WHAT IS PRESENCE?

When we talk about presence, we’re not talking about domination.

We’re talking about the ability to be present in our self.

And to monitor and balance the needs and messages from our internal state with our external state AND our own business objective.

And only when we do that can we be aware of the other people’s internal state and the other people’s external state and business objectives.

CREATING SAFE SPACE

So leadership presence is really creating a safe space for others to speak the truth.

Safe, non-judgemental, and also, ultimately focused on a business objective.

So when we say Presence, we have to be able to be aware of whether WE are being present.

We have to first be present, and first be vulnerable and real, so that we can inspire others to do the same and to bring their presence.

FACILITATE YOURSELF

So we have to be able to facilitate our self to become present, and to work our self through whatever crap is going on.We must also be able to facilitate others so that they can feel present and that they can feel safe, so that they can get down to the business at hand.

So a leader must have their business agenda, and know what the goal is in the Meta-View, and also be clear enough about what’s happening, what’s present in the room right now, and take that as the departure point.

What’s showing up and what’s real is the starting point, regardless of our intended agenda, plan or schedule.

WHAT’S BUBBLING UP?

There’s always something bubbling up, that’s waiting to be said or waiting to be experienced, or waiting to be born, like it or not.

The best leaders can, by being present with themselves, (not dominating, not passive) be honest and vulnerable and open and forthcoming and forthright.

And… making the conscious choice to risk and reveal and be vulnerable with a stated objective, with a goal in mind, actually.

So we must do that with ourselves so that we can facilitate others to do that.

And THEN we can get the whole company, team or project going.

I was quoted in this article in the  Hollywood Reporter. I’m  thinking about expanding the thoughts inspired by my conversation with the author of the piece but  for how, here’s a link:

–”What will Jeff Zucker do next?” -  http://bit.ly/ciUxAP

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE?

Wow, have I seen a lot of resumes in the past two years! Not as many as people who’re actually hiring but I see a lot as I work with clients looking for new jobs or opportunities.

Now more than ever, it’s important to be clear and specific about what sort of gig you’re looking for.  The main reason is because it helps you find the right company or project for you. In addition it helps other friendly people help you by knowing who to send you to.

LET ME SEE YOUR RESUME

It’s essential to begin your resume with a clear objective of what kind of job you’re looking for. By doing so you help any person who is reading your resume figure out what do with you. Maybe you’re wrong for the current position but because you’re specific about where you are and what you’re interested in it can inspire a person to forward your resume on to someone who can help you.

BE REALLY SPECIFIC

What sort of company do you want to work for? What sort of position? Where do you see that company going? How can you help?

You have some expertise although it may not be apparent to you.

The old/passive way of looking at career objectives and job hunting is to create a resume like a generic list of stuff you showed up for.

ALREADY BE ON THEIR TEAM

The pro-active way of looking at your career objective and job hunt is to take a bigger look at your life experiences and career experiences and think about how they fit into the local and global economy in the world today (i.e. right now.)

What industries are dead and dying?  What industries are growing and thriving? What are new companies specializing in? What are established companies changing to keep up? What sort of people are they looking for right now to help them transition and reinvent their business model?

DO SOME RESEARCH

From that perspective, take a look at your skills and background.

Do some research into cutting-edge companies.  Read a copy of Wired or Fast Company. Find companies that are doing something interesting and do some research on them.

Then search on Linkedin for employees of those companies and see how those people describe their current jobs and their past jobs.

OBJECTIVE EXAMPLES

Here are some examples of specific resume objectives:

OBJECTIVE: Seeking an Entry Level Sales Position in a New Media Company focused on Green Technology and Alternative Energy Solutions.

OBJECTIVE: Senior Management Position in Television or Radio Industries leveraging my success in Transforming other Traditional Media into the Social Media Age.

MAKING THE CASE

Then, once you have a clear objective, organize your experience (past jobs or other relevant background.)

Your past jobs should do the best job to possible to support your objective. You might want to describe your past jobs differently or add some unique experiences that wouldn’t normally go on a resume but help your resume stand out as unique, memorable or funny.

