Shaking the Money Tree, 3rd Edition. Morrie Warshawski
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These might include Studios, Producers, Foundations, Public Television Stations, Cable Networks, and the Press. Next, identify specific organizations and their locations. Then, for each organization identify the names of the people you need to influence. Where you do not know the name, list the title and then find out who fills that position. Now you have a good rich map full of names that you must fold into your modus operandi as you begin to pursue your goals. Place these people in your database, make them aware of you, and meet them in person whenever possible.
LAST STEPS
Actually there are no last steps in career development. It’s an ongoing process that you will probably take with you into retirement when you replace professional development goals with those of personal growth. What a filmmaker can do to help ensure success is concentrate on a few basic concepts. One is a constant feedback loop of evaluation. The task here is to take regular stock of how you are doing against the goals you have set for yourself. Have you met your targets on time? If not, then what has held you back and how can you adjust either the goal or your performance level to keep moving forward?
Another important aspect of career development is the acquisition of a number of “tools” for your toolkit. News releases, resumes, press clippings of feature articles and reviews, festival awards, video clips, “kudos” letters from prominent people, an attractive Web site and/or blog, participation in social networking sites, a compelling project “pitch” — these are all strategic tools that when used wisely will be a boon to a growing career. Creative professionals have a large arsenal of these tools and use them when appropriate to help pave the path forward.
One of the more difficult art forms to promote is video art. I have had a client for a number of years who is a video artist. When we first met he had already created a small but interesting body of work that was only known by a handful of people. We put together a promotional strategy that fit his temperament and included, among other things: identifying all the people and agencies who were important to his career development; a press release list with street and e-mail addresses; a commitment to sending out news releases every three months; a commitment to creating an attractive postcard for every new work; the creation of a Web site. In the ten years we have worked together his career has taken a quantum leap forward. Of course, it helps that his work is of excellent quality to begin with, but the use of the proper public relations tools have made a tremendous difference.
One last item I must mention, but that is often ignored, is that of an emotional support system. It is very easy for filmmakers to be isolated. That’s one reason I’ve come to dislike the word “independent” and to encourage all my clients to learn to become “interdependent.” I cannot overstate the importance of networking, of finding other like- minded people with whom you can share information, trade services, and swap horror stories. Get connected. Create support systems and build in time to network regularly.
IN SUMMARY:
♦ Identify and broadcast your values
♦ Clarify and commit to your mission
♦ Create a clear and compelling vision
♦ Set ambitious but achievable short- and long-term goals
♦ Evaluate your progress and adjust your strategies accordingly
♦ Interact with the key people in the center of your circles of influence
♦ Develop a strong set of tools for career development
♦ Network, network, network!
Ruby Lerner — President of Creative Capital, and former Executive Director of the Association of Independent Film and Videomakers (AIVF) — has worked with independent filmmakers for decades. Creative Capital is very invested in helping artists move forward in their professions. Here are some tips from her on career development for filmmakers:
RUBY’S RULES
1. For each project, always ask yourself: “Who is this for?” We all want to believe that our work is for the “general public.” But for the most part, the general public stays away in droves. By achieving clarity about your “target” audience, you can deploy finite resources in the most effective ways.
2. Understand that you are not done when you’re done. You may be ready to hand your film over to festivals, distributors, and exhibitors when you finally complete your project, but your work is just beginning. When you start each new film, it is important to ask yourself if you are willing to stay with the project for 12-24 months after its initial public launch. If you don’t care enough about the project to make this time commitment, why undertake it in the first place? This is necessary if you expect your work to have impact in the world — and on your future career prospects.
3. Always be learning from others in your field. There is a lot of invaluable information to be gleaned from the experiences of your peers. This is true about the continuing development of your craft as well as your career.
4. Don’t stop there. Expand your horizons by learning from successes in other sectors. Read magazines and books, explore Web sites, attend conferences, and take workshops.
5. Build your own mailing list — aggressively. everyone you meet is a potential advocate for your work and a potential supporter. Your mailing list is one of your greatest assets as you move forward through a (hopefully) long and rewarding career. It is also an asset that can be traded with colleagues when it comes time for project promotion.
6. Make the Internet an integral part of your practice. this means more than just having an up-to-date Web site; it means having a presence on appropriate social networking sites, and especially, connecting with organizations and entities whose constituencies may have an interest in your project. this extraordinary tool makes it so much easier to stay in touch with your own current supporters about the progress of your projects, but it also creates opportunities to exponentially increase your personal constituency. Some artists are using social networking tools to determine the financial viability of touring to specific locations, by mobilizing personal constituencies on behalf of their projects. Some are using it to do project fundraising. it has become an indispensable way to let your friends and fans know what you are up to.
7. And finally, never “phone it in.” ever. Be prepared to maximize every opportunity. For instance, if you are asked to be on a panel, prepare for it, don’t see it as something informal to which you can just show up and “wing it.” You don’t know who could be sitting in the audience who might get excited about your project or vision — if clearly articulated — and who might have concrete ways to help.
Ruby Lerner, President
Creative Capital
CHAPTER TWO
WHERE’S THE
MONEY?
“You prepare the ground so that a lucky accident can happen.”
— Sidney Lumet
“Where is the money?” That’s an easy question to answer.
There is a simple map to follow for finding money, and it is made up almost exclusively of the following (placed in order of their ranking for giving to all noncommercial endeavors of every type — not just film and video — nationwide):
♦ Individuals
♦ Government (Federal, State, and Local)
♦ Private Foundations
♦ Corporations
♦ Small Businesses
♦ Other Nonprofit Organizations
The