Currently I am the Producer for Disney Cruise Line Entertainment and following graduation from Full Sail University will a Masters of Science degree in Entertainment Business my career goals are to continue to develop and seek opportunities within the Disney organization.
The hiring process for Producers in theatre and other forms of live performance varies drastically throughout the industry from company to company and project to project. In many cases the Producer is the entrepreneur that is driving a project and they initiate the entire process, so in essence they hire themselves.
The process in a small or medium-sized production company may only involve an interview with the Executive Producer. In large corporations like The Walt Disney Company, the hiring process can be much more involved and formal. In the Disney Creative Entertainment line of business, the hiring process for most professional and administrative positions generally begins by completing an online profile, uploading a resume and responding to a job posting. This is true for both internal and external candidates. Additionally candidates participate in a panel interview for the role they are interested in acquiring, to access skills and eligibility, prior to an interview for a specific position.
Producers are rarely hired “off the street”. In cases where the Producer is actually being hired and is not independently producing the project, the person or entity that is hiring has a previously established relationship with the successful candidate and has knowledge of their body of work. Producers depend heavily on their ability to establish a diverse and strong network, both to get jobs for themselves and to find the right talent for their projects.
Here are three ways that a would be Producer can use digital media to help kick-start their career:
1. Establish a personal brand
As a Producer you have to think of yourself as a business and all successful businesses have an identifiable brand. Today branding is crucial whether you are a Fortune 500 company or an independent producer or an individual attempting to differentiate yourself from the masses in your job search. Everyone has a chance to standout in a good way and a bad way. Consider what sets you apart from everyone else who wants to be a Producer and how much influence you have. By leveraging your differentiators and capitalizing on your influence, you can considerable strides in developing your personal brand.
2. Establish a professional social network presence
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other similar sites provide an invaluable resource for connecting with people in your industry that you have worked with or that you would like to work with. They also provide a useful platform to showcase your professional accomplishments and what you represent. When carefully managed, they are perfect vehicles for conveying your philosophy through pictures, video, audio clips, and writings and they also give the reader a look at your network of contacts and associates. Be careful. Your social media presence can also do as much harm as good in establishing your career if they are not managed professionally.
3. Search for people and not jobs
Once you have your professional social media presence established, don’t merely search for the jobs you want, begin searching for people in your industry and specifically for those that are employed by your desired companies. If they are on professional networking sites, they want to network. Take advantage of it. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, “who do you know that can do ___?” Having a strong network has been a huge benefit in situations like this. It has also helped me as I have developed my own career. A key piece to the success is to actually establish a personal relationship with the people in your network. Don’t merely rack up virtual friends. These are great tools for establishing and maintaining relationships, but if you intend on using your contacts for professional employment, develop the relationship further through actual email or phone contact.
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