Your objective at this point, is to get them to call you in for a meeting. I once suggested that a client add to her resume her experience selling Rice-A-Roni in supermarkets because it was relevant to the sales type jobs she was interested in. Another client who wanted to work at a Music-Related TV network added his past experience as a drummer to his resume. These are not the make or break issues to getting hired but they help a company understand more about you than just a list of jobs you had.

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE?

What’s the funniest thing you add to your resume?

How can you make the case really clear by some simple editing or rearranging your past experiences?

http://www.hollywoodcoaching.com

-Simple Techniques for Managing Your “To-Do” list.

-Time Management vs. Creativity Management

-Clearing the Obstacles for Creativity

-Enjoying Your Work And Your Life

Bring Your To-Do List: (Whether Large or Small.)

Arrival time 6:30. We’ll start at 7:00 and go until 8:00. Then hang around to network and schmooze.

NOTE: Admission is Complimentary but RSVP Required:

The Writer’s Junction
1001 Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.0999

Hi Film Industry Bloggers  Community:

Just  got back from a Career Day Event with NAB in Vegas Last week. Here’s letter I wrote to the people I met with there.

There may be something in it for you guys too:

See ya

-db

Hi folks.  Hope you all had a productive and informative time at NAB last week.

It was great to meet and speak to so many of you.  It was exciting to see and hear your new ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to try new approaches to your career.

It’s obviously been a strange time, both in the entertainment industry and the world, but I do believe there are new and lucrative work opportunities for us all.

The challenge is often about getting a clearer picture of who we are, what we’re good at, what we care about and how it relates to the current market opportunities.

GRADUATES AND MENTORS

I met some of you who are still in college and some of you who’ve been in the workforce for decades.

The broadcast and entertainment industry is different now than it was 2 years ago, let alone 20 years ago.

Your ability to thrive is in direct proportion to your ability and willingness to re-invent yourself in a way that is true to yourself and relevant to the professional world as it exists today.

It used to seem like the best way to stay gainfully employed in the old days was to find a way to mold ourselves to the shape of an existing job. Now the challenge is to figure out what we’re best at, what we care about and what organization needs our help to get where they are going.

MICRO-NICHE: WHAT ARE YOU REALLY BEST AT?

Things are changing and happening so fast that many employers know they need help but don’t know what how to ask for or what who they need.

Companies have been shedding jobs that fit their old view of their process and business model but they’re looking for help in reworking their business model for the future.

Therefore, if you can explain on your resume objective and cover letter what your skills and interests are and how it relates to the current business environment then they will be more likely to bring you in for an interview or meeting.

FRESH OUT OF SCHOOL?

If you’re fresh out of school and looking for a first professional job it’s important to show your special interests, as they relate to the job you want to do.

It’s not just that they make you stand out from the crowd of boring resumes it’s that it shows you’re a person  who’s got an eye out on the world and paying attention and ready to be a contributor to the team as well as to the world.

GET SPECIFIC

A specialized resume will generally get you more interviews and more interest than a generic one. If you’re creative and want to be creative, highlight and put the focus on your creative skills.

Creatives understand creatives and generally want to have them around. So don’t hide your creative side.

If you’re an aspiring reporter (and I enjoyed meeting a bunch of you) it’s important to show what part of the world or community excites you and lights you up. Sure, your first job may  not  be in front of the camera, but people want to hire people who’re passionate about the material whether it’s weather, politics, cooking, technology or movies.

FOR THE SEASONED PRO’S

For those who’ve been working steadily for years and now find themselves entering a different job market the challenge is different, but the approach is similar.

The first step is to be clear and specific about what kind of  job you want now and  with what sort of company. Give potential job titles: this will help the HR/Recruiting person who might be reviewing resumes and also help your resume show up in the searches on Monster.com, LinkedIn, etc.

And be clear about what type of company you want to work for. You may need to do some research on this point but it’s well worth the time and can help you on your search in many ways.

Whether you realize it or not, now you’re  somewhat of an expert in a few things.
In the big picture what are you best at and what  do you love to do?

