To get your foot in the door of Hollywood, you need really cool shoes.
With network staffing season coming up, it's time for writers to prepare for an onslaught of meetings. There's a laundry list of things to do. (not necessarily in this order...) Read pilots - check! Wash car - check! Haircut - check! Buy new shoes - huh? Shoes? Yes, shoes. And not just any shoes - really cool shoes. Apparently if you want to get your foot in the door in this business, you should start by updating your footwear. This is a tip that I received from a top development executive who said that the first thing people look at when you walk into the room are your shoes. Impressions are made. Judgements are cast. And you become whatever your shoes say you are. So look down and tell me what your footwear say about you. Right now, mine say that RiteAid sells an excellent knock-off of Tom's that I proudly call Ron's and that comfort trumps style. But, if I have a meeting, I definitely step it up. By the way, this shoe rule applies to both men and women. I have a male writer friend who just got chewed out by his partner for wearing regular sneakers to a meeting rather than "cool" sneakers -- Two straight guys fighting over proper footwear options! As silly as it sounds, it's a Hollywood "thing". And in this competitive world of show biz, every little thing counts. Don't let your footwear stand in the way of getting a job. Do a good, long sole search. Then, go to your meeting and put your best footwear forward.
What do you wear to meetings? Post a pic! I'd love to see!
My shoes say... I have really small feet and it's hard to find adult shoes that fit. When my brother got married, I almost had to buy "Disney Princess Line" dress shoes (brown plastic with pink plastic diamonds in the toe) and briefly considered coloring in my feet with a black felt pen. (I ultimately found a flat black pair... that did up with velcro.) The shoes I was wearing today (*not* to business meetings) say: "Shaula's happy she can pay kids prices for groovy run-and-jumping action shoes." I am afraid that while my footwear occasionally starts conversations, especially when I'm wearing the same brand and size as someone's child, odds are my shoes are not going to be what impresses anyone in a business context.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Hey Shaula -- first off, I'm kinda jealous that you have small feet rather than the honkin' planks I have to navigate. Second, "groovy run-and-jumping action shoes" sound like total winners! And if they're conversation starters --even better! The goal is interesting, stand out, (since you're in comedy...) fun shoes...and then there's always really stylish imported numbers for folks on an unlimited budget. Sometimes for meetings I wear a pair of funky red boots that have flowers etched on them. I always get "Hey, like your boots." Then I launch into some funny story about my boots - ice breaker! So I say wear the fun kid's shoes and have a funny "small feet" story in your back pocket. It's sure to impress!!! Now go out and crush it!!!
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