Getting OUT of Showbiz

When I tell people who are already in the entertainment industry that one of the things I do is help recent grads and others get jobs in the entertainment industry, they often ask me, with tongue only sort-of planted in cheek, if I can help them get OUT of the entertainment industry.

If you aren’t in entertainment, then you might think they must be kidding. But, alas, they are not. Here are some reasons people might want to get out of entertainment:

THE PAY when you first start out, especially when you are in support positions, can be terrible.

THE PEOPLE in the industry aren’t all nice, reasonable or even sane.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT isn’t always something to be proud of.

THE HOURS are sometimes long and unpredictable, sometimes even brutal and around-the-clock.

THE PHYSICAL TOLL is often too much. The physical nature of the job, as in the case of many crew positions (camera department, art department, costumes, electrical, etc.), makes it difficult for people to continue the work past the point in their lives when they are young and hungry. 

The good news- or maybe just the telling news- is that those entertainment industry veterans who ask me about getting out of the industry rarely do. What keeps them there? What is the upside?

THE PAY when you get established can be very good.

THE PEOPLE in the industry are often some of the most generous and creative you will ever meet.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT is sometimes something you can be very proud of.

THE FREEDOM you have when you are freelance to take time off when you want to can make up for the long hours when you do work. You are ultimately your own boss.

THE PHYSICAL TOLL can often be worked around. When you reach a certain level, you can hire people who are young and hungry to do the heavy lifting.

And when all else fails, there’s always THE SWAG. I am right now wearing a FIGHT CLUB tee shirt that I received when I worked as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Producer of FIGHT CLUB.

I also own a MR. & MRS. SMITH baseball cap from my tenure with his company. And maybe even a FREE WILLY plushy toy. Can you imagine??

So to those who are thinking about getting into the industry: I hope this gives you an idea of what you are getting- and not getting- when you get into the biz. Because I’m not giving you my FIGHT CLUB tee shirt. No way.

What’s the Payoff of That Job You Hate?

You say you hate your job, yet there you still are… Why?

It’s not just about the money. It’s NEVER just about the money.

Maybe it’s fear- you know, the devil you know being better than the devil you don’t know. Maybe in spite of your insistence that there is nothing you like about your job, there is something. You love three out of your 100 co-workers- or you love just one, but that commaraderie is something you can’t imagine living without, the endless happy hours spent commisserating over margaritas about the horror and misery that is your shared work life.

Maybe you really like dealing with your total jackass of a boss, proving each day that you can conquer the beast, or at least survive him. It’s a challenge. One you hate, but that you simply can’t imagine not waking up to. Or it could be simply the familiarity. In spite of your lust for change, sitting surrounded by the same four walls day in and day out for years provides some kind of comfort in your otherwise chaotic life.

Or you could just like not having to face the felling of fear that just the idea of change causes to bubble up in your gut. (A common cause people stay stuck in many situations that are no longer happy and/or healthy.)

As you embark on a job or career change, you need to get clear about what’s kept you there for however long you’ve been there. That will help clarify what you need in your next position. For instance, if you love the challenge of your jerky boss, you should seek out a job with another challenge, a more joyful- or at the very least, less dreadful- one.

And if you are still there because you are sharing the same musty foxhole with a close friend who is equally dissatisfied, you need to talk to her about embarking on her own transition process. If she is not ready, you must gather your courage and go first, go it alone. She may not like it, but once you find your way out, she may just get inspired and get out, too. And you can meet for happy hour, a truly happy hour, where you both come from jobs that give you personal satisfaction, and not just something to complain about.

Got Career Advice?

I graduated from college a while back, but I’m guessing it’s not much different now than it was then.

The only advice I got in high school about my career path was from my parents and other well-meaning adults giving their best guesses, and maybe a few minutes spent with a harried “guidance counselor” at my school. (My vague recollection is of being guided to a very, VERY large book that listed every college in the US and provided two pages of information on each one. Overwhelming? Yes. Helpful? Not so much.)

In college and as graduation loomed, I don’t remember getting much career advice at all. There was no one helping me make informed choices on what summer internship between junior and senior year would be most beneficial, what paying jobs I should aim for during school. There was no one specifically focused on helping me land the right first job out of school. There was probably a “career planning center” at my college, but the experience with my high school “guidance counselor” scared me off exploring that route.

I can only imagine how much better it would’ve felt to have a professional sit down with me and discuss my options- my interests, my passions, my needs- as I went out into the work world, and how much more competent and capable I would’ve been if I’d had someone really prepare me for job hunting, giving me solid advice, and skills I could use not just then, but throughout my career as I moved from job to job. A professional resume and cover letter? That would’ve been great, too.

Though I can’t say it would’ve changed the overall shape of my career, that sort of professional guidance  would’ve given me more options, better options, less guessing. It would’ve empowered me to reach higher, to move on more readily when the job was no longer stimulating, confident that I could get something else, something better. In short, I wish there’d been someone like me around doing what I’m doing now when I’d graduated from college.

Are You in the Middle of a Career Transition?

You are in the middle of a CAREER TRANSITION if:

• You just graduated from college and you are trying to land your first job- or even just figure out what that first job should be.
• You are a mid-career professional unsatisfied with your current line of work and you know you need to make a change. But how? And to what?
• You have been out of the job market for a while (raising a kid, retired, recovering from an illness) and you want to get back in to the professional world, albeit maybe doing something different from what you did before you left the work world.

You have come to the right place. This is where I will be sharing information just for you. Advice, guidance, cautionary tales… all designed to help you get from where you are to where you want to be.

Feel free to comment, ask questions, suggest topics. This is for you.