Networking!!
You will, hopefully, meet some really good company along the way, and they could help you meet higher-profile
people in the industry, or simply give you advice from their personal experience, which you can apply to your own career. Just working for Disney over the last year and a half, I have been introduced, through prior connections, to a few casting directors and Equity performers, and I have received very valuable feedback and suggestions from them. I even met my boyfriend - a producer - through Disney, and he suggested that I start this website after showing me his own! (You can visit his site at jeremyterryproductions.weebly.com, or the site for his new show at nutcrackerplay.com!)
You can also network through, obviously, social media. Facebook and Twitter are the main platforms that I prefer
to use, but Pinterest can be another good one, as well as Culturalist, created by Jordan Roth - President and owner
of Jujamcyn Theaters in NYC (housing Kinky Boots, Book of Mormon, and Something Rotten - a new musical comedy).
Now, in networking, you have to keep a sense of professionalism. Let's say you've met people who would like to
introduce you to their friend who happens to be Idina Menzel. Is that exciting? Of course! But this is a networking
opportunity, so just remain calm. You can certainly express how honored you are, but don't geek out or ask for an
autograph. It would probably creep her out and that is not what you want.
In closing, I highly recommend obliging to any opportunity you are offered to meet new people. You will learn and
grow so much. Just trust your instincts. You could meet someone who may later turn out to be a less-than-good influence. It's your choice who you keep in contact with, so be smart and don't lose sight of who you are and what you want to accomplish.
You will, hopefully, meet some really good company along the way, and they could help you meet higher-profile
people in the industry, or simply give you advice from their personal experience, which you can apply to your own career. Just working for Disney over the last year and a half, I have been introduced, through prior connections, to a few casting directors and Equity performers, and I have received very valuable feedback and suggestions from them. I even met my boyfriend - a producer - through Disney, and he suggested that I start this website after showing me his own! (You can visit his site at jeremyterryproductions.weebly.com, or the site for his new show at nutcrackerplay.com!)
You can also network through, obviously, social media. Facebook and Twitter are the main platforms that I prefer
to use, but Pinterest can be another good one, as well as Culturalist, created by Jordan Roth - President and owner
of Jujamcyn Theaters in NYC (housing Kinky Boots, Book of Mormon, and Something Rotten - a new musical comedy).
Now, in networking, you have to keep a sense of professionalism. Let's say you've met people who would like to
introduce you to their friend who happens to be Idina Menzel. Is that exciting? Of course! But this is a networking
opportunity, so just remain calm. You can certainly express how honored you are, but don't geek out or ask for an
autograph. It would probably creep her out and that is not what you want.
In closing, I highly recommend obliging to any opportunity you are offered to meet new people. You will learn and
grow so much. Just trust your instincts. You could meet someone who may later turn out to be a less-than-good influence. It's your choice who you keep in contact with, so be smart and don't lose sight of who you are and what you want to accomplish.