My advice was given for a very general resume. If you are going out for a specific job, you may have to arrange and rethink your resume to suit that job’s needs.

For example, if you’re an actor trying to get a job as a secretary at a non-entertainment industry company in Hollywood, don’t tell them you’re an actor! Actors are notorious for missing work and calling in sick when they have an audition or a job and many companies will not hire you if they know you’re an actor.

If you’re a filmmaker trying to get a job on a desk as someone’s assistant, then your filmmaking experience will usually be an asset. In Hollywood, working on a desk is a stepping stone, a way many get their foot in the door with aspirations to one day enjoy a career as a successful writer, director, producer, agent or studio executive.

If you don’t want to separate out your experience on a functional resume, you can put FILMOGRAPHY and list your writer-director-producer credits underneath. Use bullet points to highlight important milestones or achievements.

The bottom line is, in order to market and sell yourself effectively through your resume, you have to focus on the job you’re applying for, what they’re looking for, and how your background and experience can meet their requirements. Don’t expect to use one general resume to apply for all jobs. Resumes should be tailor-made for each position you’re applying to.

I could spend hours talking about resumes but I hope this gives you the broad strokes in a nutshell. If you have any additional questions on resumes, feel free to reply to this email and ask away.

To your success,
TANYA KERSEY
Hollywood Career Strategist

Every year, tons of first-time filmmakers sacrifice blood, sweat, tears, and hard earned cash to produce their first feature film. However, more often than not, the filmmaker is unaware of the steep hurdles lying ahead of them. From getting past agents who refuse the filmmaker access to named talent to finding the oh-so elusive investors. On the April 19th edition of Inside Urban Hollywood with Tanya Kersey and co-host Tiffini Bowers, Entertainment Lawyer/Filmmaker Paul Battista discusses what a filmmaker should prepare for on their first outing and how to leap over those hurdles to achieve Hollywood success.

Paul Battista is a partner of MindFusion Law where he represents low budget independent filmmakers. He earned a J.D. from Seton Hall Law School, an LL.M. from Georgetown Law Center and an M.F.A. in Film Studies from the University of Utah. He has been a speaker at many film festivals and conferences, including Slamdance Film Festival and Film Independent’s Filmmaker Forum, in addition to teaching film classes at colleges in the Los Angeles area. He also wrote, directed and produced the low budget independent feature film, Crooks, which has been released by Warner Home Video. His book, Independent Film Producing: The Outsider’s Guide To Producing A First Low Budget Film is available at paulbattista.biz.

“Inside Urban Hollywood” is a live, Internet talk-radio show that streams live every 1st and 3rd Monday night at 6pm PST/9pm EST. Hosted and produced by veteran entertainment journalist, commentator, author and film festival director Tanya Kersey and co-hosted by Tiffini Bowers, “Inside Urban Hollywood” features interviews with some of Hollywood’s movers and shakers — from filmmakers, directors and writers to studio executives, agents and entertainment attorneys — who share their knowledge and insights to help those aspiring, beginning and hoping to grow their careers in the entertainment industry.

Previous guests on “Inside Urban Hollywood” include screenwriter/producer Antwone Fisher; producer Will Packer; writer/director/producer Preston Whitmore; actor/director/writer/producer Bill Duke; director/writer/producer Rob Hardy, Rainforest Films (“Stomp the Yard”); talent manager/producer E. Brian Dobbins (Principato-Young Entertainment); film producer Effie T. Brown (“Real Women Have Curves”); director/producer/writer Jeff Byrd; writer/director Gary Hardwick; screenwriter Ben Ramsey; Robyn Lattaker-Johnson, President, duBose Entertainment; film financier/investor Steven Belser; indie film producer/consultant Stu Pollard (Pollard Film); film financing consultant/author Louise Levison; Terrell D. Whitley and Nick F. Nelson, co-founders, Liquid Soul Media; distribution executives Brett Dismuke (One Village Entertainment) and Melvin Butters (Barnholtz Entertaiment), Nikita S. Adams, Creative Executive, Foxx/King Entertainment; writer/director/producer Don B. Welch; film financier Kevin Kinsey, film distribution guru Stacey Parks; casting directors Twinkie Byrd and Pamela Station, to name just a few.

Listen in to “Inside Urban Hollywood” every 1st and 3rd Monday night, 6pm PST/9pm EST.

