BIDDLE!!! HELP!!! I NEED A JOB!!!

So, it must be February, yes? Seems as much. Well, if you didn't think about a job or internship until oh, say....NOW, consider yourself part of the 85% of students nationwide who do the same thing. And now think about the 15% that are constantly marketing themselves, updating resumes and cover letters, and taking major initiative. Yes, it's scary, but being afraid and ACTING afraid gets you nothing. So, what should you be doing? The following items are based on several conversations Biddle has had with friends, colleagues, and former students, as well as production companies he's familiar with and did cold calls to over the past few months. Yes, cold calls. If you aren't willing, or you are too scared, to make cold calls...have you thought about a career that you can do without leaving the house or speaking to anyone?



Section #1: "...this stuff we're learning is stupid and we'll never use it."

If you're not paying attention to, or simply dismissing what Bill "The Dude" Lee and Jenn Smith are teaching you about media law, contracts, organization, etc. ...frankly, you should not be in this business at all. Production is cool, creative, and offers much rebellion, but The Dude and Jenn are teaching you about the engine that runs all of what we do. If you go somewhere and think it is actually ok to pull images from the Web without permission, or you can use any music you like without ramifications, or you didn't read the contract before you got your company into something, that truly makes you careless and lazy.

No one wants an employee or intern that doesn't know these things. Those who will learn it and keep learning it will keep you from getting that "dream job".



Section #2: "I am a very hard worker..."

Really? You're kidding? That guy who wrote, "All I do is sleep and eat cheesy poofs at work" got that job instead of you! Before you write a resume or a cover letter, please think about the following...

- It may be your first time looking at a cover letter...but not to the employer (or most likely the fleet of assistants) or the internship coordinator. These people have seen thousands and will have to find yours out of a stack of 'em.

- Keep your language away from the academic, the cliche', and the "I am running for high school student council". All it provides is humor to those reading what you sent...and believe me...if it's bad, more than one person will read it.

- Remove the phrase "I need a job" from your language. Seriously, don't say it. Many Native American tribes believe that once words are spoken the words become real, so they treat language very carefully and intelligently. Don't say it! What you should say is, "Who needs me, and how can I prove it?"...or something close to that phrase. Yes, it's all very Tony Robbins, but you have to take yourself out of your situation and understand the employer/internship situation. What do they need? Does your letter address this?



Section #3: "In production, I learned how to..."

Wow, you mean you actually went to class? Aren't you supposed to learn things there? Is the silliness of this phrase sinking in?

I recently had a former student call me to talk about a resume they received from a student (Yes, a Grady Student) for an internship/possibly a job. According to her, "Well, this cover letter says they learned everything from you...and that's about it. My boss wants to know if you need a job" then we both had a big laugh. If you just write how much production has affected you, what does that say about you? What did YOU do? Did you affect any change? Did people learn from your example? Did "production" gain something for you? Sell yourself, not everything that surrounds you. As an employer, I wouldn't want you, I would want that which affected you.



Section #4: "Oh, I just applied online..."

...and that makes you lazy. 10 out of 10 places I spoke to said this. "But they said to apply online..." Honestly, when people like me hear that phrase, it makes me wonder why when I ask for something in class, or at a job, I get debate and eye-rolling...but if the Internet says to do it, don't ya dare question it. Think about it. Employers and internship coordinators are noticing this. When they don't want to be bothered, they put applications online. Why? Because you'll just do it...then sit there and wait. You get scared to call about it and you just let it die in an effort to not upset the Internet's edict. It weeds out who they truly don't want. Trust me.

Or, trust Jenn Smith. She mentioned this at the DGK meeting as well. Most Internet applications go straight to human resources...and then get filed. Can you see the tumbleweeds?



Section #5: "This is so hard, I just don't know what to do..."

Really? Everyday I hear epic tales of how someone pulled-off getting backstage somewhere, or met someone famous, or some other amazing feat of smarts and personality. Why is getting a job/interview so different? Why? FEAR!!! Stop thinking that a job is a handout or that it's going to be like school where you are told everywhere you need to be, everything you need to do, and what rules to follow...its doesn't work that way. The social networks you have contain rules, but you know how to work them, break them, and change them. You know how to get what you need, and provide what others need. That's the job market. Once you graduate, school is over. No more regulation. That is up to you. It's your own self-discipline and knowledge that keeps you doing what you want. All you are afraid of is leaving school, yet all you want is to not be in school anymore. Understand the irony?

