Close Up!
are certainly great academic programs, such as Eastern’s Electronic Media and Film Studies major. As for other programs, be sure to check them out and talk to graduates of the school. Be careful of schools that guarantee job place- ment or brag about their graduates’ high employment rates (for example, “95% of our graduates work full-time in the in- dustry”). In some cases, that 95 percent may include gradu- ates who work answering phones at the local video store.
6. Get it in writing. An oral contract is enforceable if certain conditions are
met—but make sure you get the terms of your employment in writing anyway. Most entertainment work in Michigan operates on a per-project basis, so you may not have a chance to know your employer long-term. Don’t worry that the person hiring you could have second thoughts if you request a written agreement —asking for one shows you are as serious as they are. If they intend to uphold their prom- ise to pay you for your services, putting it on paper won’t bother them.
7. Make your luck. People often say someone “got lucky” by using a connec-
tion to get a job. I believe you make your own luck. You can’t
get a job in the industry if you don’t make the effort to apply, so take the chance. A movie executive told me that he got his first job by calling a production company every day to see if there were any open positions. For a few weeks, the only response he received was, “Nothing today.” But one day he was told that he had “called at the right time”—earlier that morning, someone had resigned. His persistence paid off and he was in the right place at the right time. Many people will work and succeed in this business—why shouldn’t you be one of them?
8. Reinvent yourself. The entertainment industry is always changing, and you
never know where an opportunity will take you. Robert Redford acted for 20 years before he won his first Academy Award—as a director. Robert Evans, also an actor, moved to the business side of the industry and became head of Paramount Pictures. Keep your options open. Once you get hired to work on a film, you may discover a position you never knew existed—but that is perfect for you. Now you are ready for that close-up. ACTION! 3
Ethan Bordman (BBA92) practices entertainment law in Michigan, Illinois and New York.
Eastern | FALL 2011 25
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