Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Aug 20, 2013 7:20:26 GMT
Being a media professional, in any country, is about building and maintaining your professional relationships. Friends and foes, occasional lunch buddies and everpresent coffee mates. Clients, employees and bosses. It is simultaneously one of the easiest and most difficult skillsets to develop as an emerging media figure. For some people it comes naturally; others have to treat it as a completely separate project and develop the necessary skills and habits.
This time last year... I wasn't hopeless at networking, but I was close. In the past twelve months I've learned enough about it to make my head spin. So I'm going to talk a bit about the various lessons I've learned, then open things up for others to share their wisdom, pose questions, and discuss.
Know that you are valuable, and know what you are offering: Networking isn't just about you gaining a contact - it's a two-way street, and just as you're hoping someone can get you a job or help you out, they're looking for the same thing. Perhaps they're at your level and are looking to trade scripts for story editing, or build friendships that could become connections to showrunners. Maybe you need their connections and they need you to help them develop their skills. Maybe they're a thousand times more accomplished than you, but they love being known for their ability to find and cultivate talent, or helping the inexperienced makes them feel like a better person, like giving to charity. As Amanda Pendolino over at Aspiring Screenwriter says:
When I meet a new contact I make sure I try to find common ground with them professionally. If they do webseries, I mention my work in webseries. If they teach screenwriting, I mention that I'm going to school to learn to do the same. Finding common ground isn't just the bedrock of building a friendship, it also gets the gears going in their head. If they know that you might be useful, or that they want to work with you or see your portfolio, they'll remember you. Don't let them forget you.
Connect with social media: When I make a new professional contact, I make sure to connect with them online in case we don't bump into one another offline in a while. Exchanging business cards is handy because often media professionals have their Twitter accounts noted, so that you can follow (and, thus, prompt them to follow you back). You can also reach out and connect on LinkedIn; I've found new contacts to be pretty open about connecting this way. Finally, always follow up by sending them some kind of communication - whether email, LinkedIn message or tweet. Not following up is the most common error emerging media folks make, and it's key to establishing connections with those ahead of you in the game.
Take notes: This one depends on how much information about someone you can keep in your head. For me, after a first meeting, I do my best to duck away and, either in my phone or small notebook, take some notes on the meeting. How it went, what we discussed, things I learned about the person. It helps later on when I need to reawaken that connection.
Don't forget anyone: Even if they're not a media person. you never know who will suddenly burst into prominence and who will fade away. Have a pastry chef friend? Maybe she's not going to story edit your new pilot, but if she gets a job at a high-level restaurant, she might suddenly be a connector for you. Have a friend studying nanotechnology? Maybe not useful - until nanotechnology is the big trend in pilots and you suddenly need someone who can explain the basics to you. Anyone can be useful. This sounds cynical, and maybe it is. Which leads me to my next point...
Be a good person: You can't necessarily control this, but be as genuine as you can with people and try to build, not just a connection, but a friendship. Congratulate them when they get a new opportunity, introduce them to other friends, care about their problems and be there for them. You can't be everyone's best friend, but a little sincerity goes a long way. In addition to this point, don't be a dick. Be up front in business practices, be communicative about projects, and treat them well.
Don't be afraid: Networking can be really intimidating. Nobody wants to be the one to ruin someone else's afternoon. But, one of the beautiful things about it is, as long as you don't impose, and are friendly and respectful, networking isn't scary at all. Perhaps don't approach a potential professional contact when they are out with their family, but definitely approach them after they've lectured at your class. In fact, as to the latter, I scored an internship, and a valuable friendship/mentorship, because I wasn't afraid to say hello to a lecturer and tell them I enjoyed their presentation. Networking events are fantastic for this because everyone is there to meet people, so even approaching random people in the hallway can lead to great conversations, as long as you're friendly and likeable.
Follow through: If you make a promise to a connection, do what you said and nail it. If you can't do it, don't promise to do it. That said, if you consider it carefully, agree to do something, and find yourself unable to despite your best consideration, be apologetic and find a way to make it up to them. You want people to know you as someone who does what they say and finished what they start, don't you? After all, they connected with you because they thought you could help them - otherwise, why would they help you?
Maintain, maintain, maintain: Don't neglect your contacts. Every 3-6 months, look through your contacts list and reconnect with as many as feels appropriate. If you haven't seen a writer friend in six months, go out to lunch together, grab a beer. Not only does this maintain friendships, it's great for maintaining connections. Even if they're above you on the totem pole, where meeting may be more of an imposition than a casual conversation, keep the connection alive with occasional greetings and best wishes. Keep your friends close!
As for your enemies, I don't have any strategies about that except: don't make any!
That's it for now, though I'll keep pondering. Anyone else have something to toss into the pot, or a question/rebuttal? Let's talk!
