Jan Nagel

“Never hire anyone who is going to report directly to you who you do not intuitively just plain like from first impressions. If your instincts tell you you're going to have a hard time working with someone, pass.” --Fred Charette.

Who is Fred Charette and why would he give this wise advice? I searched and searched, I only came up with this quote. Fred is a man is who is making me wonder who he is and how he got this wise. He made a great first impression with me, but he has not marketed himself so I can’t find out more or he must have said this quote before cyberspace existed. What a shame? Is that you? Are you wonderful but no one knows it?

There are lots of self branding and self marketing experts on the web. You will find thousands, each spouting similar advice. All this advice seems to require a great deal of effort and calculation. Is this the right strategy for you? You are not going into the business world. You are going into entertainment and production.

Madonna, Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga and Quentin Tarantino are great examples of those in entertainment who have developed strategies to “brand” themselves. What if you want to be in entertainment but not in front of the camera, do you have to “brand” and “market” yourself? Darn tootin’, double shootin’ you do. But, life shouldn’t be that hard or that calculated for us average Joes and Josettes.

Just like the old adage, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” it is true both in person and especially when you rely on “surrogates” such as your resume, cover letter, website and demo reel to represent you for the first time. More importantly, in today’s new world of converging social networks, like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, they often become your “first impression.”

I teach career development to those studying the art of digital media at two colleges and do a lot of lectures on the subject of networking and careers. One question I am asked frequently is what to do with one’s Facebook page. Many of these students are really terrified that a recruiter will take a look and get a bad impression of them. In some situations, a job candidate should be frightened of how they appear in cyberspace, especially if the candidate is seeking a job in the stoic business sector. My nephew is on that track and just graduated from a major university. He was advised by his counselor to take everything off his Facebook that made him look bad or gave a bad impression.

If you are one of those seeking a career in arts and entertainment you are given more slack for what you display, but you still need to be careful.

Resume, portfolio/demo reel and social networking pages are your “red carpets.” It is the way you can establish your brand. As with all forms of branding, you want your brand to be seared into the minds and psyches of those that will hire you. To do this you make sure that what you post and send is perfect and reflective of you. These are your personal marketing and branding tools.

Today, recruiters will first look at your resume, demo reel and website. If you are starting out fresh in production or they can’t find out who you are from their colleagues in the business they might go straight to Google and the social networking sites to get a sense of who you are. They want to know that you will fit into their team and studio culture. Your social networking pages can give them a sense of you and your personality. What they see on the social page might get you the interview or might not.

So, what are these social networking sites conveying about you? Is your profile photo a goofy face, a sexy pose or, worse, of someone or something else, like your dog that no one will recognize? Are there photos of parties and beer? What is written on your wall? Who has access to your page? Take a hard look at your page. What would the first impression be when someone sees it? If you can’t get a feeling what the first impression is, have your mentor, advisor or even a grandparent look at it. How did this person react? That might be the same reaction a hiring manager will have. Also, remember, you may restrict access to your page, but that doesn’t mean your friends have restrictions to their pages and you can still be found there.

Your marketing tools need to have substance. This is where you need them to make that great first impression. You need to look good on “paper.” Have you analyzed your strengths, skills, talent and experience? Did you look at all of your accomplishments, both in work and in your life? These are the kinds of things you want to present to employers, producers and hiring managers at the studios.

Paying attention to even the smallest details pays off. Resume, cover letter, business card, demo reel packaging, website and any other personal marketing tools you develop should have a consistent and cohesive appearance and message. If you are so inclined, create a logo or a slogan that is all yours. But don’t go over the top with design. Think little black dress with a pearl necklace or a sleek convertible Porsche in silver. Get the picture? Let your work stand out, whether it is the words in your resume or your images.

So think beyond what you are going to wear to the interview. Make sure your marketing materials are dressed for success to make the first good impression. When you get the interview that is when you will make the first “great impression.”

JAN NAGEL is the entertainment marketing diva, consultant, teacher and past president and founding member of Women in Animation. As a consultant, Jan currently works with numerous overseas animation production studios and animation and children’s content creators.

In entertainment industry, she has been involved in marketing for VirtualMagic Animation, Calico Entertainment, and DreamQuest Images.

In her prior career in advertising, Jan was Account Supervisor for the advertising powerhouse, McCann-Erickson. Jan was also the Associate Publisher and Director of Communications Careers, Opportunity, and Guidance Publishing, Inc. Later, she has lent her recruitment marketing experience to Rhythm & Hues Studio.

She teaches Entertainment Career Exploration at Santa Monica College and Otis College of Art & Design. She lectures on the business of animation and presents a workshop, “Networking: The ‘Art” of Building Relationships,” at many art colleges and universities.