Into the Industry Mentorship Program Curriculum
Breaking into this competitive, connection-based industry takes a highly focused approach.
The Into the Industry Mentorship Program helps you break into Film and TV in your city—whether you’re in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia. Come work with us!
PHASE 1: Starting Your Trajectory Into the Life You Want
1. You create a Big Dream that gives you the life you want and turns you into the person you want to be.
– I teach you how to dream bigger, which expands your brain to thinking bigger and better.
– The strategic byproducts of having big goals—Gain confidence to succeed, certainty in the way you think, new identity (who you want to be).
– How important it is to have goals that make you grow, meet the right people, gain skills that pay you, find a community of higher-level artists, writers, filmmakers.
2. Structure of a professional set, the jobs, and how we get into them.
a. Who hires who and the hierarchy of who you work for, and how you move up.
b. What jobs are a fit for you based on your personality.
c.
Jobs that create Opportunity Channels to your Big Impossible goal.
– The Actor’s roadmap to on-set jobs—First job -> PA job -> CD assistant -> producer’s assistant -> doing a job in a craft while getting acting opportunities the entire time.
– The Director’s roadmap to on-set jobs— First job -> Camera PA -> Producer’s assistant -> Director’s assistant -> directing 2nd unit and BTS the entire time.
– The Writer’s roadmap to on-set jobs–First job -> Office PA -> Writer’s room assistant -> Producer or showrunners’s assistant -> get scripts shot with on-set filmmakers who have a camera and gear.
– The Cinematographer’s roadmap to on-set jobs—First job -> Camera PA -> 2nd AC -> gaffing -> camera operator while DPing small projects the entire time as you get connected into the Netflix-level film sets in the camera department.
– Lifestyle jobs roadmap to on-set jobs—Niches like National Geographic costume design for feature films like Frankenstein, and other niches have a sequence of jobs to build experience to get into these specialty niches.
– Rate cards for each job on set based on the union contract.
e. Understanding the time-line of a film shoot, what jobs are involved in pre-pro, shoot, and wrap.
3. Vectoring into Film Through Paid Freelance Jobs – Making at least $200 per day, meeting people, gaining experience for film sets
a. Step-by-step guide to making money doing Similar-to-Set jobs—Background acting, Brand ambassador, and Production assistant jobs that pay $200 per day.
1. Look like a professional: How to take photos you’ll use in emails and resume.
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2. How to create a simple resume using your past experience and jobs—whether you have film experience or not.
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3. Examples of simple resumes that impress even if you have no set experience.
4. The Step-by-step—How to find the jobs, apply for them, and get paid $200 per day.
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5. How to negotiate pay and put together a simple invoice.
6. How to handle overlaps and making it work with your day job.
7. Creating your first professional FIF resume.
8. How to make an extra $2,000 per month doing Similar to Set jobs on the weekends.
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b. Making your first Magic List (your hiring list)
1. Who are the right people you need to work with for your Big Impossible Goal.
2. How to start mentoring-like relationships with them.
3. How to make a good impression: business cards, resume, what to say, etc.
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c. The 20 Shoots System
1. How to find your first 20 shoots to start gain experience, fill your resume, IG, and IMDb with shoots!
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2. What to say in emails so you come across as “one of the good ones”—not a newbie.
3. Get on shoots method with the famous “Want to work” email.
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4. Everything you need to have with you on shoot days (what to have in your backpack, what you need to wear on your body to look professional)
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5. How to appropriately thank and follow-up with people that leads to more shoots.
6. How to highlight your growing on-set experience in your resume and emails to show you’re in-demand.
7. What tasks to focus on during shoots to strengthen your resume and be “music to the ears” of producers.
8. How to show your 20 shoots on your IG and build your IMDb.
9. How to use Vectoring to turn one shoot into ten.
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By the end of Phase 1, you’ll have gotten on your first 20 shoots, have a resume and IG with 20 shoots, and know at least 100 film people.
Phase 2. Vectoring and Get it Factor to Get Your First Paid Professional Jobs
a. First Job Preparation Get it factor
1. Transportation expectations
2. Accommodation expectations (based if working as a local or not)
3. What to have with you so prepared
TO DO LIST
4. Night before check-list
5. If dealing with jitters. It’s normal.
b. During the Job Get it factor
1. How to do the PA job from the moment you arrive on set, checking in with PM, getting walkie, introducing self, etc.
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2. Don’t make these mistakes
3. Examples of doing great and what can mess you up.
4. Get it factor examples as you go through the day.
5. How to be prepared on your first professional PA gig so you have everything you need.
c. After the Job Get it factor
1. Getting paid (invoice versus payroll)
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2. Follow up, say this.
