Getting Your Foot in the Door
I got a message on Facebook from a young woman named Christine who writes:
“I just graduated from college with a tv production major and moved out to Long Beach, CA in hopes to find an editing job. I searched Facebook for editors in the area and found your profile. I was just curious if you had any advice for me. I know this is an odd way to get ahold of someone but I’ve tried everything from craigslist, mediamatch, realitystaff, mandy.com, and I’m really stressed and confused as to what else to do to find a job, so I turned to good old Facebook. Anyway, I have experience with Avid and just recently got Final Cut Studio put on my computer and am hoping to become experienced with that as well. ANY advice would really help. I’m not expecting you to give me a job or anything, haha, just some direction would be really appreciated.”
Well, Christine, I’d suggest finding people who are perhaps a little older (and a little richer) than you who share your same interests. The key is networking with like-minded people who may have been in your shoes. Are you religious? Perhaps there’s a church nearby with programs you can video tape and then edit. It is almost guaranteed that in Southern California, at least one regular congregant at any given church or synagogue is in the television industry that would be glad to network with you.
I see that on Facebook, you list yourself as “very liberal.” Organizations like Co-Op America and the Natural Resources Defense Council have plenty of industry people as members, and I’m sure they are always looking for documentarians to further educate the public and politicians. Left-wing documentaries are extremely popular right now.
In short, I wouldn’t think of it as “getting your foot in the door.” That only makes the person slam the door on your foot! Instead, think of being a part of a big family, except that you get to choose your family and, if it all goes well, the family will choose you.