The Secret to Networking
I was asked a few weeks ago by a fresh new actor
“Should I be finding out who the best up-and-coming directors are, and start relationships with them now?”
Mmm
Interesting
In 2015 I was sitting on a balcony, having no idea what to do with myself
I got a message from a fellow actor
Someone had just pulled out of a gig
They were looking for a replacement
It was an unpaid short film
I didn’t care
I hadn’t acted professionally in almost a year
I wanted to play
And when I found myself on set
I felt completely fulfilled
Free
It woke up that part of me that loved the craft of acting again
Something shifted
And 3 weeks later I booked an Australian television series and Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge
At the end of the year, I sat down with some external accountability to work on some things
Something that came up was the topic of professional relationships
What kind of relationships did I want to have in the industry?
What kind of colleagues did I want to play with?
Easy answer
I found a black and white picture of myself and the director working together on that unpaid short film
“I want more professional relationships like that”
The director was a nobody
In fact, I’m pretty sure it was his first crack a short film
Again, I didn’t care
Why?
He put the work first
And that made things so easy and fun
Everything he did was about telling the best possible story
About serving the script
Giving the most generous work possible
Regardless of all the challenges that come with making a short film with no money
The by-product of putting the work first?
It meant a freedom on set
An honesty, an openness to collaborate, a willingness to listen and play
A humility to let go of ideas and do whats best for the film
But most importantly
It was just goddamn fun
We would geek out on craft for hours
Spend long nights watching YouTube clips of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Thomas Anderson discussing tiny details about their work
Buy each other fast food when the other had no money (usually him buying for me)
My point?
I simply felt energised when we worked together and hung out
I only wanted to collaborate more
And we did
Over the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to find myself on several of Pete’s projects
And on Saturday night
I watched him stand in his kitchen (in his pyjama pants)
And accept St Kilda Film Festival’s coveted award for best film (via Zoom)
Yep
Pretty special
Australia’s most prestigious short film award went to Lost Boy
It’s a glorious external reference point
An objective “that’ll do pig”
But when I think about awards
Especially in the arts
I believe they are the manifestation of years of behaviour
The habits, choices, rituals and actions someone has made behind the scenes for years
The boring bits
The things no one else really sees (or wants to do)
Most people will wait for the industry to determine their behaviour
When I get that special gig, then I will behave like blah blah blah
What I have found thus far after my first decade out in the big wide industry
Is that the real pros…
They go first
They don’t wait for permission or a pay check to give everything they can to the work
So when Pete graciously accepted the award
As special as it was
I thought to myself
“I’m not surprised”
He didn’t get that award because of a few weeks of filming
He got that award because of years of loving the process
Years of sacrifice
And years of care
I’m going slightly off track here
Lets bring it back
“Should I be searching for who the best up-and-coming directors are, and start relationships with them now?”
My advice?
Hang out with people you love hanging out with
The rest will take care of itself
Hope this helps
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