You know what to do: find resources to help you (UGA offers a great center for this!), get yourself organized (Biddle and Smith never talk about that), and don't be a pest (be proactive).



Section #6: What employers/internship coordinators want you to know.

Of the many people and places I've spoken with over the past few months, here are the responses I received (most 'em still around from when I was interning and such)...

- Be on time and ready to work.

"I am fed up with recent grads or current interns that come in and screw around texting, IMing, or talking about how they need coffee when the rest of us have been there for three hours" claims a former boss of mine. "I've seen your syllabus, and they still come to me doing this. I no longer care who can edit on what. If they can't be here on time and working, we don't need 'em". This is one of the companies I consult for and so far they've fired almost 25 recent grads for simply not taking the job seriously.

Thousands of students will graduate this year knowing Final Cut, Avid, PhotoShop, etc. Most of them won't keep their jobs because they just don't care about anything but themselves. A former student of mine was actually thrown out of a meeting for checking texts during the meeting. I no longer provide references for this person.


- The boss is the boss, right or wrong. If the boss wants something you will get it and get it quickly!

I cannot actually believe I provided a reference for the person in this unfortunately true story. Recently, a friend at a well-known NYC Production Company called to tell me that he asked one of the shooters (my former student) to go get shot of the bridge from the Brooklyn side and they needed it for edit asap. This was at 9AM. The kid comes back at 7PM (not quickly) with an amazing shot of the bridge from above (evidently his brother-in-law is a harbor pilot). Not only was the edit well into overtime, the shooter did not call to say what he was doing, nor did he provide the bridge shot that was asked for by the boss. The helicopter shot was unusable, the edit was into overtime that the editor had to be paid for, and the brother-in-law had to charge for the flight (NOT CHEAP!). Needless to say, the shooter was fired and I feel like a moron for ever recommending a loose cannon with no respect for anyone.

My friend Chris recently told me about one of his former students working on a project. This former student made no effort to find out who the boss actually was at the shoot! When the boss came over and asked for help, the former student replied, "I am the assistant cameraman...I don't do that". Well, if the Executive Producer was willing to pull cable, not sure why this former student would not pull cable. The former student is now a "former" assistant cameraman and I believe will actually dance for dimes if you ask him to do so.



- If you claim you are willing to do anything, you best not screw that up.

My absolute favorite is the person who claims they will work like no one you've ever seen, then the "real person" comes out. If you want the job, truly want it, then do your best at it....no, not do your best "to keep it"...do your best. Your best should've started with treating the classroom like a work situation. Jenn and I (along with The Dude, Kavoori, etc.) set the learning up for what you need out there, not to simply "get an A". If you go to a work situation and don't know things that were clearly addressed in class, that is your own fault. I'll be happy to give your contacts of people I've had call me begging me to go over FCP, AVID, the law, etc. because "class was just too much work". Once you're competing against people who took the time to know these things....money, office space, awards, and dinner with famous people are on the line.



- Email is for gossip and party invitations.

Use the phone. Talk to people directly. That's how things get done and people know who you are.



- Read the call sheets!

People are busy. Every company, production, location shoot, edit team, etc. has a breakdown and schedule. It's your responsibility to learn it, keep track of what is going on, make the necessary calls for information, talk to the right people and pay attention to deadlines. If you can't do that and you just keep asking questions about items addressed in the sheets, or you keep asking the wrong people things, that in the production world (harsh language coming) makes you stupid, lazy, or both. True fact, no way to get around that.



If this all seems mean, remember that this is a business that thousands of people want to go into every day. It is competitive, fun, harsh, and demanding. The person writing all of this has experience firing 14 people in one day and still consults with companies on who to hire and who not to hire...and it all boils down to what is listed above. Hundred of people can work equipment like gods, but can't follow the simple human equation. Hundreds of people can't work equipment as well as those gods, but have great jobs because they made the effort to understand what is truly important to people...and their equipment skills can always improve.


The Rebellion should only fear its own laziness and lack of commitment and caring. What is listed above are tools for understanding, not to create more fear. Money and jobs come and go, but who you are and how you present yourself in this business stays with you. Long live The Rebellion.