What new companies or industries may need people like you? These may not have existed a few years ago.

That’s ok. But that’s why they need you now.

A STRANGE COMBINATION

Now with so many markets, niches and outlets, it’s important to be a strange combination of extremely individual and extremely flexible.

In other words, narrow your view of what you’re good at and what sort of skills are you best at, and broaden your views of how and where you’ll apply it.

Good luck on your search and please let me know what’s working for you these days.

After a quiet midwinter dip in energy (or was it a surge of reflective, nurturing energy) the Hollywood earth is thawing and ready for planting new seeds.

The entertainment landscape has certainly changed but it hasn’t disappeared. Now is the time to reframe and possibly rebrand your career in accordance with the seismic shifts of the past 2 years.

I know I’ve used the past few months to do an assortment of things.

NO DIRECTION HOME?

I’ve looked at where Hollywood is going and how I fit in. Both as a career coach and as a creative person.

I always talk with my clients about their need to continue to be creative in addition to working your day job or your hunt for a day job or your hunt for financing or whatever you’re hunting for.

Continuing to create is an essential fuel for the fire that is our life as creative people. It sounds stupidly obvious, but how many of us have been looking so hard for the right creative “job” that we forgot to express and work in the creative part of our life that we do have control of.

YOU KNOW . . .

Writing a script, writing a song, taking a photo, shooting a web series or a feature or a short.
Or writing a spec. Or going to the museum. Or staying up late reading or writing.

Or waking up early and swimming in the ocean.

See a movie. Write a blog about what your love or hate or fear about the state of the industry or art or world or politics.

It’s our job to follow the creative urges and to see where it leads or lands.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY?
Of course we must be responsible to the day job and be responsible for our finances, that’s a given.

But as human’s alive in the world  today we’re also responsible for staying inspired and creative and synthesizing and searching for meaning and magic.

Then sharing it with the people who’re around us who might be hungry for or inspired by what we’ve discovered, uncovered or shined a light on.

Use the extra hours of light and bubbling energy rising  up to plant new seeds for the rest of the year.
Lets assume  this season is called SPRING for a reason and use the energy influx as leverage for the rest of the year.Feel the power surge. And if you don’t feel it, hang out with someone who does and hang on for the ride.

Hi Film Industry Blogger Community: I wrote a really long great article this month on the plane to Sundance.

However, I’m just going to send you the last part of it because I know your attention span is challenged. (As are all of our’s these days.)

I may post the rest later but for now. . . lets all just create community. Shall we?

—–

ON COMMUNITY AND MISSION. . .

I had a gathering of a small number of friends, colleagues and clients recently.

Because I had the presence of mind to get help with the party food and preparations I was able to have the time to think, actually. And be relaxed in the hours before people arrived.

And I thought about saying a few words when people were gathered there, but I didn’t, because it didn’t seem necessary at the time, but because the thank you I got was that they had all shown up, in my life, as well as my practice.

WHAT I REALIZED WAS THIS:

I actually had a mission for my business and my coaching practice that I’d never articulated.

HERE IT IS

My mission for Hollywood Coaching is to create a Hollywood that is Healthy, Rewarding, and Enlightening.

And I can only do that when people show up in my life who’re hungry for that as well. (And  I’m not just talking about coaching clients.)

JUST SHOWING UP

When people with a positive outlook show up at a networking event or a gathering or a meeting it allows me to bring and share my positive outlook and thoughts.

When someone makes a film or tells a story that facilitates or inspires a new way to see things, lives or the world, it speaks to that part of it’s audience members as well and allows them to see, feel or otherwise access lesser known parts of themselves.

I believe in a world that is growing, learning, expanding and getting generally, slowly smarter and more awake, aware and compassionate.

WHAT I BELIEVE

I believe that Hollywood, as in industry, is becoming that way was well. It’s hard to say whether it’s happening more slowly or more quickly than other industries but I have a feeling that it’s happening more slowly, actually.

SOMEHOW

The power disparity between those with power and those without seems great. And those who want to change their life, move to Hollywood, and live their dream of creating film, television, music or whatever, often feel grateful for the opportunity to be treated badly at some entry level stage of their career in the business.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t work hard, pay our dues or do stuff that the folks back home would say is crazy.

