Guest Article by Philip Roufail, CPRW
Breaking into show business isn’t a phrase that just applies to artists. Every entertainment job, no matter how small, has a mosh pit of hypercompetitive talent ready to brawl for it. The people on the inside are entrenched and want it to be as difficult as possible for new competition to “break into” what is a closed system by design. If you want to work in the biz, that is your starting point. Welcome to Hollywood.
For our purposes, “Hollywood” means film and television regardless of where in the country it is actually made (all roads lead to L.A. or New York). Music and sports, while owned and operated by the same people as film and television, have peculiarities that require them to have their own spotlight.
Here are some other phrases you may have heard about “Hollywood” that are also 100% true.
Truth #1: There’s no business like show business.
There is, in fact, no business like show business. To explain how Hollywood works would require a weekly post for at least a year, but here’s the pitch we’re going with: Hollywood is a cut-throat scrum of very crazy, very beautiful, and very talented people vying for a very limited number of deals and dollars. Anything goes. Anything.
Truth #2: Hollywood is a small town.
But not in the way you think. The entertainment industry is nine companies that own everything: NBC Universal, CBS, Time-Warner, Fox, Viacom, Disney, Netflix, DirectTV, and Dish Network. In film and television, these companies employ over 900,000 people and support up to 2.5 million total jobs. That may sound like a lot of people but almost none of them can impact your career; the ones who can are the buyers who can green light projects and the talent who can actually make those projects on schedule and on budget. That is a comparatively small number of people, thus a small town.
Truth #3: You don’t work for a living, you live to work.
Hollywood is the eternal hustle. From the studio executive on down, you’re always hustling for the next job because there is never a guarantee the one you have will last or that there will be another one to follow.
Truth #4: In Hollywood, it’s all who you know.
Who you know is the key that opens every door. That is how everything gets made, so no two projects get made the same way. It’s so abnormal and antithetical to sound business practices that Hollywood is more like a dysfunctional royal court than anything else.
Now that you’re super excited to jump right into your new entertainment career, some Hollywood 101 is required.
The Hollywood scrum is made up of the following categories:
“The Buyers”
· Film Studios/TV Networks/Netflix
“The Producers”
· Film/TV Production Companies with Studio/Network/Netflix Deals
· Film/TV Production Companies
· Independent Producers, which can mean one or any combination of non-union, guerilla (no permits), and without a completion bond.
· Talent Managers/Talent Agents (more on this below)
“Above the Line Talent”
· Above the Line Talent are the artists who guide the creative process: producers, writers, directors, cinematographers, actors/actresses, singers, comedians, and other performers.
· People in this category can also be “Producers”.
· People in this category, depending on their level, may employ lawyers, publicists, personal assistants, financial professionals, social media managers, coaches, trainers, and personal shoppers (yes, that’s a job – and a very well paid one).
“Talent Agency and Talent Management Companies”
· Talent agents find work for above-the-line talent and represent their interests in negotiations.
· Talent agents find and recruit new talent.
· Talent managers have the same role as agents, but more intimate, and can also develop and produce packaged projects. “Packaged” means with their clients attached.
· Talent Agents, forbidden for over 80 years by SAG agreements to engage in producing content, can now do so, with restrictions. However, this puts talent agents alongside talent managers as “Producers”.
“Below the Line Talent”
· Below the Line Talent are the creative people involved in film/TV production who are not above-the-line, like set designers, production crew, costume designers, camera operators, sound engineers, etc.
“Exhibitors”
· Movie theaters (Corporate, theaters, real estate)
· Streaming platforms
“Satellite TV & Streamers”
· Satellite quietly created a new and dominant distribution channel whose main players, DirecTV (now owned by AT&T) and The Dish Network, account for a combined $45 billion in annual revenue, and have now pushed their way into other categories (e.g. Dish Network launched streaming service Sling). And let’s not forget Netflix, Amazon, and the other players who have changed the way that entertainment is produced and delivered.
“Unions”
· Unions may be struggling in many places, but in Hollywood they are still major power players.
· There are unions for animators, cinematographers, editors, and production crew (among others) but the most influential unions are:
o Producer’s Guild of America (PGA)
o Director’s Guild of America (DGA)
o Writer’s Guild of America (WGA)
o Screen Actor’s Guild & American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
o American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
As you can see, there are plenty of areas in Entertainment, all with juicy job titles you’ve never heard of, any one of which may be your dream job. But in Hollywood it’s all about who you know, so while the instruments of a normal job search exist, such as studio websites with online job postings and applications, an actual normal job search does not. To start, you must change the way you think about finding a job. You are no longer looking for a job. You’re looking to know people. The right people.
There are a few important factors to understand before we can proceed.
First, none of what follows applies to above-the-line creative talent, who exist in a labyrinth with few to no proven pathways to success. Statistically, it is almost impossible to be a famous movie/TV star, or a blockbuster making director, or an Oscar/Emmy winning Producer. There is no good advice for you or easy steps you can take. Good luck!
