How a desk by the door got me the job of my dreams.
    Looking back, the adventure had a very positive start.  A month earlier, I arrived in Manhattan with a TV degree, a certificate from NYU, two years of corporate video under my belt and a head full of confidence.  I had just finished a deferred-payment gig on an independent feature film shot on Block Island.  Since “Deferred payment” usually meant “volunteer”, I was happy to get the room and board and be surrounded by fellow filmmakers and future friends.  But, my very early success was not to be easily repeated. Â
   Finding work after that initial gig was tough.  My previous experience back home, I learned, amounted to nothing in New York, and although I was working as a P.A., the jobs just weren’t rolling in.  I just wasn’t the superman I thought myself to be.  Conquering New York was to be an earned task if it were to be attained at all.  So I decided on a plan, stuck with it and eventually went from steady freelance to a full-time job with the Travel Channel.  A few key things contributed to my success.  I’ve boiled them down to these five key points:
1. Get Busy.
    Volunteer for a student film or join the crew of a 48 Hour Film project.  No job today?  Call or email companies to let them know you’ll soon be available.  Don’t say you’re not working, but instead, mention that you’re just finishing a job and “putting together the coming week’s schedule”.  Employers would rather hire someone who’s busy than someone who’s “out of a job”. Early in my freelance career I made it a point to start each “non-working” day on cold calls.  I’d select 25 production companies from the production guide and call each one offering to send a resume.  Then, I’d follow up the next week to see if they had gotten it.  It kept me busy and often led to some long-term contacts.
2. Get Involved.
    Networking is important, but too many newbies think this involves going to functions and begging for work or handing out your business cards.  A big part is demonstrating your reliability. Join the local TV & Film organizations and volunteer at functions.  Suggest and coordinate panels you might be a good fit to participate in.  Be a greeter.  If they see you enough, they’ll eventually remember you when you follow up later.  Then, follow up later.  Send a note to those you’ve met to jog their memory and put yourself on their radar.  Follow the trade news.  Stay up to date on who’s doing what and which projects are coming along.  Folks love to brag, so use that to your advantage.  If someone gets a new job or promotion, send them a congratulatory note. Â
3. Be persistent.
  There’s a fine line between persistence and annoyance.  Find that line and straddle it. Keep your contacts abreast of what you’re doing.  Let them know where they can see your latest work and who you’ve worked with. It’s a small business; you’re bound to cross tracks.  Persistence pays off in a couple of ways.  First, when the potential employer wants to hire, they’re more likely to feel indebted to you from all your notes and updates and not having returned the “favor”.  Second, you’re apt to be uppermost on their list and at their fingertips-having persistently contacted them in the past.  People are busy.  If they can easily fulfill their hiring needs quickly with quality talent, why wouldn’t they?
4. Sit by the door.
    My only NYC staff job started as a freelance gig with the Travel Channel.  I answered a small ad for a Production Assistant (PA) and was hired on the spot.  Starting the next day, I was assigned a desk in the hall by the door.  The nature of our business frequently had me arriving early and staying late, often the last to leave. And while this sage advice of “first in/last out” is normal for a newbie, I had the unexpected benefit-due to my location-of seeming to never leave the office.  Eventually, this high-visibility location helped sell me to the boss as a dedicated worker, worthy of a staff position.  So, my advice to newbies is to “sit by the door”: make yourself visible so others take notice.
5. Do the best job you can possibly do.
    While a desk by the door can help your prospects for promotion, if you do half a job, you’re not going far.  No matter what the task, do it 110%. Someone’s bound to notice.  Make suggestions, think ahead, anticipate problems.  A pro-active approach can be a large contributor towards a successful endeavor.  Learn from those around you by asking questions and putting that knowledge to work.  Above all, be nice to those around you.  It’s a small business and you’re bound to meet those same people again-and next time they might be on the other side of the desk in a position to hire you.
   Finding work in our business can be difficult, but you’ll go far with a little preparation, some persistence and maybe a desk in the hall by the door.
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