I’M NOT

Take that assistant job, that extra work, that office job if it’s what it takes to get an inside look at how the machinery works.
But what I am saying is that for those of you who’re inside the machine, to whatever degree, I challenge you to challenge the paradigms of what’s expected at times.

You may not get exactly what you want. Or at least not now or at first. That’s ok.

THE CHALLENGE IS TO ASK
Ask for some time off during the day to make a phone call that will benefit your career.

Ask your possible new manager if the strange things you noticed during your interview are they way they do things around here?

Ask your old manager if he/she will still work with you if you put your education first, even when it might mean missing some auditions or meetings.

Set the intention to create, nurture and develop relationship and business opportunities with people that you like, trust and believe in.

A community with whom you can explore, reveal and support each other in the challenges and vulnerabilities and successes of your career journey as participant in the evolving story that is Hollywood at this point in the world’s development.

FIND YOUR COMMUNITY

Create a new Hollywood that will help create a new world.

—

And speaking of building community. . .

LITERATI SCHMOOZE - 2/25/10

Please join me at my  schmooze/hang/networking event. It’s my way of connecting my clients, friends and other interested professionals working in the creative industries and to meet up and chill out.

No RSVP. Come when you can. Trust the forces of randomness and synchronicity. Meet cool creative professionals. Be pleasantly surprised.

DATE/TIME - Thurs - 2/25/10 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

LOCATION: The Literati Café in Brentwood.
12081 Wilshire Blvd (At Bundy) Valet Parking available in the back. (310.231.7484)

(We’ll be in the cafe. Not the restaurant)

Interesting interview in the LA Times with Carol Lomdardi who is the new chief negotiator of the AMPTP (representing the major studios and networks.)

She’s already shifting the dynamic. That’s good news.

Nick Counter was known as a pugnacious negotiator. Will you adopt a similar approach?

I’m a good listener at the bargaining table. I try to be. I’m still a representative of management. I represent major studios, each of whom has different businesses and in some cases different interests. All of that is the same as it was for Nick. The one area where we may really differ a lot is getting out in front of negotiations. Having regular communications with the guilds and unions, so that we can share perceptions or disagree about what the world looks like, is very important. I’ve already had discussions with representatives of the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild about doing that.

In fact, during the writers strike, it seemed that you were practically speaking different languages.

I think increased dialogue between the parties would have helped on some issues, particularly in new media, where the companies felt it was too early to negotiate a deal, and the Writers Guild felt they were going be left in the dust and have this whole market develop around them and not be part of it. It may not have prevented a strike, but having discussions about that at an earlier stage might have been very helpful. We really didn’t have a functioning relationship.

And you have one now?

We’re working on it. I’ve made efforts to reach out to the WGA leadership to change that dynamic.

Looking ahead to 2011, when contracts for actors, writers and directors all expire, conditions would seem ripe for another showdown between studios and talent.

I hope not. Everybody endured some battle scars from the last round. The economy in L.A. and elsewhere suffered tremendously as a result of the last strike. A lot of people lost their jobs. Nobody really wants to revisit those consequences, so I’m optimistic that people will say, “Let’s find a way to get this done.”

Read the full article HERE:

Thanks to Jonathan Handel for pointing to the article:

A FILM INDUSTRY BLOG READER asks:

“Hi David,
I have written about 5 novels that needs publication but I can’t have the money to work on the publishing, can I sell the story for some money to assist in my publication.”

RESPONSE: Hi Nana, thanks for your question.

Unfortunately it’s rarely a good time for unpublished writer to get money upfront for the rights to your work.

What I would suggest are these steps:

1) Write a one or two paragraph synopsis or summary of your 5 novels and then see if you can get some feedback on which one people think is the most commercial.

2) Once you determine which one sounds most interesting to the most people write a one or two page treatment/summary of that one and use that as the foundation for a book proposal that can then be submitted to potential publishers. (Or producers if you’re interested in turning it into a film or screenplay.)

