The Secret to a Career Transition? Asking for Help.

There’s one thing most people who work in entertainment have in common: We’re doers, we’re imaginative, we Get. Things. Done. Sure, it’s a collaborative industry once you’re in it, but for many of us, pursuing a career in this business came from a fiercely independent place — picking up and moving to an entertainment hub to chase a dream and a build a new life is no small matter and takes real grit.

It’s no wonder that when it comes to job searching — and especially for major career transitions — we tell ourselves, “I can do this on my own.” But it’s harder than ever to land a job just by hitting apply off a job board. It’s also lonelier than ever, with job searches taking longer, AI steamrolling most of the process, and for many, the grief of an entertainment landscape that isn’t the one we dreamed about. Learning how to ask for help is the single most important thing you can do in your job search. Most of the people who have the jobs you covet got to where they are with support.

It can be hard to get into this mindset, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable. But think about it this way – you would never get a project made if you weren’t asking for money from a buyer or financiers to fund the project, and you'd need to ask an agent to get you in those rooms. Movies and TV series only get made with the full collaborative effort of the writers, directors, producers, cast, and crew, and they don't get seen without support from the marketing and distribution pipeline. Your entire career is built on partnership, collaboration, and asking for help. You just need to translate that ethos in service of yourself.

Another thing to remember is that you aren’t asking someone to spend an entire week of work doing an enormous favor for you. A quick intro between two friends is a very small ask in the grand scheme of things (and takes about 5 minutes). With that in mind, we recommend starting your outreach in a way that feels safe – by reaching out to your friends. If a friend of yours asked you for help with an introduction to a contact, wouldn’t you jump at the opportunity to make the connection? You can bet that the same is true for you.

Once you get a few close friends to do some favors for you and see that it opens up doors, you’ll have an easier time reaching out to more people. Plus, one relationship typically leads to another, so you’ll start building a new web of contacts. Just remember to always be specific about what help you need. An “intro to any contact you think would be helpful” is not an easy ask, whereas an “intro to anyone you know who works in microdramas or the creator economy” is easier, and “an intro to Betty who works at Fox’s new Creator Studios” is easiest because the person can take immediate action without thinking.

Help can take a lot of different forms, too! It doesn’t necessarily mean “get me a job.” It can mean having your friend who has been unemployed for a year share their insights into the job market. It can mean asking someone who made a career transition what they do and don’t like about their new field. It can be working with a coach to map out your next steps, or with a resume writer to get your materials into tip-top shape. It can be asking former colleagues for feedback that will help you construct interview anecdotes. It can be a simple conversation with a peer that inspires you to learn about a new company with an open role that you’d never have thought of.

Think of help as a form of due diligence, as putting effort into getting what you want. It doesn’t mean you’re not independent. Far from it: Asking for help means you’re resourceful, smart, self-aware, and yes, a go-getter.