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So I recently just arrived to Hollywood looking to get involved in film production. I have a couple questions concerning how I draft my resume. When listing the things I’ve done, should I state whether it was SAG or not (since all my stuff has been non-SAG so far)? Also, I’ve done multiple things on individual projects (writer AND director AND editor, etc). How should I list those? For example, when I list the feature I wrote, directed, and produced, do I just say I did this and that and this, OR should I create a separate paragraph for each job? Should I have one paragraph that says Editor and then list all the editing projects I’ve ever done, then in the next paragraph, list all the projects I’ve directed? Please help.

THE ANSWER:

The entertainment industry is competitive, and hard to get into. It’s all about “who you know” making it exceedingly hard to find work if you’re a newcomer. The way you will introduce yourself to prospective employers is through your resume so the time and focus that go into its preparation are key.

Make sure your resume is focused. Use very descriptive words that explain broad areas of expertise while targeting the exact qualifications you have, based on the job you are applying for. You can talk about your experience and background in more detail once you get the interview. The purpose of your resume is to get someone interested enough in you so that they call you in for the interview, not to land a job.

Use a functional resume if you need to cluster categories and focus on cumulative years of experience. I suggest that you when you list your filmography, you create separate categorized paragraphs for Actor, Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, etc. If you wrote, directed and produced a feature film, list the film under each category. Use bullet points to highlight relevant experience and anything that you want to draw attention to.

Use a chronological format if your experience is focused in a particular area, i.e. all directing or all writing jobs.

Finally, I don’t suggest you list whether your projects were SAG or not. Don’t offer any information that does not put you in the light you wish to be seen in.

Make sure you have a professional look over your resume before putting it out there. Your resume is what prospective employers are going to use to gauge your talent so you want to be certain it is representing your in the best light.

To your success,
TANYA KERSEY
Hollywood Career Strategist

During a visit to Los Angeles in 2000, Griffin attended a show taping of “The Parkers.” Eager to get involved, she approached an employee who told her to submit a resume. Soon, she found herself wearing khaki s and a white T-shirt, ushering guests of the show to their seat for a mere $8.00 an hour, despite having a Masters Degree. Forever persistent, Griffin landed a job as the receptionist, and eventually worked her way up to Writer’s Assistant. Within two years, the show runners rewarded her hard work by asking her to write an episode. The show Griffin penned became one of the three-part series-finale and allowed her entry into the Writer’s Guild.

Once the Parkers stint ended, the relationships Griffin had built from the show lead her to a number of various jobs and opportunities. She eventually went through the office of Ralph Farquhar (“Moesha,” “The Proud Family”), who in turn, referred her to Reuben Cannon (“Woman Thou Art Loosed,” “Down In The Delta”).

Seeking writers for a new Tyler Perry show, Cannon asked Griffin to submit a spec script. She vigorously went to work, renting every single Tyler Perry movie and play she could get her hands on to learn Tyler Perry’s style. The homework paid off. Tyler Perry was amazed Griffin was able to capture his voice and hired her as the Head Writer for his new show, “House of Payne.”

One of her first tasks – hire a writing staff. Again, aiming to satisfy her new boss, Griffin selected an eclectic group of people including a comedian and a pastor’s wife, in order to fulfill all the elements Perry would want from his show. The one thing they had in common, other than being good writers, they were all people Kellie had networked with during her time in Hollywood.

A lesson can be learned from Griffin’s remarkable tale. By being pro-active in her career she found a wealth of opportunities she was able to capitalize on. While working as a writer’s assistant, she became a sponge, learning how to pitch an idea, how to format a script, and all the other nuances of screenwriting one would usually gain from a formal education. Also, when asked to submit a spec, Griffin took note of her audience and made specific choices to please Tyler Perry, not herself. Lastly, Griffin networked with not only those in a position to put her on, but assistants and other writers, whom she eventually called on for help.

On April 5th, Kellie R. Griffin stopped by to chat with Tanya Kersey and Tiffini Bowers on Inside Urban Hollywood. Listen to hear her discuss not only her inspiring story, but also what she learned from working with Tyler Perry, and advice to aspiring screenwriting looking to follow in her footsteps.

And tune in on Monday, April 19th at 6:00PM PST/9:00PM EST to hear Paul Battista discuss producing independent feature films for first-time filmmakers. Listeners are welcome to call-in and ask questions at (646) 200-3290.

