Making Connections

Contrary to popular belief, succeeding in Hollywood isn't about having connections; it's about making them.  I grew up in Kansas.  For those of you who don't know, it’s in the middle; the big, flat middle.  The closest "connection" I had was to my Dad's late friend Greg Sullivan who climbed a local hotel (a la Spiderman) in hopes of getting arrested, gaining publicity, and attracting the attention of a local news anchor he had a crush on.  I don't know if he ever met said news anchor, but he did make it into the local newspaper and in Kansas, that makes you famous.

In high school, my best friend's aunt (who was friends with a soap opera actress) invited us to attend the Daytime Emmy Awards.  ("Invited," as in she invited us to pay $200 a ticket to attend.)  We stayed at the Waldorf Hotel, along with many of the soap actors, where a line of limos was shuttling entourages to the awards show.  In an effort to save our cab fare, we approached the hotel concierge who, without question, loaded us into a limo.  Our driver, assuming we were actors, unloaded us onto the red carpet.  What's girl to do when she finds herself on a red carpet but walk it?  So we did.  (Please note: This was a pre-9/11 awards show.  If I tried this today, I would likely be arrested.)

If you're wondering where the red carpet leads, in this case it led to the pre-awards show dinner.  And like most industry parties it was chaotic, so we were able to lie talk our way in without much hassle.  Standing in a room full of writers and actors I was reminded of my father, who insists on stopping at the Grand Canyon any time we're in the vicinity noting: "You never know if you'll be back again."  We were almost certain we'd never be back in this room again so we decided go for it: we approached every actor we knew and (after making sure we weren't interrupting them; actors hate that) politely introduced ourselves.  In a room full of industry people, you never know who you're talking to.  We could have been Les Moonves' nieces for all they knew, so the actors were polite, asked our names, and in the most appropriate way they could, asked what we were doing there.  I'm convinced that had we been older, we would have been arrested, but what seems stalker-like at 20 is adorable at 16.  We were aspiring writers from Kansas.

"Where's Kansas?"

“In the middle."  

The actors took us under their wings.  One particular actor, Beth Chamberlin, introduced us to every actor and writer she knew as "High school girls from Kansas who want to be writers.  How adorable is that?"  Beth also agreed to send us her old scripts for examples of formatting (who knew about Final Draft?).  And that was the first time I made a connection.

Don't be discouraged if you don’t have connections.  The goal is not to have them, but to make them.  But in your effort to make them, you may find out you had them all along.

LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

Take advantage of email and social networking sites to make connections.  Before I moved to LA, I sent an email to everyone I “knew “-- family, friends, acquaintances, alumni, my parent's friends -- many of whom I'd never met.

Dear Cousin-who-lives-half-way-across-the-country-whom-I-haven't-seen-since-I-was-four,

I recently graduated from college (Can you believe that?!  I haven't seen you since I was four!) and I'm planning to relocate to LA to pursue a career in television.  I'm looking to make contacts in the industry that can offer me advice on pursuing my career, etc.  If you or anyone you know could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it.  And I'd love to catch up with you when I get to town!

Why is it we use exclamation points when writing to people we don't know?  We never use them with our friends.

You'll be shocked how many connections you can make this way.  It turns out my parent's neighbor's nephew was an assistant on a television show.  He passed along my resume to his contacts, which led to two interviews.

After the Emmys, my best friend emailed a Webster University alum, who was the executive in charge of Procter and Gamble Productions.  The email simply said that we were two aspiring writers from Kansas who were planning to attend Webster, that we found her email via the alumni page (we're not stalkers), and we were looking to make connections; we would love to meet with her next time we were in NYC.  She emailed back almost immediately, inviting us to her office.  This connection lead to an internship with Procter and Gamble Production’s PR department as well as with the writers' offices of the two soap operas they produced -- As The World Turns and Guiding Light.

When we finally met, we thanked the executive profusely for meeting with us, and surprisingly, she thanked us for contacting her.  She said she's always amazed at how many simply don’t ask for help.  The truth is, not that many people pick up the phone and say, “I'd like to learn something from you.”  And most people are flattered when you do.

ALUMNI

Contact your school's alumni office or visit their website to make connections with people from your school working in your field.  (We really do want to help you.)

INTERNSHIPS

Internships are an amazing way to make connections while you're still in school, as well as gain experience for your resume.  I'm working to compile a list of internship listings but until then, visit your school's career counselor; they will most likely be able to point you in the right direction.  (While in college, I worked for Webster’s career counselors.  Again, it’s amazing how many people don’t ask for help.  Career counselors and their staffs are there to help you.  Utilize them.)

USE THIS BLOG

Personally, I never comment on blog posts.  I lurk, as do many of you.  (I can see how many people visit my page per day and how many don't leave comments.) Use this blog to connect.  Become a fan on Facebook or follow us on twitter to or email me personally and I'll put you in contact with other aspiring writers.  Need a job?  Email me.  Need a roommate?  Email me?  My inbox is full of job listings and roommate ads that I'm dying to delete forward to you.  People email me and say, “I'm sorry to bother you...”  You're not bothering me.  I volunteered to help.  Countless people helped me break in to the industry and now it’s my turn to return the favor.  So stop lurking and whining that you don't have any connections and use this site as a networking tool.