Fear Mongering....FIGHT BACK!!!!

Finally...summer. A time to relax for a few weeks, then scramble to make show reels, update resumes, make cold calls for jobs/internships, and desperately explain to your parents that you really are trying to get a job. I (Biddle) won't lie to you: it's tough. Lot's of people want to get into movies, TV shows, games, used car commercials, you name it. And, sad to say, many people currently working will discourage you from trying to get into this business. Out of concern for you? No. Out of concern for themselves.

This is a very tough time for graduates and current students: "Am I doing the right thing?" "What if I don't know how to make graphics?" "People keep telling me that if I don't know how to run a camera, I'll never make it in this business!" Folks, that is nothing but fear mongering on the part of people who want to be important. For almost 25 years I've had people tell me, "If you can't (add skill or technique here), you'll get left behind...", or "That's so basic, children can do it and you're going to lose your job", and my current favorite "This is all being done by amateurs now. All of us professionals are going to lose our jobs."

These are not new statements: my father (Advertising Vice President) heard them, my mother (Senior Office Manager) heard them, my grandfather (Head of Vocational Education) heard them, my grandmother (Musician) heard them, and I'm certain my great-grand-whatevers heard them. Everyone in every profession hears this at some point. Yes, more people can do things at home (and that's generally where they stay for the rest of their lives), but these are exciting times...which means uplifting "happies", and crushing "not-happies".

If someone tells you that you've spent your entire college career learning the wrong thing, run-away...just RUN! Well, shake their hand and thank them...then RUN! You have not, you have not, you have NOT wasted you college time learning the wrong thing! If someone tells you that because you DON'T know something you're going to fail at life, RUN! Don't even shake their hand! No matter where you go to school, your education is EVERYWHERE and EVERY DAY! What you learned at Grady is valuable...and soon you'll know how to truly apply that knowledge.

This business is loaded with a myriad of positions that you can learn from, evolve with, and move-on from! I can also tell you that within the last two years, I lost a lot of business to "amateurs"...but within three months of my clients leaving, they came back begging for someone with professional skill, experience, and resources (resources as in the people I work with in LA, NYC, etc.)...and then I upped my price. Everything goes in cycles.

I'm 39-years-old and if I had listened to any of these fear mongers when I started-out, I'd never be as happy as I am now with my life. If college hasn't taught you to take chances, then I personally apologize. Don't listen to any advice laden with fear! Use your solid knowledge of the basics (if ya don't remember these, brush up on 'em...ya know, things like be on time, what's copyright, story structure and how to pitch something, etc.), be professional, and take chances. Although our graduation speaker said to strive to be on of THE CRAZY ONES, I'm certain you're more worried about an apartment, food, a job, and money....well, he's half correct on being a CRAZY ONE.

Living below your standards doesn't mean you're a failure or that you've chosen the wrong profession. It's a glorious time that yields stories you'll tell for years. The Crazy Ones accept this. You might live on a very tight budget for a very long time. The Crazy Ones know this is going to happen. It's almost in a section of Murphy's Laws that when you start out, the very best opportunities don't pay very well (if at all), but yield great rewards. Don't let fear mongers keep you from these!!! Fortune and opportunities happen from hard work, learning, and very often just plain ol' luck. Will you be in the right place for all that? The Crazy Ones don't listen to the fear mongers about taking risks and living where the opportunities and excitement is...ya have to do that for awhile...then you create the place for the oppotunities and excitement. You can't just start off and get all the accolades of the "Crazy Ones"...it takes time. I know, it stinks that you have to put in even MORE time...but the rewards don't stink.

If you still find yourself saying, "It would be so cool, but.....", what is causing that "but"? Fear? Fear of failure? We all fail. Fear mongers perpetuate this...avoid them. AVOID THEM!!! Don't settle for getting placed in a job by someone. FIND A JOB. A job you've researched and you are excited about. Find out where it can lead. Even if Cup O' Noodles is a fine dining experience for a year or more, why would you pass up something great for getting placed in something "safe" to avoid fear? You know all those great stories I have? It took a LOT of failure, screw-ups, and living slightly above poverty to get 'em...and I wouldn't trade 'em for a comfortable, safe life of knowing exactly what I would be doing every...single...day.


Long Live The Rebellion.