Kellie R. Griffin on Inside Urban Hollywood: www.blogtalkradio.com/insideurbanhollywood/2010/04/06/inside-urban-hollywood-with-host-tanya-kersey

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Answer:  Make sure you write down something the panelist said that you can elude to so when you approach them. You can thank them for their comment/insight and talk about how much you appreciate what they said; or ask a follow up question. Most moderators never give the speaker enough time to express a full thought, so this is your chance to hear more about what they had to say. They are on the panel because they want to share…so let them. And, it’s a great ice-breaker.

Another idea is talking about one of their past or future projects to show you’re familiar with and a fan of their work. Hopefully, you did your homework and gathered some background information on them beforehand. If not, use your PDA to Google or IMDb them while you’re listening to the panel.

Instead of approaching them as another writer-director-producer looking for a handout, approach them as one professional to another talking about something you know they are passionate about. Everyone loves flattery. Everyone loves to talk about themselves. Make an impression by going against the norm. It will be unexpected and they will appreciate being able to talk to someone about something other than the script they’re trying to pitch. The point is, start creating a relationship based on two working professionals as opposed to you trying to get something out of them.

Once you’ve gotten their attention, you can start building on the budding relationship.

If you have a question you’d like answered in one of my weekly “Hollywood Career Strategies,” send the question to me in an email to tanya@tanyakersey.com.

Don’t forget to listen to “Inside Urban Hollywood” tonight at 6pm PST/9pm EST.  My guest is Kellie Griffin, former associate producer/head writer for “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” where she personally hand-picked her own writing team of 8-11 writers and managed them as they wrote a mind-blowing 100+ episodes in less than a year!  Kellie will discuss writing and producing for cable and television. Listen live athttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/insideurbanhollywood.

Have a blessed week!

To Your Success,

Tanya

According to Jerome, it’s always been a challenge for filmmakers to find distribution. Due to the significant increase in films made every year and the current economic recession, the prices filmmakers receive for completed films have gone down. With that said, even in the current marketplace, filmmakers can still recoup their budget and then some. The biggest hurtle filmmakers face with distribution is a lack of education.

There are many steps filmmakers can take before the cameras even start rolling to increase their film’s chances of finding distribution. The most important is casting recognizable talent. This gives your film value and without it, finding distribution is much harder. In the preproduction stage, filmmakers should also budget for marketing and promotion, as well as create an online presence for their film through Facebook, Twitter, and your film’s website.

Before distribution is sought after, filmmakers need to decide what is their ultimate goal? Is it to sell a film and recoup their budget, or to release a film theatrically to boost their career? Just because a film is sold, doesn’t guarantee its theatrical release. When brokering a deal, filmmakers should first get a good entertainment lawyer to negotiate the contract. Secondly, they should make sure a release date is included in the contract before signing.

Most filmmakers recoup their budget through a series of deals. An offer from the studio priced much lower than the film’s budget may seem like a slap-in-the-face at first, but selling your film’s North American rights gives your film value. This can then be used to sell your film’s overseas rights and help recoup the budget. The different revenue streams filmmakers can utilize include theatrical releases, home video, Video-on-Demand, online, and television which includes pay cable, basic cable, and broadcast.

Listen to the show at here.

Tune in on Monday, April 5th at 6:00PM PST to hear Kellie R. Griffin discuss writing and producing for television and cable. As the Associate Producer and Head Writer for “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” Kellie hand-picked the writing staff and successfully managed them as they wrote 100 episodes in less than a year. Listeners are welcome to call-in to ask questions at (646) 200-3290. You can listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/insideurbanhollywood.com.

Listen in to “Inside Urban Hollywood” every 1st and 3rd Monday night, 6pm PST/9pm EST.

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Here’s my question… are you prepared to “pitch” your script at the drop of a pin, in any social situation?  Writers tend to hone their pitching skills for that elusive moment when they get into “the room” to pitch.  But what about all the other times when you meet someone in a non-industry, social environment and get to talking about your script.  Are you prepared for that?  This is Hollywood and you never know who you’re going to run into.

You’re a writer.  You’ve spent months writing and fine-tuning your script with an eye towards selling it.  You know you’re going to have to “tell” it to “sell” it.  How much time have you spent practicing your every day conversational pitch, the one you use whenever you talk about your script in a social environment.

Have you spent time in front of a mirror (or on a video camera), practicing your conversational pitch, much like an actor rehearses a monologue?  Have you rehearsed your conversational pitch with your friends?

Here are a few tips that may be helpful:  Just give them the hook.  Keep it simple. Not a lot of detail. One or two lines. And remember it’s a conversation!