Category: Professional Development

Industry Spotlight: Unscripted Producer

4/12/2019

It's time for another "Industry Spotlight," our monthly series where we interview professionals from across the entertainment industry about their current jobs and career trajectories. Our hope is that you will learn more about the positions you're already interested in, discover new roles you may not have considered, and utilize the wisdom of those who've paved the way before you to forge your own path for success.

This month, we sat down with Greg Morrison, Supervising Producer of Content and Development at Nitro Circus.

HOLLYWOOD RESUMES: In one sentence, how would you define your job?

GREG: Part creative, part problem solver, part firefighter, part babysitter.

HR: What is your day-to-day like?

GREG: My day consists of many different things that keep it moving at a breakneck speed. Throughout any given day, I’ll have in-person meetings to discuss ongoing productions. This will consist of gathering and dispensing updates from our production, post production, and legal teams and deciding upon next steps. There are also meetings to discuss ongoing and future development projects/ideas with our team in the office and pitches for these development ideas with network executives at their offices. When I finally have a moment to sit down in front of my laptop, it’s time to write. Before anything gets pitched to a network or gets produced by one of our teams, I write it and re-write it. That includes writing and producing the sizzle reels that we use to pitch our shows. I work closely with our post production team to make sure that these sizzle reels are sales-ready. Also, I eat lunch. I never skip lunch. No one likes me when I’m hangry.

HR: What do you like most about your job?

GREG: What I like most about my job is finding creative and fun ways to tell stories. At the end of the day, all good content comes down to telling a good story.

HR: How did you get your current job?

GREG: I spent eight years freelancing as a producer all over Los Angeles, and through a former boss, I was recommended to Nitro Circus to be the Supervising Producer of their first History Channel special. It was a match made in heaven, and we all loved working together. We loved it so much that they offered me full-time employment heading up their development department and overseeing current productions.

HR: What was your first job in Hollywood?

GREG: My first entertainment industry job was a 4-week gig as a research assistant at LMNO Productions. I spent my days creating binders full of research for their development and production executives.

HR: What are the skills someone would need to succeed in your position?

GREG: Quick thinking, a lot of energy, a positive attitude, patience (of which I don’t have enough), and confidence.

HR: If you don't like _____________, you won't like my job.

GREG: Problem solving.

HR: What’s a mistake you made early on in your career?

GREG: Rushing. I was rushing to bring a hard drive to my boss, but in trying to move too fast, I unplugged the wrong drive and corrupted the entire project. It took 48 hours to get everything back up and running and put us two days behind schedule. No matter how quickly something needs to be done, there’s always an extra few seconds to stop, breathe, and make sure you don’t unplug the wrong thing, press the wrong button, send the wrong email, or say the wrong thing to the wrong person.

HR: If you could give one piece of advice to someone trying to break in/move up in the industry, what would it be?

GREG: Make friends everywhere you work. It will be your connections with the people you work with that ensure you always find your next job and that you get that promotion over someone else with the same qualifications.

HR: Thanks, Greg!

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Have you Googled yourself lately?

4/5/2019

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Think hiring managers are just looking at the materials you submit in your job applications? Think again. Once a hiring manager decides your resume and cover letter are up to snuff, they’ll continue to check you out to make sure you’re a good fit for the role. Whether this happens before they set the interview or after they’ve narrowed their choices down to a handful of candidates, they are going to Google you. Same goes for writers/producers/directors taking general meetings for potential employment down the line. It should go without saying that you should be mindful of your social media presence. We’ve talked about the role of social media in the job search, but you should also check to see what else the search engines have on you on a regular basis.

Ideally, information that shows up online won't contradict anything you've sent to the employer. Does your current or previous employer’s website still list you as an employee? If so, make sure the job title online matches the one you use on your resume. Do any YouTube videos you uploaded in college come up? You may not want employers looking at your student films and judging your taste level and skill from your early work. It may not be possible to alter your digital footprint too much, but if you know what potential employers see, you can think about ways to get ahead of it. And, if some really good things come up -- like the charity event you organized or your festival-worthy Vimeo short -- you can find ways to amplify those successes as well.

