Thread by @AGComedy

Being a scriptwriter, networking sounds like a nightmare, right? GAH. Maybe you live in the middle of nowhere, or are mega-introverted (me!), or feel too new to offer much. But you REALLY want to be in a writers room! THREAD 1/ #PreWGA #NationalWritingDay

Or you want to contact an awesome Director! Or you want to collaborate with a group of creatives! What can you do? As a tv writer, and a Uni lecturer who teaches networking to tv and film students, and I’ve gathered specific tricks, tips and ideas 2/

(mostly gathered from my years of humiliating mistakes)- that could help you kick the door down and get into this world. I hope you find this useful to get into this TV/Film world. Buckle up baby! 3/

Before the specifics about Twitter, or emailing your heroes, or whatever, there are 6 KEY ATTITUDES for brilliant networking 4/

1) Forget the old idea of "networking" because it builds the pressure of a result into the activity itself. Pressure doesn’t help anyone accomplish- it just makes us feel and act desperate. Networking is building your community. You're a writer- it’s part of who you are. 5/

2) Networking is a long game. Of course there are immediate opportunities that present themselves to us at unexpected times. Yay! But if we go into every situation wanting something out of it, we can’t focus on enjoying the interaction for what it is. It takes YEARS of 6/

consistency to build up a brilliant community with the potential for wonderful friendships and collaboration that will enrich your life as time goes on. Start now! I made the HUGE mistake of staying all isolated and introverted for years, when I should have been reaching out. 7/

Networking is NOT about what we CAN GET FROM others. It is about what we CAN GIVE TO others. Approaching every interaction as a way to give to others and help them fill their needs, makes the experience much more positive. Ever been at an event where a person you chat with 8/

constantly looks over your shoulder to see who’s better, who’s more powerful, who they can get more out of? How annoying and off-putting is that? If you approach things with the spirit of giving, you’ll never be that person. 9/

Maya Angelou says “…People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Oof. 10/

4) On the back of that, in order to help fill a need, we need to LISTEN. It’s easy to fall into the trap, especially when we are nervous or anxious, to talk and talk and talk about ourselves. This does not mean to tamp yourself down, or shrink who you are or to stay silent. 11/

What I mean is on some level, we can feel unheard, including “big and important” people. You know what it’s like when finally - someone gets what you’re saying? They get your problem? Isn’t that a great feeling? Listen, and gift people with that same feeling and you will ROCK 12/

5) Believe that you have something of value to offer. This is a big one for new writers - we think “WTF can I give? I’m still learning, I’m so inexperienced and I have no power.” Oh my sweetheart, you have so much more to offer than you think. 13/

That Director might mention her daughter’s going to a place you happen to have lived in and you can offer tips. Maybe that Script Editor is really into old-school East Coast hip hop and you have the best bootleg live recording you could share. 14/

What if the experienced writer you’re talking to has to research pizza joints and you worked at a pizza place when you were 19? BOOM. We get this info when we listen.
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6) Be genuine. Be kind. Don’t pretend to like someone to get what you want. If you tell someone you love their content, MEAN IT. At this point in time we can really revolutionise the industry and make it a better, more inclusive, and kinder place. Let’s all be part of that! 16/

There are some great videos here that go into detail about the best attitudes to networking. One of my faves is @IsaacSerwanga’s @TedX - The 3 Bones of Networking 17/

Next: WHO to network with as a scriptwriter? It helps to reach out to people whose work you love, but that seems like a natural thing anyway. A lot of writers not in the industry aren’t quite sure how it works, and so here’s what you can be on the lookout for. 18/

Don’t just interact with Directors/Showrunners! Not only are there tons of other writers, actors (they are a writer’s best friend and lots of actors/writers work together), Script Editors (they often bring people into a room), and Production Managers (they are on top of 19/

a production’s logistical team and can often make recommendations before the staff/crew are chosen). Network laterally as well- with your peers. Don’t forget Assistants - they work so, so hard, and are often under-appreciated. Also, look at other mediums - tv, film, short 20/

films, sketches, live theatre, advertising, podcasters, feature films, explainer videos, everyone! People chop and change industries all the time. 21/

Now obviously, with COVID there isn’t much point in going through what to do at live events right now. So we’ll go with virtual networking en masse later, but first, reaching out via email to people you don’t know which seems rather terrifying. 22/

