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How difficult was it to find a job in the Director/Producer industry?

How difficult was it to find a job in the Director/Producer industry after you finished college?

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Thank you comment icon I worked on a few commercial jobs for free to find my way. Douglas Kaplan
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Mateo’s Answer

I don't have direct experience in this field, but my brother is in this field, so I can share what I've learned from his experience. The film industry is not very structured, relative to finance and other corporate roles, so it requires a lot of initiative and hustle. It's often a winding path, you may start as a director's assistant or a producer's assistant (PA) and start to learn the ropes, and eventually get tapped to direct or produce a project (likely a commercial or short film) and if that project is well received, it may lead to more projects, but it's never steady, directors and producers are always looking out for their next project, so that's also something to be mindful of.
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Leslie’s Answer

If you want to start as a director or producer, you will most likely start small on local or student type projects. I have produced and directed on larger scale films, but it took years to get to that level. I started in LA as a production assistant for a year on National Commercials. It is very much a "who you know' business, so I was fortunate to know 1 high level commercial producer who got me an interview. Within a year I was a production coordinator, which is training ground for producing. Need to learn local crews, equipment vendors, caterers, experts in various fields, etc. I did that type of work for about 5 years. During this period, I also accumulated enough days to get into the Director's Guild of America which is training ground to be an assistant director and eventually I had enough set experience to direct with confidence. I believe in ground up training, but these days with cheap 4k cameras easy editing equipment, you can just start making your own films, but be aware DIY films look that way for the most part. I directed a feature film Woodstock or Bust playing on Plex for free and Amazon - $1.99, if you want to see my "1st time director" after 30 years of experience. It's have 2 Hollywood stars and high end production value because I "knew" a lot of people willing to work for great rates on my film.
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