Just Network

A good friend wrote me yesterday to ask for advice on how to get a job in a new country. She has lived there for a bit but was not getting anywhere in her job search and wanted to know if she should just give up on her theatre career and take an office job or try and start over as an intern. My answer was “either.” The most important thing she needs to be doing right now is expanding her network and meeting new people. In order to do that she needs to be doing something. Interning or an office job could lead to her next job. I said go to work. Meet new people and then meet their friends. And find people with interest in the area you want to work in.

It is rare that a job will come find you out (although it has happened to me once). More likely than not you will gain employment by the people you know. So when in a new town or country in her case, get out and meet as many people as you can and turn one of those connections into a job.

Back from St. Louis

I just got back from a wonderful weekend at the Missouri Thespian Conference in St. Louis. This is where high school students from all over Missouri come together to learn about theatre. There are also several activities and performances. This trip I taught several classes and each year I am impressed by knowledge these kids have of the business.

Outside of the classroom there were two big questions. How do I pick a college and how can my theatre company raise money. So I will try and answer these questions this week.

When picking a college I think the most important thing is to do your homework. Go and see the school. See a production there. Talk to the teachers and students. Most importantly see if recent graduates are working and if they are not, ask why. You go to college to get the experience and knowledge to get jobs but also to get the contacts to assist you in getting jobs. Networking, networking, networking!

Networking Paying Off

There is a director in DC who is a good friend of mine and I have watched over the last couple of years make strategic moves in networking. He always reaches out to Artistic Directors and makes a point email them, take them to dinner and meet them when they attend shows he’s involved in.

I think he is a very talented director but I have no doubt that he has gotten as far as he did by the networking he has done with all the Artistic Directors. He is my age and about to direct a main stage production for one of the hottest theatres in Washington DC.

Just another example of how good networking pays off.

Networking – Staying in touch

I have told you before how important it is not to lose touch with people in your network. Once it goes beyond a year without contact, you are kind of out of the picture. I bring this up because a job opened up at a former theater of mine. And I got two calls about the job. They both wanted more information about the position and company, and, most importantly, they wanted me to put in a good word for them.

The first person that called is a friend. I see her out occasionally, and she is a nice person. She has been trying to break into this industry for a while, and I was happy to tell her all I knew about the position. I was happy to help her as much as I could.

The second person is an old coworker. We have not worked together in over 3 years, and we have had no contact since then. We weren’t even that close when we worked together. He started his call with, “Jared, it's so and so, and I was wondering how you are! Also, I heard about a job opening up where you work.” He didn’t even know I was no longer working there.
I am telling you all this just to show how important it is to stay in touch. I gave them both all the information that I could about the job, but for one I will go the extra step and put in a good word. Don’t lose your contacts. You never know when they could be working at a place you want to work or what you might need them for.

Networking 2.4

I have a goal every week of networking in and outside my company. One of the many goals I try and set for myself. I try and have two meals each week to network. I have one with a co-worker and one with someone outside of the company.

Lunch is the best time to catch up and get to know a co-worker. It is simple and yet powerful. It is great to get to know someone from another department and get to know what they do. You can better understand how you / your department can better interact with them and their department. By reaching out it shows you have a genuine interest in them. Bosses are always important but it is also just as important to get to know their assistants as they have a more open understanding of the interworking of departments. Don’t forget to also make friends with those box office staff members. How many times do you need to get good seats on short notice? There are lots of people that you probably interact with on a small basis. Reach out and meet them and understand how you can work better together.

Dinner or drinks are a great time to get out and meet people from other theatres or outside of your industry. By meeting with them you never know what might come from it. In my case I have gotten more clients, tickets to other events, ect. You just never know and reaching out never hurts.

I suggest you start to set your own networking goals. Meet people inside and outside your company. Expand your network and watch how fast those little meals pay off.

Networking 2.3

I had the pleasure of meeting with Edgar Dobie yesterday. He is the new Managing Director of Arena Stage and the producer of 9 to 5. I wrote him and said I would like to meet with him with no set agenda and I think it was a great first meeting. He commented more than once on my card and how thoughtful it was.

I got to ask him questions about how he got started and hear some interesting stories about his career path. He also asked about mine and what I thought about certain things. I was impressed with how much he had done in so little time. He has not only been the head of several regional theatres but produced many commercial Broadway productions. He also was the president of the Really Useful Theatre Company for the first six years of its life. I was setting there think he should right write a book.

Why I am talking about this meeting. Well, it goes back to networking. I reached out and took a chance of meeting a producer and guess what it worked. I have sent out many cards like that and only a few get responses but even if I get one response and meeting like I had yesterday it would be worth it. I hope to meet with him again and find a way for me to learn from him. Take a chance and reach out to someone who could expand your network. You never know what might happen.

Building a Network

There is more to Facebook than meets the eye. When I first started using Facebook I was afraid that it would take up to much time to maintain and not be worth the extra time. Boy was I wrong! I think Facebook is one of the best tools to build a network and stay in touch with people and in some cases maybe even reach out to people you don’t know. My good friend Ed Reggi told me he had a goal of a certain number of Facebook friends everyday. I laughed because I thought it was so ridiculous. What good could come of having that many friends on Facebook? People you didn’t even know.

Well, it was only a couple of weeks later I started to set goals for myself. Granted I know most of the people but I do add people I don’t know, people that have similar interests. Why? Well Reggi, who is now close to 4,000 friends, has access to all those people. That is more than a lot of local theatres mailing lists.

When you have a large network like that you can do lots of things fast. Promote a show. Raise money. And the more active you are the better to keep your “audiences” attention. I use a couple of different methods of keeping my network. The first one I used was Facebook. Then I started to use Twitter. And now I use this blog to maybe reach more people. What are ways you could build your network and what would you use it for?

Are we friends on Facebook yet?

Networking 2.1

It surprises me how many people build their networks, just to let them deteriorate. One of the keys to having a great network is following up and staying in touch.

My assistant makes fun of me the day after a networking event because I spend an hour that morning writing cards. Nothing major, just little notes to follow up on conversations I had with people. This is one of the ways following up makes a difference. Only about 1 out of 10 of those cards leads to a working relationship, but I still follow up because the numbers, however small, start to add up.

Another thing people forget to do is stay in touch. This means with past employers, former teachers, and classmates. I try to not let 6 months go by without talking to the key people in my network. This could be a dinner if we are in town or just an email to see what they are up too. And let’s not even get started on Christmas cards.

I am lucky enough to attend the Missouri State Thespian conference every year as a presenter. I always arrive 24 hours before the conference. Why? Because this is where I went to school and worked before moving out east. I start my day at the Fox Theatre where I see old friends and my former boss. Then I am off to Webster to see some of my former professors, and while I am there I stop by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis to see everyone. Then, in the evening, I catch up with other presenters at the conference. It is a very busy day, but it so valuable to me. It keeps me connected to several people from four different organizations. That is why I take an extra day off of work.