This time last year... I wasn't hopeless at networking, but I was close. In the past twelve months I've learned enough about it to make my head spin. So I'm going to talk a bit about the various lessons I've learned, then open things up for others to share their wisdom, pose questions, and discuss.
Know that you are valuable, and know what you are offering: Networking isn't just about you gaining a contact - it's a two-way street, and just as you're hoping someone can get you a job or help you out, they're looking for the same thing. Perhaps they're at your level and are looking to trade scripts for story editing, or build friendships that could become connections to showrunners. Maybe you need their connections and they need you to help them develop their skills. Maybe they're a thousand times more accomplished than you, but they love being known for their ability to find and cultivate talent, or helping the inexperienced makes them feel like a better person, like giving to charity. As Amanda Pendolino over at Aspiring Screenwriter says:
Here's the basic rule: don't ask strangers for favors right off the bat. Stop thinking, "how can they help me?" Instead, ask, "how can we help each other?" Look at it like making friends. Ideally, you can all climb the ladder together and help people along the way. At the beginning, most of your contacts probably won't be able to get you an agent or buy your script (news flash: you're probably not ready for that, anyway), but maybe they can give you notes or tell you about assistant job openings. Slow down. Relax.
When I meet a new contact I make sure I try to find common ground with them professionally. If they do webseries, I mention my work in webseries. If they teach screenwriting, I mention that I'm going to school to learn to do the same. Finding common ground isn't just the bedrock of building a friendship, it also gets the gears going in their head. If they know that you might be useful, or that they want to work with you or see your portfolio, they'll remember you. Don't let them forget you.
Connect with social media: When I make a new professional contact, I make sure to connect with them online in case we don't bump into one another offline in a while. Exchanging business cards is handy because often media professionals have their Twitter accounts noted, so that you can follow (and, thus, prompt them to follow you back). You can also reach out and connect on LinkedIn; I've found new contacts to be pretty open about connecting this way. Finally, always follow up by sending them some kind of communication - whether email, LinkedIn message or tweet. Not following up is the most common error emerging media folks make, and it's key to establishing connections with those ahead of you in the game.
Take notes: This one depends on how much information about someone you can keep in your head. For me, after a first meeting, I do my best to duck away and, either in my phone or small notebook, take some notes on the meeting. How it went, what we discussed, things I learned about the person. It helps later on when I need to reawaken that connection.
Don't forget anyone: Even if they're not a media person. you never know who will suddenly burst into prominence and who will fade away. Have a pastry chef friend? Maybe she's not going to story edit your new pilot, but if she gets a job at a high-level restaurant, she might suddenly be a connector for you. Have a friend studying nanotechnology? Maybe not useful - until nanotechnology is the big trend in pilots and you suddenly need someone who can explain the basics to you. Anyone can be useful. This sounds cynical, and maybe it is. Which leads me to my next point...
Be a good person: You can't necessarily control this, but be as genuine as you can with people and try to build, not just a connection, but a friendship. Congratulate them when they get a new opportunity, introduce them to other friends, care about their problems and be there for them. You can't be everyone's best friend, but a little sincerity goes a long way. In addition to this point, don't be a dick. Be up front in business practices, be communicative about projects, and treat them well.
Don't be afraid: Networking can be really intimidating. Nobody wants to be the one to ruin someone else's afternoon. But, one of the beautiful things about it is, as long as you don't impose, and are friendly and respectful, networking isn't scary at all. Perhaps don't approach a potential professional contact when they are out with their family, but definitely approach them after they've lectured at your class. In fact, as to the latter, I scored an internship, and a valuable friendship/mentorship, because I wasn't afraid to say hello to a lecturer and tell them I enjoyed their presentation. Networking events are fantastic for this because everyone is there to meet people, so even approaching random people in the hallway can lead to great conversations, as long as you're friendly and likeable.
Follow through: If you make a promise to a connection, do what you said and nail it. If you can't do it, don't promise to do it. That said, if you consider it carefully, agree to do something, and find yourself unable to despite your best consideration, be apologetic and find a way to make it up to them. You want people to know you as someone who does what they say and finished what they start, don't you? After all, they connected with you because they thought you could help them - otherwise, why would they help you?
Maintain, maintain, maintain: Don't neglect your contacts. Every 3-6 months, look through your contacts list and reconnect with as many as feels appropriate. If you haven't seen a writer friend in six months, go out to lunch together, grab a beer. Not only does this maintain friendships, it's great for maintaining connections. Even if they're above you on the totem pole, where meeting may be more of an imposition than a casual conversation, keep the connection alive with occasional greetings and best wishes. Keep your friends close!
As for your enemies, I don't have any strategies about that except: don't make any!
That's it for now, though I'll keep pondering. Anyone else have something to toss into the pot, or a question/rebuttal? Let's talk!