It may be that your idea is so unique and amazing that it will attract a bidding war and big advance which of course would be great.

But one of the things new writers experience (especially if you’re sitting on 5 unpublished novels) is lack of professional feedback on your work. Sometimes when we’re busy writing and living our lives we lose touch with what’s happening in the marketplace. That can be good for the creative process but it’s important to get some professional feedback on our  ideas and writing periodically.

Having your short pitches available for your 5 projects will help you get outside feedback without requiring people to read the whole thing. If people like the pitch, then they may request a chapter or so to read, and if they like that they may request the whole manuscript.

But bottom line, lets get you some feedback to see how your work fits into the market.

Hope that helps. And thanks for your Question!

Here’s a question I received from my request for public questions.

“Hi there.  I’ve been an independent casting director for over 30 years, casting mostly studio feature films with a few indies and TV pilots thrown in.

“Independent,” meaning I don’t work for a studio and I’m freelance.  Things have been going very well until the last couple of years when the “perfect storm” hit the business.

The Writer’s strike, the de-facto SAG strike, followed by the economy tanking last year. Studios have stockpiled projects and have almost stopped green-lighting films, or they are green-lighting fewer and fewer films.

The traditional resources to go to for financing for indies has also shifted greatly.  People are scared.  Seems like the business model for studio and indie film distribution, financing, etc. has completely changed….but I’m not quite sure what it’s going to change into.

What do you think the adjustment (or fall-out!) will be in this end of the business?

How’s a girl supposed to make a living as a casting director with so few films being green-lit?!”

HERE’S MY REPLY:

Um. Well. . . .

A lot of people ARE getting out of the business. And also based on the calls and emails I’m getting a lot of people are still deciding to get INTO the business now.

But everyone must reinvent themselves to some extent right now.

People who were making good livings, or great livings, or just moderate livings are being forced to ask themselves:

-What am I really doing in the business?
-How did I get here?
-Where am I going?
-How will I pay my rent or mortgage? (or student loans.)

But to go back to the question here are the simple answer to the questions.

THERE ARE REALLY THREE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION

1) Get a day job.

2) Find a way to morph or expand your business in a way that builds on what you’ve done in the past and leads in the direction of a trend you see coming in the future.

3) Start generating your own projects. (i.e. put on your entrepreneur hat, i.e. become a producer.)

In the “good old days” we’d work for a few years figuring out what part of the industry we’d want to fit into, do some apprenticeship, then find our way into a niche of the industry and focus on that.

We either found opportunities or left the business.

Some loved the good times so much that we tolerated or suffered through the bad times.

When I was working in production, I always felt like being on a production was the “vacation” in my life: the respite from the constant job hunting and resume sending and hoping and waiting. It was so amazing to be actually working in my chosen field that it truly felt like the vacation. (Can you relate?)

Now, it’s obviously a slow dark time in Hollywood. (And in the whole world too, as my Dad likes to remind me.)

SO WE’RE ALL ON THIS STRANGE JOURNEY TOGETHER

The good news is that many of us have woken up and found ourselves living and working in Hollywood and on the journey of realizing the life and work that we want to live and experience.

The bad news: little production. Little work.

Here’s the question: When you separate your need to make a living from your desire to work in Hollywood, what’s left.?

Do you still want to be in the entertainment industry enough to weather what could be a few more years of feeling lost in the desert?

I think for people just getting into the business, the answer may be closer to “Get a day job that’ll get you closer, and start developing projects”

And I think the answer for people who’ve been in the biz for a while is “Reinvent yourself and revisit your skill set and . . . start developing projects”

And for all of us, it’s less about waiting for the phone to ring and the opportunities to find us. It’s more about identifying people you want to work with and want to be in relationship with and getting to know them.

I think at this point, it’s in everyone’s best interest to start acting like a producer and start hustling and making your own opportunities.

As Shlomo Carlebach said: “Some people sleep until morning. Others know they have to bring the morning.”

–

WHAT’S YOUR QUESTION?

Ask me a question below and if I can I’ll answer it for my next blog  entry here.

Thanks for playing!