Practical Takeaways from Today's Episode

Before we get to any discussion of how to succeed in the film industry, we need to ask a bigger question: should you pursue success in the film industry?

Working in the industry is the default for many of us. There's an overarching narrative in the world of film that if you're passionate about what you do, the success you should be pursuing is industry success.

If you've listened to my story in the first episode, though, you know that I blindly followed that route when I got out of film school. And it made me miserable. It made me want to give up on filmmaking. The prospect of spending years upon years working 12-14 days on projects and with people I'm not crazy about sounds like hell to me. That's why I changed my definition of filmmaking success to something that doesn't include the film industry.

So in our conversation, Zack gave the following guideline for anybody who's wondering if they're cut out for work in the industry:

If you're one of those people who loves the craft above all else—like, thinking of screenwriting or editing or crafting images keeps you awake at night with excitement—then you've got a strong chance at making it in the industry. It's going to be frustrating at times, and there's a lot of politics and power at play, but you'll make it through all of that with a smile on your face if you truly and deeply love the craft and can't imagine doing anything else with your life.

If, on the other hand, your reasons for getting into the industry involve vanity—perhaps you can't wait for the award shows and for telling your friends that you work in Hollywood—then you don't stand much of a chance. Because the truth is 99% of your time will be spent grinding away on your craft with little to no recognition for your work.

Three steps to succeed in the film industry

In the episode, Zack outlines a simple (but not easy) strategy that will propel you to industry success if you're persistent and you actually put in the crazy amount of work it takes to pull this off.

Here's what needs to happen in order for you to succeed:

You need to be extremely good at your craft. This means that you need to identify a specific aspect of the craft and practice it relentlessly. As Zack mentions in the show, in a world where everyone has access to cameras and editing software and a never-ending supply of books and courses, there's no excuse not to practice and pursue excellence. People (preferably people with the ability to hire or refer you) need to know that you're extremely good at your craft. This is where networking comes in. Form relationships with people who are working jobs you aspire to. Ask them what steps you should be taking to get there. Work to build a large extended network of filmmakers (and make sure that your reputation is impeccable) so that referrals and job openings come your way. You need to be persistent in both getting better at your craft and building your network. If you continue improving, and you continue getting yourself in front of people who matter and building relationships with them, you will eventually succeed. But just know that it probably won't happen overnight. You've got to be consistent and show up every day for these actions to pay off over the long haul..

That really is all that needs to happen for someone to break into the industry and start getting jobs in the field they'd like to pursue. Again, it's not something that'll happen quickly, but as Zack said in the interview: