Suggestions for Emerging Movie-Makers

When I first set off to join the entertainment industry, I found that my greatest resources and opportunities resulted from my connection to filmmaker organizations. These communities are a starting point for practicing your craft, building relationships, and earning referrals once you have developed your skill set and reputation. They generally offer lots of resources such as libraries, web-based classified ads / job postings, funding opportunities /grants, publications, classes, and networking activities - including screenings. 

Volunteer 

I started off volunteering for the Oakland Film Commission when the Matrix was shooting there. I helped assemble location binders, promote events, and solicit wine for the annual soiree. Most of all, I met and worked with a small, intimate group of really smart, talented, and fun people.  Later, I joined the San Francisco Film Foundation and became a Fiscal Sponsorship Intern. This gave me great insight into the dos and don't of grant-writing. I provided phone consultations to scores of filmmakers from around the world and had the tremendous priveledge of participating in the selection committee meetings, headed by SFFF founder, Gail Sylva. It was Gail who first advised me to join IFP when I moved to Los Angeles to go to the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC.

Train

At the Independent Feature Project, Los Angeles (now Film Independent), I was accepted into the Project:Involve program, where I networked and trained with a diverse group of incredibly talented people. Additionally, I became a protege to Lionsgate's President of Releasing (and IFP Treasurer), Top Ortenberg (Crash, Monsters Ball). I can't even begin to tell you how much I gained from that experience (I'll tell you about it later). Volunteering with IFP over the course of two years led them to offer me a job when there was a vacancy, and I was able to attend courses worth hundreds of dollars for free. I was also able to attend the Spirit Awards, mingle with award winning filmmakers and celebrities, and participate in the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Connect

Most importantly, I was "in the trenches" so to speak, with other entertainment industry aspirants who have now moved up the ranks, and I connected with veterans who became mentors and role models. Yet, I know many film school grads whose talent is hidden away and unnoticed because they never got connected. So, the point is, get connected. Go deep, not wide. It's great to collect business cards if that's your thing, but it is magical to make friends that you will work with for the rest of your career - and you won't do that if you don't show yourself friendly.   

You can weed out those you might not be compatible with as you observe them and their interactions with others.  Conversely,  it gives others an opportunity to discern what kind of person you are, and to learn more about you from mutual acquaintances and referrals.  Participating in a community of like-minded professionals  and artists will give you an organic opportunity to get to know people over time. Movie-making is the most collaborative business I know.  It's a "relationship business." So my top suggestion is to go out there and connect, relate, and get in the trenches!