The key is not to overthink anything you might find online, but to be aware of what’s there. Look at yourself through the eyes of the hiring manager and understand that your online presence is a part of the fuller picture of your candidacy.

Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

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How a professional bio can help your Hollywood career

3/22/2019

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You're probably wondering: What is a professional bio, and do I need one? Have I not been getting calls for interviews because I'm sending an old fashioned resume and cover letter, and hiring managers are looking for newfangled materials?

A professional bio doesn't replace a resume in any way, and you should absolutely, unequivocally, never submit one in lieu of a professional resume or cover letter when applying for a job. Rather, a bio is a supplemental tool that will help you present yourself to your colleagues in a variety of settings and boost your career in a more general sense.

In particular, a bio can be useful for writers, directors, or other creative-types when sent as a precursor to general meetings (generally, an agent or manager would send it for you). Resumes for these types of professionals typically take the form of a credits list, but a bio will allow you to showcase some information that might not make it into the resume -- awards, fellowships, uncredited development experience, interesting personal anecdotes, and even some humor. By sending a short bio in advance of a meeting, you save executives from Googling you and trying to piece your story together themselves.

Bios also make up a part of your online presence. Many companies feature C-level executive bios on their websites, and some smaller firms have short blurbs on every person at the company! If you have a personal website, you should certainly include a bio somewhere on it. It allows you to summarize both your personal and work experience in one place, and it will help a viewer decide whether they want to learn more about you and guide them to the parts of your portfolio that are most relevant. Additionally, if you’ve ever been asked to speak at an event or contribute an article to a website, you’ll probably need a bio that will likely live online somewhere. This can only help you in your professional career -- having your bio posted on another organization’s site will inevitably give you some extra credibility. Bios are also a component of fellowship applications, and if you’re accepted, your bio will typically be featured on the program’s site. Needless to say, given the public nature of a bio, it’s important that you make it GREAT!

But writing a bio can be tricky. You want something well-written that flows nicely, so if grammar or written storytelling aren’t your forte, you’d do well to have someone write your bio for you. Plus, an outsider can often help you identify the most impressive aspects of your career and lay them out in an organized way. Writing a bio can sometimes feel like you’re being forced to brag about yourself, and most people are uncomfortable doing so. Remember those awkward times that your professors asked you to write your own letters of recommendation for them to sign? Bio writing can sometimes feel a lot like that. At the very least, we suggest having a friend or family member help you with your bio. But that’s why we’re starting our new service -- to help you with this very important component of your professional career.

Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

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There are so many Hollywood assistant positions -- how do you choose which is right for you?

2/25/2019

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Move to Hollywood. Become an assistant. That’s the advice every Hollywood hopeful gets before they join the industry. We often hear people say things like, “I just want any assistant position. Anything to get my foot in the door.” And that’s a fine approach, especially if you aren’t sure what you want to do in the industry. There are many jobs that you probably didn’t learn about in college, and if you’re truly open to figuring out where you fit in, applying to any assistant job that sounds reasonable and interesting is a good way to go.

But if you do know what you want to do, you should be aware of the differences between the various types of assistant jobs. Some will help you build your network and lead to your dream job, and some may stall you on your path. So here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular assistant positions:

AGENCY/MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSISTANT
This is the #1 entry-level job you’ll hear about. Though you certainly don’t need to start as an agency assistant to succeed in Hollywood, more doors will open up if you do. That’s because as an agent’s (or manager’s) assistant, you’ll get an inside look at all the different sides of the business. You’ll talk to creative clients, to buyers at networks and studios, to producers, and of course, to other reps. You’ll have your pulse on everything that’s happening in Hollywood, and you’ll meet a ton of other assistants who will become your network as you progress in your career. The job requires a lot of hustle, great phone etiquette, killer organizational skills, and often, thick skin. But if you can make a great impression on an agent’s desk, you’ll be in a great position to hear about open desks at other companies. And of course, if you want to work as a rep, you’ve got to start here.