Ooft. The etiquette of contacting someone you don’t know directly. Let's start with:
1) It really does help if you’ve already been interacting with them or giving shout-outs about their work on social media. The longer this type of relationship the better. INVEST in people 23/

2) Be sincere and kind. Don’t approach someone saying you love their work when you’ve never seen any of it. Know exactly why it’s THEM you want to contact, versus a hundred other people who do that job. Think about what you can offer them. What do they need? 24/

3) Timing is everything - sometimes people are just too freaking busy and every day they face a million new emails. Don’t take it personally if they don’t respond, no matter how perfect and well-considered your email. Try again another time. It's okay! 25/

4) Value their time. I can't emphasise this enough. Producers, Directors, Showrunners, Agents, Assistants - they are sent hundreds to thousands of emails every day. And when they open yours you want them to read it and like it! So what can you do? 26/

Here's a few things to help you create your kick-ass email:
a) Do your research. Go on their website/Twitter/etc. - see what they are up to, if/when they’re open to reading new scripts, and what other interests they have. Is there something extra you have in common 27/

that could serve as a memorable and much more fun bridge?
b) Do not ask them something you could easily Google and get the same information about. If they’ve given an interview with tips, DO NOT ASK THEM FOR THE SAME TIPS. GAHHHH. 28/

c) Do not send an unsolicited script. (And make sure that in any other situation that if you send a script, it is READY and SHIT HOT, not just done.) I learned this the hard, hard, awful, scathing way. 29/

d) Your email subject line: make it interesting. Something they haven’t seen a million times before. The more specific or niche the better.
e) Be specific - ie not “I love your writing” but “My favourite show you wrote is episode X of Game of Thrones b/c the Red Wedding 30/

taught me about how to continually build tension to epic proportions.” It shows you care enough about their work to note the details and that this isn’t just a form email you’re sending to loads of people.
f) Be brief - when you are busy, and you’re opening emails on your 31/

phone, isn’t it great to get a short email versus huge long blocks of text with someone’s life story in? Even better a short email with one question that only requires three minutes to respond to? Otherwise, you think "I'll answer that later" and forget. 32/

g) If you have a question, ask them nicely and always give them an out, i.e. “I know you are busy and you don’t have to, but …”
h) If you are asking something of/from them, offer something in return.
i) Don’t ask them to do anything that people pay them to do (don’t ask a 33/

script editor you’ve never even met before to give you notes for free, unprompted!) NO NO NO
i) Don't forget a hearty thank you in the initial email. If they respond, don’t think a quick follow-up thank you will bother them. 34/

Think about how reading something like this would feel. “Thank you so much. I appreciate the time you took and it’s exciting to take your advice forward. I’ll let you know how I applied it!” MAGIC. So many forget to thank others. 35/

NEXT: Networking on apps
Just one thing before we start on the apps (and actually, you should consider doing this anyway). RID YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA OF ALL SILLINESS.

93% of recruiters, companies you approach, individual people - they will peek at your social media before they even contact you. Remember your blackout tequila photos on Spring Break (erm, probably not)? Or when you slagged off your boss? 37/

Or posed drunk, cigarette hanging out of your mouth with a mad drummer clad only in a leather codpiece (was that just me?). There’s a misconception that scriptwriters can be mini-Bukowskis tearing shit up because they’re “authentic”. NO. 38/

Script editors, Talent scheme managers, Production Managers, other writers who recommend, potential agents- they want to know you’ll avoid hangovers to contribute in a room. They want to know that generally you have your shit together. 39/

See? 40/

Right! So PLATFORM 1 - TWITTER.
Yes, it’s the Mos Eisley of the mainstream internet, but it’s also pretty amazing. What can you get out of it as a writer? 41/

1. ACCESS to everyone - you see what good stuff people are doing, you don’ t have to wait for contact requests.
2. It’s a bit more INFORMAL and fun and you can show your personality more. There are so many lovely people out there!
3. A great place to find jobs! 42/

4. It allows higher-ups access and anonymity- and that means they could be watching you! This is a good thing! Ask Erin Gloria Ryan, who was found on Twitter and hired by Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It happens! 43/

Two Twitter resources to help you:
Twitter chats (use chat hashtags) - filmmakers, writers, directors, editors, etc. chats at scheduled times and you join in! For instance #scriptchat with @Scriptchat is Sundays at 5pm PST - so much good stuff here! 44/
twitter.com/scriptchat?lan…

