“There are tectonic shifts in the underpinning of the industry.”– Bill True

As the saying goes, there’s no business like show business, and if the truism refers to the act of “Breaking In” to the film and television industry, it’s spot on.  This is the focus of my second column for Hollywood Scriptwriter Magazine: a subscription based online publication that released its spring edition on Friday, May 10, 2013.

The article introduces you to three men who are in various stages of developing their skills and craft as writers and producers. Bill True won the 2006 Austin Film Festival Award for his debut feature film, Runaway. If you want to read “True-isms”, then this guy has a ton of them. His experience and knowledge paves the way for the discussion.

Richard Moon is currently promoting the release of his first feature film, Driving By Braille, on DVD. Richard is a writer who began producing out of necessity, only to discover it’s something he has a real passion for.

Michael Gibrall has just begun his  journey as a writer/producer. He’s now in production on his first feature film, his own award-winning screenplay, Available.

All three writers speak to the value of taking control of the production of their own material, not only to “Break In”, but to garner the respect that might not otherwise be afforded a spec writer without a feature film credit.

Subscribe to Hollywood Scriptwriter and find out what it takes to make your own breaks in the business of creativity.

“Market yourself and your script. Create your own webpage. Create a Facebook page and market you and your script, list your script on Moviebytes.com, and never stop marketing.” — Michael Gibrall

The feeling changed as soon as the guest speaker came in. The speaker at the event, Bill True discussed “Shame-less Self-Promotion”. I really loved his presentation. Anyone who gets the opportunity to see him speak should take the opportunity. I walked away with the idea that people like to ‘volunteer’ versus being told what to do and hiring managers like to hire people who are also selfless. It made complete sense and really goes against so many things being taught to job seekers. Managers are people and they want to hire people. Real people not robots!

From a personal perspective I recognize that I would want to hire the person who would do whatever it takes to make a project successful and not just a person who met all the qualifications. I want the person who would volunteer to clean the bathroom or take out the trash (if those were actual job duties) because the team has to work toward the needs of the greater good . No, not just the company greater good, the team! Team is the family you call co-workers, or something called community. (Hey, as the leader I will also take out the trash!)

I found it strange that I had to lose my job to see the loss in community all around me. I like to believe that every one of us has something to give or something to share. A kind word, assistance with a resume, a job lead, or even helping a person cross the street. Where has chivalry gone? (This isn’t just directed at men, it applies to women too.) The random acts of kindness are rare but cherished. What are you going to do to help someone today?