3. EXAMPLES
4. How put in magic list for future follow up.
d. Finding your first jobs with different production companies
1. Referrals from first 20 Shoots
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2. Doig complimentary crafts—so they have more ways to refer you for jobs.
3. Examples of how Vectoring when have 20 shoots.
4. 20 shoots makes it easy to land jobs on Staff Me Up, Backstage, and Spotlight
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e. Get it factor – Understanding how it works on set that no one will tell you and is not obvious
1. Top 10 things to do on set to get asked back for sure.
2. How to keep everyone happy if get asked to do 2 different tasks on set at the same time.
3. How to make yourself indispensable with art and camera department so those departments ask for you.
4. How to ask to be put in the starter jobs in each department to get into the craft you want.
5. Different PA jobs (Staff PA, background PA, 1st team PA, Key PA, paperwork PA, Camera PA, AD PA) and how those jobs can help you get acting and other opportunities)
6. How to use office PA jobs to get into writing.
7. How to do the office PA job.
8. How to get casting and writing opportunities as well as Director and Producer’s Assistant jobs from working as an Office PA.
f. How to get on more and higher level shoots.
1. Background to PA method
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2. How to use production directories to find work
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5. EXAMPLE of how to use production directories to find work (No cold reach-out)
6. How to use crew databases (No cold reach-out)
7. EXAMPLE of how to use crew databases
8. Interviews from FIF producers, production supervisors, and writers
By the end of Phase 2, you’ll have gotten in with 5 production companies, be hired for on-set jobs on major film and TV shoots, and have your first 20 core connections.
Phase 3. Opportunity Channels to get into the jobs making $650 per day
Opportunity Channels
1. For ACTORS: Ways to get principal roles through Opportunity Channels
a. Get put into the scene by the Director
b. Producers and production managers get you into auditions
c. Do voice over for professional projects
d. Work as a CD assistant
e. Finding acting opportunities before they are cast
f. Get acting referrals from the camera department
e. Cast for professional’s projects
g. Self-produce your own projects and act in them
h. Work in a high paying craft to connect with higher-level people and get roles that way.
TO DO LIST
2. Actor Opportunity Channels to accumulate more roles
a. How to get clips for your acting reel for Actors Access.
b. How to use your acting reel on set to get referred to principal roles.
c. Example of getting principal role paying $850 from showing her reel on her phone to a camera operator.
d. Finding the best classes from working actors on set.
3. FILMMAKERS: Make a Movie Opportunity Channels
a. How to make a simple pitch deck.
b. How to use a pitch deck to get the film shot.
c. How to shoot a short film with professionals behind it.
TO DO LIST
4. Filmmaker Opportunity Channels to move up into directing and DPing
a. How to get consistent Camera PA jobs from working as a PA on set.
b. Working on Emerging market shoots as G&E to get camera operating jobs.
c. Example from Luka.
d. Helping people who hire you to land jobs in the Emerging Markets and moving up that way.
e. Examples of making $750-1,000 per day working in Camera department
Moving Up Methods
a. Professional Projects Strategy
1. Who to talk to on set from call sheet to find projects on weekends
2. What to say to them
3. How to plant seeds of craft you are ready to work in with production supervisors
4. Examples of planting seeds
5. How to prepare for the professional project – storyboards and script
TO DO LIST
6. Reach out to mentors for possible needs
7. How to use Professional Projects. How to update producers, DPs, and your peers.
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8. How to show Professional projects on your resume
9. How to show Professional Projects on your IG (your portfolio)
b. 80/20 Strategy
1. 80% professional work and only 20% passion projects to gain more responsibility and be trusted faster on professional sets.
2. How do the 80/20 Strategy step-by-step.
TO DO LIST
3. How 80/20 gives you an incredible resume.
4. Do’s and don’ts when doing 80/20.
5. When to stop doing 80/20 and do 100% professional work
6. Examples from Luka and Omar with major results
7. Stories of success and mistakes from Luka and Omar
c. Advanced Methods when have at least 20 shoots
Top secret: Details are in the program.
By the end of Phase 3, you’ll have started getting paid in a craft like camera, producing, writing, production design in film and TV.
Advanced Section
Revisit this for life!
a. Triangles of trust
1. How to do it successfully
2. Through text, emails, on set
b. Developing mentors who guide you and give you work
1. How often to touch base
2. Examples of text messages
3. Stories of how Janet developed mentors
c. How to reach out when it’s slower to get work coming in
1. Examples from Janet and Omar
2. Best examples of reach outs text messages Janet has gotten from others
d. What to do if need to take time off. Vacation, wedding, get sick.
1. What to say before you leave
2. How to get on their next job when you get back
e. Test your knowledge, take the Into the Industry Certification test.
Congratulations you have made it into A-list levels (first call) in a craft in 1 year instead of it taking 10 years.