Thoughts on the Biz - Breaking In

Quite often people approach me with concepts, ideas and scripts. Of course each and every one of these individuals feel as though their idea is the next BIG thing. The funny thing is, they're submitting their ideas to someone who is still trying to break in! I'd like to take a moment and share my thoughts on how I think the feature film world works.


First of all, talents, skills and abilities are not door openers. These are traits that people are passionate about and producers in the industry can buy cheap! I know what you're thinking… "How can he say that?! Our skills are God given talents, how dare you belittle them!" I'm not describing my belief system, I'm just describing how I think the machine works.

"It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know." - So very true!

Many years ago, when I heard this, I thought "wow! How shallow is that?" Before we discount it, let's examine it. I don't believe the above statement is meant to convey that what you know isn't important. It just means that you need to be trusted by the right people to get through some doors. Think about it. If you had a leaky pipe in the basement, who would you hire to fix it first? A handyman that specializes in pluming that is recommended by someone in your life that lives by high-standards and appreciates quality? Or the plumber with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages? Personally I've had much better results by listening to the people around me that are where I would like to be. When you take quality advice from trusted individuals, you're stacking the odds of success in your favor.

To become the trusted individual that people would recommend and vouch for, is not an easy task. It requires time and dedication. Most people don't seem interested in investing their time in that manner. It seems the common mentality is the lottery method. Just keep sending out creative material and eventually something will hit! I'm not saying that it can't work. It's just that the odds aren't in your favor when you go about it that way.

So the "WHO" is more important than the "WHAT". It's even backed by scripture…

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Galatians 5:14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Most importantly we need to ask ourselves why we do what we do. If you died today, would you be glad that you were spending time doing what you are doing? This post is a way for me to share with others and to think through (and refine) my thoughts and beliefs. If you have any challenges, disagreements or critiques, please post them. I love to engage in intelligent communication and learn from others.