June’s theme was the creative as a business. You have the one-pager. This issue is about what you do with it, because a page is only as useful as the rooms you can get it into. Community Notes is about networking and what it actually means to do it well. Plus three big stories in Show Business, six new grants, and a word from Chloé Zhao. And FREE access to our upcoming events below.
If this newsletter has ever made your week a little less alone, become a paid supporter.
A $7/mo subscription gets you:
FREE admission to Film Club events
First access to RSVP for Scene & Heard events before they open to the public
Grants and fellowship opportunities every issue
Creative prompts and exercises
Industry commentary and analysis
Career development resources for actors, writers, filmmakers, and producers
Practical insights from working creatives and industry professionals
Community-focused content to help you find your people
Exclusive resources designed to help you not just get inspired, but actually make the work.
Joined? Bet! Let’s get into it.
Showdown: Scene & Heard Film Club is bringing the energy back to Alamo Drafthouse for Showdown : Actor Edition — a live community debate asking one big question: Who is the best actor/actress of all time? And as a paid supporter, you get FREE access.
Showdown is one of our signature Film Club events and we want you in the room.
Scroll down to get your exclusive code to get your free ticket! If you’re not a paid supporter and want to pull up you can still grab a ticket. It’s going to be a time!
Red Carpet Premiere: All American Final Season
We’ve got something special coming, the red carpet premiere of All American’s final season.
Paid Members scroll down to RSVP for a ticket to attend the Red Carpet Premiere with a friend!
The Creative as a Business.
Last issue, you built the one-pager. You named what you own, who it’s for, how it sustains you, and what you need. Two weeks of sitting with that should have made one thing clear: the ask only works if you can get in front of someone to make it.
This is the practice for the next two weeks.
Identify three specific people who could move your current project forward, and map how you actually get in front of them.
Not categories of people. Not “a producer” or “someone at a studio.” Three names. Real ones. Then work the following:
Map the distance. How many people away are you from each of them? You probably know someone who knows someone. Write it down. The distance is almost always shorter than it feels.
Find the room they’re already in. Where do these people show up: panels, festivals, screenings, industry events, communities you’re already part of? You don’t have to manufacture access. You may already be one room away.
Write the first sentence. Not the pitch. The first sentence of a human conversation with this person. Something specific to them, something genuine, something that has nothing to do with what you need. Practice it out loud. If it sounds like an elevator pitch in disguise, start over.
Name the follow-up. Once you’ve been in the same room, what’s the next move? Not the ask. The relationship. What are you offering, sharing, or continuing before you ever bring your project into it?
By the end of two weeks, you should have a map: three names, three paths, three first sentences, three follow-ups. The one-pager told you what you have. This practice tells you how it travels.
Thank you for being a paid supporter. This section is for you.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.