#06: Why do some people fail in the entertainment industry?
I have to keep going on the “attitude determines altitude” theme for people who are trying to rise in entertainment. Some people think that looking successful will actually replace being successful - or working hard to get there! So the question I want you to ask yourself, if you find yourself getting nowhere in your Hollywood dream is…
DO YOU FRONT? COME ON NOW, DO YOU?
- Do you wear sunglasses inside, when you are not blind, even when you are speaking to people? Psssssst. You look young and unexposed and unsure of yourself. That’s true even if you are famous. If Sidney Poitier and Kathleen Kennedy and Mira Nair can work a room without shades, so can and must you.
- Do your business cards say “Executive Producer” though you have never raised the funding for a produced film? That means if you meet a real executive producer, they might see you as competition instead of a fantastic new talent they can groom or give advice and mentorship to.
- Is your first question in every interview, “How much am I being paid?” Enough said.
- Do you stubbornly defend your writing and professional and creative choices to anyone who offers you feedback on them? If you are intent on presenting yourself as already knowing all there is to know…no one will ever want to teach you what you’d love to learn.
- Are you leasing a luxury vehicle or watching a 42″ plasma HDTV on your leather couch but do not have a top of the line computer and all of the software, tech gear and media components you need to make it in this industry? Sell off the lease. Buy a camera and audio and lighting equipment and hard drives and Microsoft Office and Final Cut or Avid Express and First Draft, etc.
The sooner you start to embrace the attitude of being successful rather than the appearance of it, the sooner people’s perception of you will shift. The attitude is not, “Hey, I’m a big man! Check me out!” It’s “Hey, I respect what you do and am making my way through this maze. How can I contribute to your dream with what I have to offer - ’cause I know I’m going to learn something along the way?”