not to be these people while networking, okay?

My New BFF

Without a doubt I meet this person at every industry mixer I go to, and without a doubt, they are always full of it.  For example, two minutes after meeting if I mention that I’m loving Friday Night Lights my new BFF will say they ALSO love Friday Night Lights (maybe true), and that we should TOTALLY have a watching marathon at their place (never gonna happen) then ask for my name (which they already forgot) so they can “facebook me” and set that up.  Don’t do this, please.  We just met.  You might not even like me…I’m pretty sure you don’t.  Then, when we meet again at some point you’re gonna have to say something dumb like: “Oh man, I’ve been so busy, we’ve gotta have that TV marathon…uh…what was your name again?  Sorry I’m terrible with names!”

The Kiss Ass

Most people will say “I hate brown-nosers,” but let’s face it, everyone loves to be complimented, and we enjoy it so much that we don’t always realize when someone is doing it in a way that’s insincere (it’s always easier to spot when it’s happening to someone else, right?). I think the kiss ass is most obvious when you meet them and they’re a sour stick in the mud, but when you mention something that they latch onto (like you have a job they want to have) they suddenly become another person.  Or, they are super social and flutter around the room like hummingbirds looking for that sweet sweet nectar that they like (which is anything they think can help them personally) and if you've got what they want, they will ditch the person they were just enthusiastically chatting with to start talking to YOU…and worst of all, they will be so darn flattering you might not even care what a kiss ass they are.

The Bragger (AKA The One Upper AKA The Name Dropper)

This person is tough because they can often hide under the guise of having a “big “ or “fun” personality.  They’re just so darn excited, they can’t help but talk about themselves and all the amazing things they’ve done and the people they know!  It’s like they’re on a non-stop sales pitch and the product is THEM.  You’re a writer?  So are they!  They just finished 5 screenplays one of which was a semi-finalist for the Nicholl.  You went to film school?  They went to film school too!  Perhaps you’ve heard of their Oscar nominated student film?  You’re from New Jersey?  No way!  They once lived in the Himalayas where they not only discovered an injured yeti, but also nursed it back to health.  It’s great (and important) to list and be proud of your accomplishments while networking, but it's no fun being around someone who seems to think the universe revolves around them.  Pepper in how great you are, otherwise it sounds like you’re putting other people down or that you don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.  You might not, but don’t make it so obvious, okay?

Wow, I think I could write a whole blog on bad networking types, but I’ll spare the preaching and limit myself to one more entry for now…stay tuned for tomorrow's post when I'll talk about some more bad networking types, including the one bad type I constantly fall into...

How do you get an agent?

While it’s great to work on your art and plug away endlessly on specs and pilots, the truth is this is a business and if you want to make the jump from baby writer to pro, you are going to have to SELL your work (not that art and business can't mix).  That’s where agents usually come in.  Agents have relationships with just about everyone in Hollywood and they send their clients’ work around town to be seen/admired/bought and send their clients on meetings/auditions/interviews to book jobs, or, they'll negotiate deals for their clients once they’ve booked a job.

Now, I don’t have agent, but I have an opinion on this subject after working in the industry a few years. But, rather than just tell you what I think, I decided to go to the source and ask my friend who is an actual agent at one of the Big Five (or I guess it’s Big Four since William Morris and Endeavor merged).  Anyway, I asked my friend a bunch of questions like “How do you find new clients?” and “What do you look for in a new client?”  This was the answer:

I feel like the reason we take on clients is pretty standard but hopefully it's helpful.  Basically, agents just want to make money so if they're taking on clients it's because they foresee making money with the client.  They need to feel like other people are going to want to invest money in this client.  It's obviously easier to get representation once you're already making money (aka booking your own jobs, etc.).

The best way to get an agent is through a referral.  So people should really be networking and meeting people in all different facets of the industry.  If some development exec at some studio tells an agent about you he/she'll probably be more inclined to look into who you are.  Unsolicited material is definitely not the right way to get an agent since most agents never read it.  Lastly, being out there and working on your craft is important because you never know when an agent is going to go see a play, read a magazine article, watch something online, etc. and the more exposure you have the better the odds of an agent running into you.