NETWORK/STUDIO ASSISTANT (DEVELOPMENT OR CURRENT)
If you want to be an executive, you’ll need to start as an assistant at a network or studio. But “start” is a little bit of a misnomer here. It’s pretty rare to land this kind of desk as your first job. Executives at networks and studios don't have time to provide on-the-job training and typically want an assistant who has already mastered phones and scheduling. Plus, they need an assistant who already knows the major industry players. Networks and studio executives have the most power in Hollywood -- and their assistants need to be true gatekeepers. Unless you have gotten very lucky, you’ll need at least a year of assistant experience to secure one of these coveted desks.

TV/FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY ASSISTANT
If you don’t have the temperament for an agency, or you’re interested in becoming a producer down the line, you may want to explore assistant jobs at production companies. But not all production companies are created equal. A job at a reality company isn’t going to help you break into scripted development very easily, and an outfit that focuses on indie features isn’t going to give you much exposure into the TV comedy world. You should thoroughly research the production company you’re applying to so you can learn about their projects and culture. Is it a small shop with one or two executives? Or is it a major company with multiple departments? Do you like the content they produce? Is there room for growth? It's okay to take a job without growth opportunities, but some companies are specifically looking for candidates they can promote down the line -- that's great if you want to be a producer, but not as good if you're looking for a stepping stone.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
A PA is a totally different job than an office assistant (though a few types straddle the line). A traditional PA will be on set helping out with a variety of tasks -- running errands, wrangling talent, and setting up craft services (aka food). You’ll interact with the crew and experience the fast pace of set life. These jobs often last for only a short period of time, so you can build a large network quickly if you're smart about using your connections to move on to other projects. This is a great starting place if you want to work as a director, line producer, crew member, writer, or production executive. And there are a ton of other PA jobs, too -- Writers’ PAs support the writers' room, Post PAs support the post production team (and get great exposure to writers, too), and each crew department on a production has a PA. Meanwhile, an Office PA is typically someone who works in the office of a TV show, answering the phones and coordinating some of the basic office flow. You won’t be rolling calls like at an agency desk, nor will you be on set. But you will get access to the creatives behind the show, so you may consider starting as an office PA if your goal is to end up on set or in the writers’ room.

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION COMPANY ASSISTANT
If you’re looking to boost your time on set and love creating content across formats, and especially if you want to work with brands down the line, you may enjoy working at a commercial production company. But make no mistake: A year as an assistant at a commercial production company isn’t going to be as impressive to hiring managers as a year at an agency or film/TV production company. It’s unrealistic (not impossible, but not easy) to start here and transition to a job at a network or studio. But if you want to learn the ropes of production or are open to growing within the commercial world, this is a good place to start. In fact, a lot of people who start in commercial production like it a lot because the pace is slower, the money is good, and there are still plenty of opportunities for creative expression.

WRITERS’ ASSISTANT
This job, like the network/studio current or development assistant, is rarely a truly entry-level position. As a writers’ assistant, you’ll be supporting the entire writers’ room, taking notes during meetings and keeping the writers organized. You’ll need to have a good understanding of a show’s workflow and how the room functions, so this job -- while a great gateway to a writing job -- usually comes after some time as a PA, Writers’ PA, and occasionally, as an assistant on a great desk.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT
Personal assistant jobs are tricky. They typically won’t lead to a job on a desk at a production company, studio, or agency, but there are some benefits to this often thankless job. If you work for an actor, writer, or director who has their own production company and prove yourself invaluable as a personal assistant, you may be able to transition into a role on one of their projects -- as long as you make it clear in your work product that your #1 priority is the job they hired you to do. You may also build a strong relationship that can open doors for you. If you’re not sure what you want to do in the business and you just need connections, this could be a worthwhile first step that pays a lot better than other assistant positions. But proceed with caution -- if your ultimate goal is to be a network executive, a year as a personal assistant will only delay you. You’ll still need to go from personal assistant to assistant on a desk to assistant at a network (for a few years) and then start climbing the ranks from there.

As you begin your assistant search, keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule. If you've started at a commercial production company but want to become an agent, all hope is not lost. But if you're strategic about targeting the assistant positions that will get you to your ultimate goal as quickly as possible, you're going to have a much easier time building a successful career.

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