- Even though I've got this reputation of knowing everybody and you know networking, I hate
going into the room. I have to literally lean in and take a deep breath and just
walk into a room and just go hi to people. What I would say to all of you is you cannot ignore
talent and especially new talent in the industry. You are the backbone of the industry because
we all know that you were the next generation coming through. And you know, William
Goldman, on YouTube there's a brilliant sort of interview with him
about adventures in screen trade and he says in that that you know he talks about a senior
exec who goes home with 50 scripts and each one he picks up he said, maybe this is the one.
And that is the attitude that many of us have to have about everybody that we meet, just an openness
of spirit and not think that everybody else is a waste of time and a s**te or whatever else. And if
you do meet somebody that you don't want to talk to or is just monopolising you a little bit too much
just go, do you know it's been lovely talking to you but I'm going to go and get a drink at
the bar. Or, I'm going to go to the toilet. Or, you know what I've seen somebody over there
I really want to catch up but it's been really lovely to talk to you. And that's an easy way to
you know... are you on Insta are you on Twitter or whatever social media is
the thing of the day. And just you know say that or are you on LinkedIn or whatever else. Those are
the kind of easy ways in and easy ways out. Networking is important and it serves a
purpose, a huge purpose because-- and everybody hates it because I think it's about you know
having to put yourself out there and you know there is that kind of English and Irish kind of
sense of I'm not good enough and I'm an imposter. There is that thing of fake it till you make it
but it's also about connecting with people that you might have something in common with,
you know. If you're at a film festival ask people what films they're seeing or what do they think of
that film or have they seen other films by that filmmaker. You know, just turn around and have
a conversation. It doesn't have to be what do you do and how can you benefit my career you know.
It's literally about finding out who somebody is finding out about their work, what do they like to
do, and seeing if there's a connection there. You know, no man is your friend, no man is your
enemy and every man is your teacher. I think that people feel very uncomfortable and awkward so
there are ways to get around it by just having three or four questions in the back your mind. Like
ask people about what they do. People love to talk about themselves. And you know, it's very
easy to draw them out on that. You know, what do you do is a very simple opening kind of gambit.
Or if somebody's asked a question at a Q&A, oh I love what you said about that. Or
if you're going to a Q&A, you know, at a festival or a BAFTA screening or you know
one of the events, ask somebody what's the development process or what was their breakthrough
job or, you know, how do you keep your voice in your work, or how do you... You know, anything that
you stumbled across ask them because everybody's got their own version and how to get their moment
or where do your ideas come from and how do you cope with procrastination and how do you
cope with writer's block and how do you cope with confidence crisis and how do you network?
And you'll be surprised at what people come back with. Have a strategy or a game plan. Start with
who you know, your own kind of network. Maybe you know the local festival programmer in your
region, maybe you know the local cinema owner, talk to them about maybe setting up like a
drinking session or a session for people to meet up with after a certain screening. Or if there's a
possibility to do a screening of some short films that kind of thing and just get people to kind of
pitch in in that way. Don't have an expectation that anyone owes you anything because they don't.
Nobody owes you their time. So I think that's one of the things to be considered. The
internet's your best friend. It's filled with friends and lots and lots about the industry.
So get online, you can network without even having to leave your bed if you want to.
There's lots of kind of online things, a lot of comedians use Twitter and
different kind of... an Instagram to do little reels and stuff and to hit jokes online.
I think that's quite a useful way of getting yourself out there. Look up your local
you know where are your local film festivals, where are your local film events within your
region and find out who your regional film body is. You know there's the
BFI which is nationwide, there's Creative England there's Film Cymru, there's Scottish Screen.
There's so many different avenues, Northern Ireland Screen. So many. Just get onto their mailing list.
I would also say that you know attend conferences, attend the TV and writers conferences, the film
conferences. Like Manchester Film Festival had a whole series of in-person kind of panels
that were really useful. There's some lovely people in the room and they had tea and coffee
out so you could have a quick coffee and a drink with people afterwards. And that was, you
know, it was really nice because you've just heard somebody talk so you've got a reason to approach
them. Or you've heard somebody ask a question you know and it was really interesting to kind of um
have that connectivity again, especially after the last two years, we're not going to mention the c
word. But also you know, you can turn around to somebody at a film festival that you just
meet standing at the bar and you just go, you know, what are you looking forward to seeing or
what have you seen in the festival that you've liked or that kind of thing. Volunteer. Is a
great way to make connections, volunteering at a festival, an event, an organization.
Holding your own screening it's a great way to get an inside track of what's going
on and meeting other like-minded people. Again, don't bombard people when approaching them and
pitch to them but you know ask for a coffee. Don't ask somebody to read something, ask them for coffee
and people will, once they've made that connection with you and they like you, they will think about
you and think of ways to try and help you, by and large people do. When meeting people,
know your project, know it in one line and be able to sum it up whether
it's what you worked on or what you're interested in making. Don't go on about it. I mean I know I'm
talking a lot here but I've been asked to. But, you know, just be really concise in what you say
and give them the space to ask you whether they can read it, they'll
read it or not. Or if it's something you want to read or watch, don't assume that they will.
Be clear about what you want from any kind of meeting that you're asking people to have.
