Many actors and screenwriters who are working or aspiring to do so in Hollywood realize that networking is a very important aspect of developing a career. If you are one of them and you’re really focused and trying, you may attend networking events on a regular basis to meeting producers, agents, managers, directors, or other filmmakers you might collaborate with.
As you may have noticed though, going to the networking event and meeting industry folks is only the beginning! Following up with the people you meet there is where things start to count. In some cases, however, you don’t even get a chance to meet the person you went to the event to for the purpose of meeting. At that point you could then consider the whole thing a waste of time and money.
But I say… not a problem.
In the event that you don’t get the chance to meet the individual you went there for, you can in any case catch up with them later. Send them an email and let them know you had went to the occasion to meet them however “the line of individuals was so long to see them” that you just didn’t get your chance.
You might instead tell them they were on the opposite side of the room and you didn’t make it to them. Or then again let them know you thought that since there was such a crowd of individuals wanting to meet them that “after a while, I decided to just send you an email later.”
If it happens that that they were the speaker, in your email, tell them that something they said hit home with you. It will let them know that you listened to what they said, that you were tuned in to them, and that their time was valuable because it helped you.
What the Speakers Want
In many cases, these speakers, regardless of whether they are paid to be there or (and often they’re not) — but regardless to some degree they do these because they feel compelled to give back and they have a desire to pay it forward and made a difference with others just like someone did with them.
When you share with them that something they said sparked your imagination, they’ll welcome it. And it goes without saying to be sincere about it.
Using Follow Up to Create the Opening for Connecting in Hollywood
If you present yourself in this way and get on their radar, regardless of whether you interacted with them at the event, you may still create an opening for a professional relationship.
Naturally, you also need to listen to see when they when they give out their email address. But even if they don’t you can try to locate them on IMDB, their company website or even Facebook, Twitter, or Linked In. The fact of the matter is, there is a wide variety of approaches to developing connections in Hollywood.
In summary, no matter what happens at one given event, when you get innovative about how you connect with people, you can brand yourself as you wish, express your own style, and make an impression that could begin a professional relationship that lasts for many years. Think creatively. Take action. Reach out and connect.