So there you have it.  I think the most common frustration with the whole “get an agent” thing is the Catch-22 of: "You need an agent to get paid work, but you can’t get an agent unless you can get paid work."  Doh!  And yet, people get agents all the time.  How do they do it?  Well, like my friend said, usually through referrals and through working on their craft (having their work noticed online or in festivals, contests, etc.).

I think working on your craft to help land an agent is important for another reason as well.  I had a friend send a (good) screenplay to a lit agent at a big four (then five) agency through a connection/referral.  That got my friend a meeting with the agent who said they liked the script, but the genre wasn’t an easy sell (it was like an indie comedy drama).  Anyway, the agent asked if my friend had anything else (maybe something more commercial, like just a comedy) and…nope, they didn’t.  That was the ONLY thing my friend had written.  The agent told them to go out, write a few more scripts (they recommended doing a comedy next), and to send those along when they finished.  So yeah, work on your craft so you have more than one thing to show when you get that referral.

I mentioned festivals/contests as well.  If you win a contest as prestigious as say, the Nicholl, you will have agents knocking on your door because they know those scripts often sell to production companies/get made and they want in on the action (plus they figure you are talented since you won a prestigious contest).   In that case, you can probably get scooped up by an agent if you’ve only written one script, but you’ll do way better careerwise if you have more to show.  That’s a whole other thing…getting scooped up.  If you are in the position where agents are coming after you regardless of your level of industry experience, choose wisely.  Some large agencies will try to sign clients who have heat or are experiencing some success just to keep them away from competitors.  Sometimes having an agent at a large agency is best, sometimes having an agent at a slightly smaller agency who is hungry, is best.  I have a friend who described their relationship with their big name agency agent as “I only hear from them after I’ve booked my next job and then they step in to sign the deal.”

Get yourself connected!

The other day, I had lunch with a friend from college who is not in "the industry."  It was great, not only because this person is my friend, but because they have lots of cool stories from their work (in medicine) that have nothing to do with typing on a computer all day.  As a writer, this is the stuff I crave, otherwise, all my scripts would start to be about struggling artists or young assistants who get screwed over.  Bleh.

I think it's easy to get sucked into the wonderful world of Hollywood and suddenly realize all your friends are industry friends.  Now, this isn't totally bad.  Industry people are cool, have cool stories, and sometimes do cool non-industry things.  Also, this city does run on connections.  However, you'd be surprised to find connections are everywhere!  For example, my college friend once worked for a woman whose brother is an A list film director.  Heck, my grandmother, who lives in another state, once emailed me contact info for her neighbor's friend who lives in LA.  Turns out he was a very successful VFX supervisor.

What I'm getting at is an answer to the question I posed in my last post.  You want to write Hollywood movies/TV shows but you aren’t willing/ready to move to LA...so what should you do?  One answer is CONNECTIONS!  Connections can get you jobs, bridge city gaps, and bake ten minute brownies in five minutes.  Also, connections exist everywhere.  If you cast a wide net and tell everyone your goals, you might be surprised what turns up (even from people who don't live in LA who aren't in the industry).  Now, unfortunately, only certain types of connections (GOOD connections) can help with BIG problems like living in the wrong city.

Examples of GOOD connections are:

Your good friend/close relative or good friend's close relative is …

• A creative executive at a reputable production company
• The VP of Development at a reputable production company
• A Lit Manager at a reputable company
• A Lit Agent at one of the major agencies

And to counter, here are some examples of NOT-AS-GOOD connections:

Your roommate’s, friend’s buddy is…

• A security guard at a studio
• A PA
• A recent film school graduate
• A Blockbuster employee

Don't get me wrong, ALL connections on both lists can actually be great for a baby writer living in LA (except the guy who works at Blockbuster, sorry) but the only ones who can probably solve a baby writer's wrong city problem are the GOOD connections (and even then, they can't just hold up your unsold script(s) snap their fingers and make magic).  If your writing is good and your connection can really come through for you, you might get some meetings, and if those go well, perhaps you can cross the whole “living in another city” bridge at some point after.  On the other hand, I think knowing you have ANY connections is a good incentive to think about moving to LA, already.