I think every film graduate needs to make a to-do list like this one to get their career started. It certainly has helped me quite a bit. I got laid off in November of 2007 during the height of the WGA Strike. For the next four months, I sent out resumes and cover letters to at least 300 job and internship postings. I ended up interning briefly for a few different producers before landing the full-time PA gig that I have now for a major reality program on A&E.

1) ORGANIZE YOUR RESUME/PORFOLIO: Your experience might be well-rounded or it might be focused on a specific specialty. Either way, write and keep several different versions of your resume, and keep a good record of every title you’ve worked on and where those projects ended up going. Write and re-write attention-grabbing lines for your sample cover letter.

2) JOB SEARCH AT: Craigslist.org, Media-Match.com, RealityStaff.com, and a lot of people mention Mandy and Entertainment Careers but I haven’t found either of those to be helpful for folks at the entry-level, post-grad stage. If you can’t find a paying gig, do internships or freelance pro-bono for a brief period, and I do mean brief. You should not have to work for free for more than a few months.

3) RESEARCH REGIONAL DOC COMMUNITIES: From what I hear, SF and NYC are wonderful networks for fostering grassroots activism, DC has a strong base of major news outlets, New England has a solid, active network that most of the rest of the country is not even aware of, and LA is well, LA has a little bit of everything, in my view.

4) JOIN THESE WEBSITES: D-Word.com, Doculink.org, Documentary.org (get their magazine), FilmmakersWorkshop.Ning.com (Boston-based), ShootingPeople.org, and a few others that I can’t think of off the top of my head

5) START A BLOG: You don’t necessarily have to have a project going on to keep a blog, but the blogosphere is becoming the most efficient and popular way for professionals at all levels of their career to archive and publish their own research and observations. Consider your blog an extension of your resume/cover letter. Also, if you are considering a career in directing or producing, you will have to do a lot of writing to even get your film off the ground, so you might as well start practicing now.

6) VOLUNTEER FOR DOC ORGS: International Documentary Association (LA-based）events, or doc film festivals which is an easy way to meet big-name filmmakers, or all the nonprofits out there that are currently involved in a documentary film or program of some sort

7) INVEST IN A PROD. CO. & YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE: This one is hard cuz there’s always the dilemma of taking a shitty, demoralizing job that pays well or doing what you love and having to live on a Ramen noodle diet for it. I have my middle ground by staying at a job in which the pay is barely enough for my needs, but the connections and experience I’m gaining at this job are worth more than anything I could ever purchase on my own.

8) LEARN TO NEGOTIATE & KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER: While you’re saving $$ to be able to shoot and cut projects all to yourself, be creative and learn alternative ways of accessing resources and technology when your budget won’t suffice. Most of the filmmaking biz (including docs) is about negotiating, regardless of what your title or level of experience. If you have a passion for docs, are pro-active in getting stories told any way you can, and show that your energy can be a helpful addition to a project, then eventually you will meet more established filmmakers who will reach out to you. Surely there will be those who try to take advantage of you, so don’t let your guard down. Approach everyone with respect and support, but watch out for the sharks in this biz!!!

Phew I think that’s all. That was a long friggin’ list!!!