If you're going for coffee be really you know clear about what it is. Is it that you're
looking for advice on agents are you looking for feedback? Are you looking for connections? Are you
looking for introductions to get work? Be really clear about the... It's okay to turn up and tell
me you know, I really want to work in the industry or I really want to find
out about internships. I may not know about these things but I may be able to send you off
in the right direction. Before meeting, do your homework. I think I've touched on that already.
Make a list of questions to ask. How did you get into the business? Who helped
you most when you started out? What would you do differently now? What do you like in a project?
You know, most people are interested and comfortable talking
about what they know so just draw them out and don't forget to breathe as you ask questions.
I was talking about business cards before, I think that's a bit antiquated but on my phone in my
contacts I have Farah Abushwesha card and I just share my email, my phone number,
my website with people now and it's just you know, you can send it to them on a WhatsApp and
so that's really useful. Big huge thing that I've said before is when you've met with somebody and
they've given you your time, write to them and thank them. Thank yous go a long long way. And
you know what, because once you've bonded with somebody you know, it's really great
and you do want to help them if they're nice. Don't bombard people. They don't get back to you,
they're entitled not to get back to you. If they you know take a long time to read something
you know they're busy. So just don't get rude about it. Don't have an expectation that they
will meet you or that they will look at your work or they will get you work. It's it's not a given.
But you know, just be pleasant you know, honey is better than vinegar. A thing that I said years ago,
I didn't get funding through the BFI for years and the truth of it is that was my fault. I literally only
applied for one or two things over the course of about three or four years and I took that
rejection as a kind of you know well they're not interested in me, why didn't they
give me this. And it was only when I started to apply more regularly for funding applications
that you know. the the standard of my work and the standard of my applications became
much better. So I think don't be put off by one rejection, you know. Keep applying.
It's all about just getting into the practice of applying and putting yourself out there and that's
part of the network. - I think now is a really good time for people because it's so busy out there.
So we're constantly looking for new people across all departments all the time. And also with social
media and things like that there are so many ways now to find out about what the opportunities are.
Sort of back when I started out, you just kind of had to be at the in the right place
at the right time in a way to hear about those opportunities whereas now just this week I've
seen two production companies advertising for assistant roles just because I follow them on
Instagram. So I think there's lots of ways of kind of really being plugged into the industry
as you're starting to join. One of the first things to really think about is how to present
yourself positively, particularly when you're trying to break into the industry.
It's a natural reaction I think to think about what you can't do and to kind of say
in your letter or in your email you know, I have no experience. Never start off from that
point. Start off with what you can do and what's transferable because we've all done something that
is relatable to an industry because basically entry positions you know, you're going to be making
tea, you're going to be kind of doing the kind of general running around for people. Everyone's
done some of that at some point. So really think about what you can do and why that's useful to me.
I think Farah really has touched on this already but absolutely know the projects that are made
by the company that you're going for. Know what we make , be able to talk about that. So if you're
particularly interested in thrillers look for companies that make thrillers. It's a really good
place to start. That's not to say you might not end up working at a comedy company, that might not be
your favourite genre but it might be an opening and that's great. But if you're going for that comedy
interview and you haven't got much knowledge about it, gen up on it. We've talked about,
Farah talked about some tricks for that so you can do things like read reviews and you know
as was mentioned before, watch clips, ideally watch whole episodes if you can but time can be short.
But really make sure you know for each company going for, don't see it as a generic kind of [...] send
out companies. Tailor your email to each company and then tailor your interview to each company
because it makes a difference you know. I've heard so many people say
well I've done a media degree, I just want to work in the media. That's not particularly attractive
to me. Send that initial email but don't chase up too quickly. We're all busy, sometimes I don't
get to my emails for a couple of weeks you know, my non-urgent ones. And also, again as Farah
said, don't kind of go into too much detail. Don't automatically assume I'm going to read your script.
But you can send me a little you know paragraph pitch and then say if you're interested I can send
more material. So I think it's about tiptoeing a bit in, so kind of getting your foot in the door
and then opening the door a bit wider and getting in rather than trying to burst in straight away.
I think it's really important to know about new writers, new directors, new
talent. A really good way of getting into that is not just via television or film or
whichever you're looking to get into but also by local theatre groups for example. Certainly
in Cardiff when I was kind of early on in my career we all kind of you know, actors, directors
producers, aspiring people, we all hung out in the same places, we went to the same new theatre
stuff, we got to know each other, we got to build connections. People have made feature films based
on those connections. And so I think it's a really good kind of think not just about television
but about all the you know, the theatre stuff, the film stuff, that's happening locally as well. One
thing that we haven't really touched on as well I think is about making friends with assistants, you
know. You don't always have to make contact or have coffee with an exec producer,
that might not be the best way forward. We're busy and we're generally really busy trying to
set shows up. But there'll be assistants within the company who are constantly my eyes and ears.
And the same with agents, you know. Don't go for the top agent within the company,
try and make contact with one of the assistants. They are always going to be the eyes and ears of
the people above them because they're the ones on the ground going out, seeing the new theatre stuff,
meeting new people. But also they're the agents and the execs of the future, so they're relationships
for life they're not just relationships for now and what they can get you now. So I think
never underestimate the power of an assistant and getting in with them.