Accomplished women agents,
managers, entertainment attorneys and producers downloaded newbies on how to
climb the Hollywood ladder at Women In Film's “Speed Mentoring”
“Never equate kindness with
weakness.” – Iris Grossman, Agent, Paradigm
“Do your job as though you're
not scared to be fired.” – Susan Cartsonis, Producer,
Storefront Pictures
”Better to beg for forgiveness
than ask for permission” – Ghen Laraya Long, VP Mandalay
Digital Group
Those were just three of the
hundreds of pieces of advice handed out at Women In Film's “Speed Mentoring”
program at the Montage Thursday night.
What LinkedIn is to Tinder,
“Speed Mentoring” is to “Speed Dating.” Twenty handpicked mentees starting out
their industry careers got the equivalent of 20 general meetings, all in a
night.
“I had no mentors,” Marion
Rosenberg, WIF member and producer of “The Deer Hutner”, told TheWrap.
“I came to this country over
50 years ago, and there was not one woman I could look to and say ‘I want her
job. I want to do what she's doing. I want to be that woman.’ Not one.”
Marion Rosenberg and Chevonne
O'Shaughnessey at the Montage Thursday night. (Carina Tautu)
Chevonne O'Shaughnessey,
who founded the program, points to Red Silverstein, former president of MGM
International who started his own career in the 1920's.
“I would call him up. He would
tell me his stories of what it was like when he ran MGM and then he would tell
me who to call,” O'Shaughnessey said.
“Using his name to get to that
person was a lot easier than me saying, ‘This is Chevonne O'Shaughnessey. His
children and I are still good friends.”
Only 20 women from WIF's
mentee program got the chance to speed date with the likes of AFI Associate
Dean Betsy Pollock, actress Sharon Lawrence, Hollace Davids (VP at Universal
Pictures), and the hilarious Nell Scovell (a must twitter follow @NellSco) whose recent
comparison between the memoirs of Alaskan street fighter
Bristol Palin and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzi went
viral.
Besides not hitting a party
host in the face “5 to 6 times” and ducking out in a white stretch Hummer limo,
here's nine more pieces of advice doled out at WIF's event Thursday night.
More Free Advice:
·
Learn how to stay in touch
once you've made a connection without being a pest. Persistence without
annoyance –A fine line to walk – Lillah McCarthy, Sr. VP Turner
Broadcasting System
·
Just get on with it! – Sarah
Jackson, Personal Manager
WIF mainstay Marcia Nasatir,
taking millenials to school. (Carina Tautu)
·
You are going to have
setbacks, so develop a philosophy of “Done. Next?…. ” – Marcia Nasatir,
Producer
·
Recognize that your position
in the business will change as much as the industry does so don't be afraid to
reassess your goals and how to build the right team to reach them – Sharon
Lawrence, Actor
·
Believe in yourself; never
look back; always wear comfortable shoes – Marion Rosenberg,
Producer/Personal Manager
·
Learn all there is to know
about entertainment industry business and finance. Don't rely on others to be
the brains of your operation – Gayle Nachlis, Executive Director, Women
In Film
·
Know who your buyer is: study
the market well before starting your project – Chevonne O'Shaughnessy,
President, American Cinema International
·
Be passionate about your
project: passion will get you through the hard times – Betsy Pollock,
Associate Dean, AFI
·
Be bold. Don't be afraid to
step out of your comfort zone – Stephanie Austin-Thaler, Producer
It's been a busy week for
power women at the Montage, with Salma Hayek
leading TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast a day earlier.
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