How to Get Into the Entertainment Industry With No Contacts
How to Get Into the Entertainment Industry With No Contacts
You may not have the contacts, but you have passion, talent and drive. Start growing your career with this guide on how to get into the entertainment industry.
Do you dream of making it big in Hollywood? If so, you’re not alone. Each year thousands of wannabes just like you head to Los Angeles in hopes of having a successful career in the entertainment business.
One of the biggest hurdles in getting started in showbiz is learning how to get into the entertainment industry when you don’t know anyone in town who could help you out. But don’t panic! There are tips you can learn to help you get your foot in the door.
Let’s take a look at some things to help you get started in the right direction when you first move to La La Land.
How to Break Into the Entertainment Industry With No Contacts
You may not have the contacts, but you have passion, talent and drive. Start growing your career with this guide on how to get into the entertainment industry.
Make the Most of Your Contacts
So you’ve recently made the move to Hollywood to work in film or television, but you don’t know anyone in the business. That can definitely be rough, but it’s also not necessarily an impossible situation.
It’s important to never underestimate the power of any link to someone in town. This could be a friend of a friend. Perhaps you’ll discover a tenuous contact through someone you might have gone to high school or college with. This could be someone outside the industry who’s employer has a relative within the industry.
Don’t be afraid to make calls, to buy people lunch or coffee, just in an effort to make a good impression that could lead to a more valuable connection down the road.
Find Jobs Online
There are plenty of online resources for finding industry jobs. And this doesn’t have to be directly in the film or TV business, but perhaps in one of the many peripheral industries that are needed to keep show business up and running.
You might work for a caterer while you write or take acting classes at night. And this catering job could likely put you into first-hand contact with the kind of people that can help you move slowly up the ladder to where you want to be.
Get a Temp Job
Temp jobs are very useful because they provide a revenue stream while also freeing up part of your time to pursue your goals. After all, very few people who move to Hollywood arrive independently wealthy.
Everyone needs money to function, and yet you also need to be able to go to auditions or take general meetings with agents and industry executives. And keep in mind that temp agencies employ many people just like you, and thus are typically willing to offer flexible work schedules.
Be Willing to Work for Free
This might sound a little crazy, but offering to work for free could very well help you get your foot in the door. So much of making connections in the film and TV business is about putting yourself in a position to meet people. Joining a production crew for little or no pay such as being an unpaid intern can help you do just that.
Do you think that sounds unreasonable? Well, it’s time to decide how badly you want your dreams to come true. After all, if you aren’t wiling to work for free for a short time until you prove yourself, there’s a line of people behind you that will.
Take Classes
No matter what part of the industry you’re wanting to work in, you’ll find a wide variety of classes that can help you sharpen your skills and introduce you to a multitude of dreamers just like you.
These classes are often taught by professionals with many years of experience within the industry. These are passionate people willing to share their expertise with students struggling to get their foot in the door.
This is also a way to build your network, meeting fellow actors, writers, and directors, etc, who can offer support and perhaps lend a helping hand somewhere down the road.
Build Relationships Within the Industry
It’s important to keep in mind that everyone you meet has the potential to become a valuable contact. Because of this, make a policy to be nice to everyone. This includes security guards, production assistants, secretaries, and anyone else from the lowest positions on the ladder of success to the top executive.
It takes a village to build a career. And besides, treating everyone with kindness and respect is good karma.
Find the Right People and Ask a Million Questions
Make it your goal to surround yourself with the kind of people that offer positive energy and help you become better at your craft. When you meet a talented person in the industry, ask lots of questions. Become I student of every part of the production process.
Talented people love to discuss what they do and how they do it. Take advantage of this opportunity. Be genuinely curious. Watch and listen. Absorb everything possible. Simply being around talented people willing to share their skills can often be more valuable than spending years inside a classroom.
Be Patient
One of the key things to remember when pursuing a career in show business is to learn to be patient. Success won’t happen overnight. In fact, it could take years of building a network of contacts to even get an opportunity to do that kind of work you’re seeking.
Have a life. Make friends. Find hobbies outside of work. Always be learning and studying, and have a plan. Developing the skills to be a more patient person is also a great way to lower stress and anxiety.
The Road to Making Your Dreams Come True
Learning how to get into the entertainment industry can be a huge challenge. After all, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Working in film and television might sound glamorous, but it actually requires a lot of work and determination.
Taking the steps to figure out how to break into the entertainment industry without contacts can seem overwhelming, yet remember that people just like you do it every day.
Click here to learn how to build a success mindset and watch your dreams come true.