I can't believe it. I just pulled an all-nighter. Yup, I spent all night working on my next lecture. What really tripped me out was that about 3:00 a.m. I got a call from this college student whom I met last week.
He was up all night too, editing his film. Well, turns out he is facing a deadline and he wanted to know whether he should create the credits himself or hire someone to do it. Since he still had a lot to do with sound mixing and all, I told him to just outsource the credits. He politely thanked me and was about to hang up when I stopped him. I said, rather emphatically, "And if you ever call me at three in the morning again I am going to kick your butt! Have a goodnight".
This brings me to what I want to talk with you about. I want to share a powerful secret to success with you; one that has eluded many people. In fact, once I let you in on this secret it is going to change your life. I know because when I discovered it and started applying this secret everything for me changed.
Let me ask you this: Have you ever seen people make it in this business with absolutely no talent? But somehow or another they made all the right moves and got fame and fortune. All the while others who work hard and are honest never seem to make it.
Well, that was me not too long ago. I was always a hard worker but success seemed to escape me. Unfortunately, I was focusing on the wrong things. Those right moves that others who were less talented making were what I called… ready for this big secret now? SCALE. Scale, or scalability, is a very simple concept that most people go their entire lives never understanding. Part of the reason is that it has been called by many other names, which further confuse the matter.
So what is Scale? It has actually been around for a number of years and is nothing new, but when mastered can lead to success in almost any area of your life. When I started out as an artist, I would often sends my resume to producers one at a time. Even when I was looking for freelance directing gigs I would search the job boards looking for the right opportunity and then submit my resume.
Well, let me tell you that the best and brightest in this industry NEVER use that approach! In short, Scale is any technique that multiplies your efforts with one move. See, most people starting out in this business focus on those things which take up 90% of their time and produce less than 10% of the desired result. And that estimate is being quite liberal. For example; is it best to search the film job boards and respond to 50 postings OR post your resume, reel, headshot or etc on 5 key boards and get seen by hundreds of agents and producers at once? Obviously the latter makes more sense. That is Scale.
Now, on another level, Scale can be referred to as viral marketing, butterfly marketing, affiliate programs and joint ventures. The reason why many people in this industry give up so soon is because they see so little results. And the reason why they see so little results is because they get caught up in managing small parts instead of increasing Scale. Pinpoint any technique that can increase your efforts without demanding a lot of time on your part and you have a winner! Such efforts can be: well-connected agents, postings on top sites, good social networks, and viral marketing. Any one of these can get you exposed to hundreds of people at a time!
Not too long ago, I was approached by a guy who wanted me to join his multilevel marketing business. I went to one of his meetings, which sadly consisted of me and another person. After the meeting he asked me if I wanted to join. I said well that depends on your plan. I told him up front that he was involved in a nickel and dime operation. I simply wasn't interested in doing presentations to one or two people at a time. It was not good Scale. However, if he had a plan and the right connections that entailed approaching churches, organizations, and unions I would be down. Of course, he had no such plan or contacts which is why I never joined. Get the point?
So, if you are looking to be a success in this industry, stop focusing on task management i.e, handling small details that yield small results. Instead, increase Scale by targeting those techniques that quickly and exponentially increase your efforts and subsequent exposure. That is how you make it and that is how you WILL succeed!
Now, I have greatly simplified Scale for you in this e-mail. There are many more complex components to it. For example, without a proper understanding of width vs. depth you could achieve the opposite affect. What I am saying is that it is important for you to understand the principle of Scale right now and NOT the actual techniques involved. It is a very popular trend and there are many companies, books and software programs that you can get that deal with it. A great resource for techniques on Scale is: http://www.kamiticartssystem.com
Once you understand Scale at its core you can apply it to almost any area of your life. So important and life changing is this subject that I hope to do an entire program on it one day as it relates to us in the entertainment industry. Until then, start looking at your current situation and find ways that eliminate the small individual tasks and focus on ones that greatly increase the impact of your efforts.
Now, going back to that filmmaker who called me for advice – he understood the importance of leveraging existing talent to accomplish the task he needed. Why spend more time on something when he could increase his efforts to complete the film against an aggressive deadline by hiring someone to help him. That's the beauty of Scale. Makes sense right?
The Ultimate Career Strategy
