Moving to LA and working in film is something many people want to do, and Jake is a Friends in Film success story who did exactly that. Jake went from a small town in Maine to working on professional shoots in Hollywood. When he lived in Maine, he worked in a call center and knew it wasn’t what he should do with his talent. He was sick of it and wanted to be working in creative jobs. Starting in Maine was how he got resume experience so that when he got to LA, he found jobs in art department.
The film industry is an exciting business to be in. There are fun people, there are opportunities to travel, the work is creative, and every day is an adventure.
For many, the major markets like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Toronto are their goals. Many people will even move to these big cities before having any experience.
People believe that because they don’t live in one of the major markets, there isn’t any work for them to do. It seems like all of the action happens in these big places. Picking up and moving to the big cities without connections is a costly mistake.
When they are unable to break into the film industry in the big markets without connections, they begin to believe that the business is difficult to break into.
It is difficult to make it in the big markets without first having connections.
Start out locally, get connections, then go to the big cities. Develop a network of professionals you can count on to get you the jobs.
Most hiring in the film industry happens from the inside.
The secret to getting inside is finding the shoots happening locally. Shoots happen everywhere, all of the time.
Jake used the training to uncover shoots happening in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Then he applied the training to network with local film people and visiting crew. He became known as a professional quickly and got hired over and over – in New England.
That led to him to finding more and more work. When he got to Los Angeles, he already had a network of insiders who could hire him and refer him to art department.
This training can work for actors, writers, directors, producers, and other crafts.