Second, Hollywood’s glitz and glamour is in the production, which is among the most laborious and boring endeavors you could ever undertake, but the truth is that Hollywood isn’t a production business. It’s a marketing business.
And third, you will never know about most entertainment job openings because they are on secret lists circulated only among insiders.
So, what’s the solution? Become an insider. Here’s how:
Recommendation #1 – Research
If you want to be a Hollywood insider, you have to know what insiders do.
Get online and give yourself a crash course in entertainment job titles. For example, many entry-level jobs have the same title, “Assistant to _____,” but assistants aren’t secretaries. They are apprentices. If you work as an assistant on agent’s desk, you are training to become an agent. If you work as an assistant on a producer’s desk, you are training to become a producer, and so on. You will most likely have to work reception or start in a mailroom before graduating to an Assistant role on a desk.
Here is another one. Studios, networks, and production companies all have “development” roles, but “development” isn’t fundraising like it is everywhere else – it’s “story development.” A studio will have an entire story department for a single project, whereas a small production company may have one “development consultant.” These jobs are for people who love to read. You will read a lot.
Do you know what a Line Producer does? How about an Assistant Director? I’ll give you a hint. They don’t assist the director. Do your homework. Learn what these job titles mean. Learn what these people do.
Recommendation #2 - Work for Free. Everybody does it.
The only thing Hollywood loves more than money is not paying people. Hollywood has elevated not paying people to an art form, which is why studio accountants can prove in a court of law that a film that grossed $20 billion dollars worldwide didn’t turn a profit. However, Hollywood’s love of not paying people has created an unofficial network of ways to circumvent its regular aversion to outsiders. In Hollywood it’s all who you know, and you can get to know people by working for free.
Internships
There are (mostly unpaid) internships available in every entertainment sector -- studios/networks, production companies, agencies, theater companies, unions, etc. -- and is one of the best ways to get an early foothold in Hollywood. There are several advantages to pursuing an internship:
Advantage #1: An entertainment internship gives you the opportunity to test-drive the entertainment experience with no commitment to buy. You will learn fast whether or not it’s right for you.
Advantage #2: In general, nobody cares about where you went to college, your film degree, or your student film fest award. That’s where and what – and Hollywood is about who. Nobody at your school can green light a project and nobody is going to buy a ticket to see your student film, but during your internship you worked for a who.
Advantage #3: Hollywood is risk-averse, and that applies to hiring. Employers want as much insurance as possible that a new hire can hack it. Why? Because show business is very hard and not everybody has the right disposition to persevere. If you have an internship on your résumé and you’re back for more, that shows a potential employer you know what to expect and that you can hack it.
Recommendation #3 – Apply to a Page Program
Film studios and TV networks have Page Programs, which are like long-term internships on steroids. While specifics vary from place to place, Page Programs are usually based in Los Angeles or New York and are a year of interdisciplinary work. Most importantly, graduates of the best Page Programs are invited to apply for any open roles in the company. Invited! Unless you are somehow related to Steven Spielberg, you are not going to get better than that. To be expected, slots in the major Page Programs are limited and competitive.
Recommendation #4 – Leverage your alumni network.
Everyone in Hollywood has a group, where people of a feather flock together ostensibly to support each other achieve their entertainment dreams. For example, if you are a young woman with ambitions in movies, the industry group “Women in Film” is for you.
If you’re thinking about an entertainment career, or searching for that first internship or opportunity, there is only one group on the inside you belong to – your alumni group. If you are a student or recent graduate, tap into your alumni network as much as possible.
Ideally, attend alumni sponsored entertainment industry themed events, but they can be any alumni event. The goal is to meet people who may help you find that first or next job, and professionals who are active in alumni networks will help you – even in Hollywood – because those people were once you.
Tip: Some Hollywood “empowerment” or “networking” groups are alternate sources of employment. To use the same example, “Women in Film” is a non-profit organization with its own staff (and interns).
Recommendation #5 – Look into Training Programs
Several big talent agencies, among others, have training programs that are hyper competitive to get into and have attrition rates similar to Paris Island. The advantage is that you are on an actual professional pathway with predetermined, measurable benchmarks for advancement. That is an anomaly. It is worth exploring available training programs in the niche of the biz you wish to work. There aren’t many so bring your A + game.
Recommendation #6 – Sign Up for the Studios’ & Networks’ Job Listings
If you are interested in working at a studio or network, their websites have career portals with job listings, and you should go through the motions of creating an account and uploading your résumé. I have no reason to believe that anyone ever gets a studio/network job by applying on its website, but you should also go through the motions of applying for jobs that interest you for practice.
The studios and networks are the closest thing Hollywood has to normal corporate governance, so they have large Human Resources departments and recruiters and the like. Even if you have an “in,” you will eventually be asked to create a profile and upload your résumé so you should go ahead and do it in advance. The practice of applying for jobs will help you learn the makeup of the studio or network and familiarize yourself with the types of roles they need.
