Who You Know Sadly Matters…

The film industry is, above almost everything else, a people business. Talent and technical skills matter, but relationships often determine where opportunities come from. This is why networking is such an important part of building a career in film.

When people first hear the word ‘networking’, they often imagine formal events, awkward conversations and exchanging business cards with strangers. In reality, it is usually far more organic than that. Most professional relationships develop through working together on projects.

Every film set is essentially a temporary community. A group of people comes together to create something, works intensely for a period of time, and then moves on to the next production. Because crews often move from project to project, they frequently recommend people they already know and trust.

Likewise, every work experience or internship you do you will be making contacts and when a job opportunity comes up you will be the first person they think of. Work experiences are simply a long form interview for better things…

This means that if someone enjoys working with you, there is a good chance they will invite you to work with them again in the future.

When you are starting out, your network is naturally small. That is perfectly normal. Everyone begins their career with only a handful of contacts. The key is to gradually expand that network through collaboration and professionalism.

Short films, independent productions, student projects and small commercial shoots are key environments for building connections. These productions often involve people who are also developing their careers. Many long-term professional relationships in the film industry begin on these smaller projects.

The way you behave on set plays a huge role in how your network grows. Being punctual, reliable, helpful and positive makes a lasting impression. Film sets can be stressful environments, and people remember colleagues who contribute positively to the team.

Networking also involves staying in touch with people after a project finishes. A simple message congratulating someone on a new project, sharing useful information or checking in from time to time helps maintain relationships.

Basically Call Sheets are your best friends here as they contain everyone’s contact details!

Another way to expand your network is by attending industry events, screenings, workshops and networking sessions. These events bring together people with shared interests and can lead to valuable conversations and introductions.

The Three Ps - the Key to Cold Calling and Emailing

Sometimes you just have to go out there and generate your own network, make your own introductions. How do you do it? By building a database of contacts, phone numbers and email addresses and then going for it!

This is one of the most important of our many mottos…The Three Ps:

1. Polite

2. Professional

3. Persistent

Cold calling companies and asking them if they are hiring at entry level is 100% something you should be doing. An initial information gathering call to a company should instantly be followed up by an email. Be Polite. Be Professional. Then be Persistent by emailing again in a few weeks if you haven’t heard back, then do it again, and again!

Fools rush in…before start calling or emailing you need a plan, a succinct message you want to convey and information you want to elicit.

If you would like help and advice cold calling or finding contacts to add to your database, get in touch with us, we will tell you all our secrets to successfully nailing your first job.

We have been networking, cold calling and emailing for over 15 years, its how MFJF was founded, so we have some solid experience and advice we can give you to make sure you are efficient and gain tangible success.