Finding the Art of Self-promotion

Self-promotion may sound like a relatively simple task, after all no one knows your experience, capabilities and strengths better than you do. But the reality is it’s easier said than done for most. Production manager Dot Kyle gives techos a few simple pointers on self-promotion.

With the current downtime in the film and TV industry, marketing yourself is more important than ever. But being the creative and artistic types that most of us techos are, we can often be humble in our achievements. Or simply, we don’t know how or where to start with promoting our work and ourselves. Indeed it can be a challenging and daunting task but the reality is that it’s an essential task for us in the film and TV industry to ensure continued employment.

Having a booking service like Filmcrews is a great start, but if you can’t take care of the basics (such as having an up-to-date CV or practising good communication) then there is little even a booking service can do to help you. Past connections are imperative relationships to maintain but you can’t solely rely on them, as when new companies arise and overseas productions come to our shores, you’ll instantly cut yourself out of the game if you have nothing on paper to show.

CVs

A CV remains one of the best tools for self-promotion. But if you don’t work in production or if you aren’t savvy with word processing software then putting together a CV can be a challenging task. Some basic yet good guidelines are:

Precision: Your CV needs to be clear and precise, remember the little things do matter (like the correct spelling of names, production companies etc).

Credits: All credits need to be separated into categories like feature/short film, TVCs, music videos, television, documentaries etc.

Referencing: A key essential is to reference the production company and the appropriate people (i.e. the director and the DOP if you’re in camera or the production designer if you’re in the art department etc). You don’t need much detail about the job itself. Remember to keep it simple.

TVCs: As the years progress so do the pages of your CV. It’s a case of weeding out the non-relevant jobs (in terms of the level of work you are doing now) and then highlighting the big jobs. Line productions are great ones to reference as they generally hold a bigger budget, longer shoots and give a better insight into your capabilities.

Presentation: A big must is to save your CV as a PDF, so your CV will be received in the way you want it to be received. Sometimes Word documents can corrupt and the alignment, fonts and tabulation can go haywire if the receiver is operating on a different version of Word. This is really important especially if you’re after a job in production.

Opinion: If you’re not sure about your CV then ask someone for help or feedback. Most people are more than willing to help out a fellow freelancer.

Maintenance: If you are with booking services Filmcrews or Show Tools then make sure you maintain your CVs or profiles with them. Both allow you to add and reference previous work along with listing of gear etc. It’s always worthwhile to have a chat with Sioux Macdonald from Filmcrews to find out more about what you can do for yourself and how Filmcrews can help you.

Social networking and the web

Social networking is also a fantastic way of showcasing your work and sharing websites, reels and credits. Facebook is great if you’re a company offering services i.e. gripping, lighting etc but personal pages, I believe, should be kept as a personal forum and not for work purposes. Professional sites like LinkedIn are solely for connecting professionals with other professionals with no awkwardness. You can add your work history on LinkedIn and as you build up your connections, you can have people you’ve worked with write recommendations and endorse your skills. It’s not always possible to get a personal reference so LinkedIn is a great way to get future work, not only in NZ but overseas as well. I and many people I know have secured work through this LinkedIn.

IMBD is another form of backing up previous work. It’s more applicable to films however some television shows are referenced on IMDB. If you have worked on a feature you will probably already have an IMDB account so then you just need to tend to it. You can easily add other credits. It is a little time consuming and it can take a few days before it will appear on IMDB (they do check that each credit is legitimate). Many overseas production companies use this site alone for background checks. Upgrading to IMDB Pro will allow you to add photos, web page links and contact details. You can also access information for overseas production companies and people along with productions that are in development or filming. Sometimes dates are a little unreliable but if you work in the feature film arena then it’s a good medium to know what’s going on in the industry worldwide.

Emailing

Cold emailing people for work is another way of connecting. You have to be strategic with timing and the email needs to be precise and short. All too often people can waffle on in emails and it’s an instant put off to the receiver as their time is precious.

Be clear about the position you’re interested in and know a little bit about the person you’re emailing. Make sure they are the best contact for the line of work you’re seeking. Emailing is great when you have something to share so just after a finished job is ideal. Detail your recent work and always attach your CV so the receiver can read more into your skill base.

Having an email signature that links to your webpage or your IMDB, Filmcrews or Show Tools page etc is another easy way of self-promotion and gaining credibility. It’s a subtle yet effective way of linking others to your work.

Be realistic about your experience too. We all know that it generally takes a long time to get to a position of command. I often receive emails from film students stating they’re a DOP, producer or 1st AD when looking for work – three years of school does not give this status. Most techos in these positions have worked for years in the industry. It goes the other way also. Some people have years of experience but due to a lack of confidence they don’t feel they can pitch themselves for higher roles. Don’t sell yourself short, if you have the experience and knowledge for a higher job then go for it.

It’s hard out there for most in this industry currently and it’s up to you alone to promote yourself. Utilise the platforms outlined above bearing in mind there are many other things you can do to promote yourself. Above all remember and value your relationships with peers. Nurture these because nothing is more powerful in the world of film and TV than the contacts you make and the reputation you build through word of mouth. Lastly, but of immense importance, be confident and gracious in all that you do and go with your intuition.

Dorothy (Dot) Kyle is a production freelancer with ten years of experience in the film & TV industry.