Twitter lists - Did you guys know about these? They are AMAZING! They help you filter all your Twitter subjects so you aren’t scrolling through a million posts about dogs or politics or the weather to find your writing community. 45/

You can put all your industry people into dedicated Twitter lists, so you can just see their tweets when you want. One thing - make sure you set your Twitter lists to private if you want them private! If you don’t and you set up a list called 46/

- say - “People I would kill to work with” or “people to schmooze”, those people will get a notification they are in that list. Here’s a guide here: 46/
blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-lists-…

A few extra Twitter tips:
Don’t worry about follow ratios. Just engage with people, retweet them, share good information, crack a joke, give people a shout-out.
When commenting on someone’s tweet or content, ask them an open-ended question. 47/

When you tweet useful stuff, do it creatively. Don’t just point the link- add the best quote. Create an image card using the best sentence. And tag the person who created the content.
Connect other people together - introduce them 48/

NEXT: LinkedIn
Lots of creatives think of LinkedIn as a boring business app, but there’s a lot going on there and the more you use it and interact with people, the more your profile gets promoted. Here’s how you can make a splash. 49/

After you set up your profile (here’s a link for profile tips for students, but so much good stuff on here), customise your URL. 50/

thevectorimpact.com/linkedin-profi…

Then, follow hashtags that interest you- tv jobs, post-production, writer, director, producer, podcasting, storytelling, filmmaking, animation, whatever.
Then, join groups - including local groups, your education groups, local media, etc. Then branch out until you get to 51/

national and international groups re: screenwriting, filmmakers groups, funding groups, companies/people you want to work for, anything you have an interest in, and charities you support, and don’t forget hobbies.
Set up job alerts for companies you want to work with. 52/

LOOK OUTSIDE THE REGULAR LOGICAL PLACES. Look at creative agencies - there are tons of opportunities at creative agencies. Sports teams need writers. Musicians. Youtubers. Don’t forget charities you support, and your friends and family. 53/

A few extra hacks:
-Did you know your headline can be twice as long if you write it with your mobile phone?
-You can export your connections (my network/connections/gear/advanced settings) - you’ll get the email addresses of your LinkedIn contacts. 54/

As networking is giving, the best thing you can offer on LinkedIn (apart from endorsing people for their skills)? SHARE VALUABLE CONTENT. One 1% of users upload content onto LinkedIn but they get 9 billion impressions every week! PS- using pictures gets more engagement. 55/

Share what you’ve learned or something you’ve seen that’s helped AND explain why it helped you, then finish up with a question that encourages interactivity/comments. Don’t worry about whether you get any likes. 56/

This is about providing value for other people, taking an opportunity to reveal a little bit about you, and tagging any people involved (like- say the person who wrote an article the you found valuable) to thank them.
The more you use it, the more your profile rises baby 57/

You ask “How do I know what I can offer?” Think about what makes you unique and what you’ve learned. Maybe you can guest blog about something, describe what it’s like to work on a project when you don’t have any money, or how to focus on your goals 58/

when you don't have a lot of support. Have you run live events? Can you make memes? My friend Simon turned a creative agency’s content into memes and then he sent them to the Creative Director saying- use them, don’t use them, but I though you might like them. So he got on 59/

their radar, then a couple of months later when they had a social media producer job available, guess who got an interview and the job? Maybe your talents tie in with your hobbies- if you’ve got an outside hobby, why not with with a big org that has something to do with it? 60/

On any given day, if you’re at a loss for what to post, go on subgroup TrendIn - which always has something interesting that’s trending on LinkedIn for our industry. Look at this cool examples loads of people loved: 61/

It's a GREAT HACK! 62/

Anyway those are a few things that really helped. I want you guys to do well, and I know how hard it is to get your foot in the door. It is so, so hard. I'm still kicking down doors too! 63/

And real quick, if you run into anyone who is an asshole, which will happen, don't take it personally. Honestly. They are who they are. Obviously, protect yourself and take action if they are abusive- I'm just talking about the run in the mill dicks.

We just gotta lean on each other and enjoy this community. I am so thankful for each and every one of you. Though our paths may be different, we'll all heading toward the same thing. Love you guys so much! END THREAD.