Carole M. Kirschner - Hollywood Game Plan: How to Land a Job in Film, TV and Digital Entertainment

I only wish I had had Carole Kirshner's unbelievably informative book when I started out. It would have helped me puzzle out what it takes to follow your dreams and succeed in this crazy and wonderful business.

Lesli Linka Glatter, director, Mad Men, True Blood

You know how you always hear Pay your dues, Learn the ropes, You have to know the right people? And you know how you're always stuck wondering, What the hell does that mean? How am I supposed to do that? Wellfinallythis book has the answers. Carole Kirschner has put together an incredible easy-to-read step-by-step how-to manual that guides you through all the stuff you thought you couldn't learn in books: How to meet the right people, how to format a great resume, and how to land an entry-level job and work your way up. Simply buying this book will jump start your career by a year; actually reading it will jump start it by ten.

Chad Gervich, writer/producer, After Lately, Wipeout, Cupcake
Wars, Reality Binge, Foody Call; author, Small Screen, Big Picture:
A Writer's Guide to the TV Business

I traveled 1,800 miles to Hollywood, spent two years (and thousands of dollars) in film school, and worked at one of the most powerful talent agencies in Hollywood. Only after all of that did I learn what's contained in this book.

Sean Covel, producer, Napoleon Dynamite

Hollywood Game Plan is the key to your success in the entertainment business. This book is a valuable resource full of information that will get you where you want to go. It's all about devising a plan, taking action, and making it happen. From mastering your resume and cover letter to knowing the ingredients of a killer meeting, this book shows you all you need to make it happen.

Jen Grisanti, author, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story,
writing instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC,
story/career consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc.

I wish someone would have handed me a copy of this book when I got off the plane at LAX; it would have saved me so much time! If the entertainment industry is a fraternity, Hollywood Game Plan teaches you the secret handshake.

Steve Mummolo, creative executive, NFL Digital Media

Breaking into the entertainment industry can be overwhelming. Hollywood Game Plan is a clear, step-by-step guide that explains the unwritten rules of the business and exactly what you have to do to go from being a Hollywood outsider to a successful insider. If you're looking to get into Hollywood, this is a must-read.

Adam Biren, agent, United Talent Agency (UTA)

Hollywood Game Plan is your personal literary invitation to dive into the crazy Wunderland known as Hollywood! This book gives you all the information you need to maneuver yourself from aspiring to emerging to established.

Kathie Fong Yoneda, script consultant, workshop leader,
author, The Script-Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider's Look at
Getting Your Script Sold and Produced (2nd edition)

Get Hollywood Game Plan , study it, and use it like a bible to chart your course through the murky, shark-infested waters of the Hollywood media industry From her positions in many aspects of the businessincluding quite a few at the topCarole has seen what works and what does not. If you want to break in and move up the food chain of Hollywood, start with Carole's book.

Pamela Jaye Smith, author, international speaker and
consultant, award-winning producer-director, MYTHWORKS
founder, and Alpha Babe Academy co-founder
www.pamelajayesmith.com , www.alphababeacademy.com

Hollywood Game Plan is the perfect guide to breaking in and navigating the industry. Honest, realistic, and current, this book answers every question newcomers ask in an accessible and helpful way.

Pamela Douglas, author, Writing The TV Drama Series (3rd Ed.),
Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts,
and award-winning screenwriter. www.PamDouglasBooks.com

Ms. Kirschner does a masterful job of giving you the tools you need to make your way in and around Hollywoodreminding you that it IS a business and no one is an overnight success. It's going to take skills, hard work, determinationand this bookto help get you in the door.

Matthew Terry, screenwriter/teacher/producer/director

Few people can match Carole Kirschner's expertise in hiring and mentoring young professionals in the entertainment industry. This book offers practical, concrete advice for navigating the often daunting culture of film and television.

Alexander Woo, writer and co-executive producer, True Blood , HBO

Carole Kirschner is one of the best at preparing people for success in the entertainment business. Her guidance is invaluable for anyone entering the market, regardless of what path you may choose. I wish that I had had a book like this one when I was starting out.

Barry Kotler, agent, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

How to Land a Job in Film, TV, or Digital Entertainment

Carole M. Kirschner

Published by Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
tel. 818.379.8799
fax 818.986.3408
www.mwp.com

Cover design: Johnny Ink www.johnnyink.com
Interior book design: Gina Mansfield Design
Editor: Annalisa Zox-Weaver

Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan
Manufactured in the United States of America

2012 by Carole M. Kirschner

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kirschner, Carole M.
Hollywood game plan : how to land a job in film, tv, and digital entertainment / Carole M. Kirschner.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-61593-086-9

1. Motion pictures--Vocational guidance. 2. Motion picture industry--Vocational guidance. 3. Television--Vocational guidance. 4. Television broadcasting--Vocational guidance. I. Title.

PN1995.9.P75K58 2012

791.43023--dc23

2011039285

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GAME PLAN:

A carefully thought-out strategy for achieving an objective in war, politics, business, or personal affairs; a plan of action.