Apart from great weather and terrible traffic one thing Hollywood is known for is networking. Every man and his dog will tell you that the entertainment industry is built on relationships. I've heard stories of people being offered jobs through friends, over dinner even at driving school. Who'd have thought getting a DUI could get you a part in Criminal Minds.
Us Brits have always found the idea of networking objectionable and claim we don't or won't do it but recently I heard it described in a totally different way that made it much more palatable to my British sensibilities. This person said it was just getting to know people on a human level. Oh the relief. I immediately felt excused from having to leap on someone at any gathering barking "what do you do? ???!!"
Obviously you're going to cherrry pick who you connect with. A guy who's trousers are being held up with string and hope is unlikely to be the VP of casting at CBS but thinking of networking that way takes the pressure off every interaction and allows you to show you care about the person rather than just their job titles.
The person who shared this insight also said, success people look for and build networks while other people look for work. I know which I'd rather be.
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