How (Screen)Writers Can Network Through LinkedIn

I've talked a lot about the proper way of "networking", especially here on LinkedIn, and how you DON'T want to dive right into asking for favors or hitting someone up with a marketing letter or something similar. I’ve discussed how you should ALWAYS FIRST prepare a proper introduction and try getting to know the other person better. This way, they are helping a “friend”, not just some faceless name on a profile they don’t know or trust.

To illustrate this point exactly, the other day I received a “link in” request from a CEO of a production company on the east coast, and- after doing my proper due diligence and determined she and her company were legitimate- I accepted.

That was our ONLY communication to that point in time. The very next day, in my mailbox, I received this:

"Dear Geno,

Don't miss the Latest Deadline of December 5! Submissions are still open..."

What followed next was a page and half long sales letter on a film festival and competition. Mind you, nowhere on her profile does it indicate she's involved in any way with this competition and/or film festival.

I immediately disconnected her from my entertainment industry-related network. Had she spoken to me about it beforehand, perhaps even piqued my interest and curiosity a bit in a five-minute chat, I might have been one of her biggest resources for entries, considering my network.

This is a perfect example of what NOT to do when networking. The art of networking- making connections within your industry- is a learned craft, much like the craft of screenwriting itself. There are many ways to "skin" that proverbial cat, but some ways are just better, more effective and less time-consuming than others.

So, here are just TEN of my quick tips:

1.   Know that you have to WORK at this, too. You HAVE to put aside a certain amount of time and do it consistently. If I’m scheduling a four-hour writing day, I will factor in half of that time- 2 additional hours- for networking.

2.   Join groups, but choose carefully. Perhaps ninety-percent of all LinkedIn groups are total time-sucks. They are filled with self-promotion and re-postings of published articles. Join them, check them out, and after a few weeks if that’s what they are, and dump them.

3.   Decide what you want from the groups before you join. If you are looking for helpful information, guidance, etc., find a group that is operated by a person in your industry. If you are going to treat it more as a social network, looking for friends, I suppose it doesn’t matter much.

4.   Choose your groups wisely. Check the profile of the owner and/or moderators of the group. If the owner is a legal secretary, for example, and they operate a group for screenwriters, chances are they’re not managing the group closely enough. With these sites, anyone posting a question is pushed off the front page- with no responses- in a matter of minutes. A closely moderated group will often prevent that type of thing from happening.

5.   Reach out and “touch” someone. LinkedIn allows you to “endorse” your connections. Do it! This can change a valuable “connection” to a valued “friend”.

6.   Welcome newcomers. Don’t post a welcome to the group for all to see. Make it personal, and send it privately if you can. Share your experiences. ALWAYS make the note personal.

7.   Do not hesitate to link in with others. If you are in the same group, that’s the opening you need. Don’t send the “standard” pre-written invite. That’s lazy, and shows no true effort on your part. Personalize it. Let them know you saw something in their profile that compelled you to want to meet them; “I saw that you were in the Army; I was stationed in Germany in the 80’s. How about yourself?”

8.   Review profiles thoroughly. I spend several minutes reviewing every profile before I send an invite. I look at where they live, their website, their employer, their other groups, their influences, and their other connections. I never invite someone with no connections, and rarely connect with someone with few. I limit my connections to entertainment-related industry folks; authors/writers; people who’ve attended the same schools I’ve attended; people from similar professions; and people from similar towns/cities/states I’ve lived.

9.   Learn what and where the bogus profiles come from: if the person requesting a link in or group entry has no writing or entertainment background whatsoever, no information of their profile is available, and their photo appears to be less than legit, I avoid them altogether. Usually they’re from another country, and I don’t need the spam or the hacking worries. This one I take quite seriously. I have been duped in the past by fake profiles, and have been hacked and victimized as a result, and I’ve learned from that experience.

10. If they could benefit by knowing someone else in your network, introduce them to that person. LinkedIn has a way to do this through the site. Do it- it’s a nice thing to do, and - more importantly - the right thing to do.

Last point; this past election cycle was very divisive, and the commentary was not kept from LinkedIn, either, surprisingly enough. I was invited to link in with a young man out of Washington D.C., who appeared to be a pleasant-enough fellow from his photo and his upbeat profile.

Then, I saw one line written in one of his previous job descriptions.  He explained how he had to leave the job, based in Orange County, CA, because Orange County needed to be left to “all of the white Republicans” and it “needed more Christians”, and he wasn’t Republican or Christian, or something closely resembling that statement.

I found the information to be excessive and in very bad taste. I could certainly “read between the lines”, but I’m guessing he’s the ONLY one who was making an issue of any of these issues. I felt his judgement was highly questionable and that we didn’t have enough in common to be linked in together- ever.

Double-check your own profile. Make sure the information you want to be made available on you is available out there (websites, Twitter pages, Facebook, etc.) and complete your profile in its entirety. You will find your networking and your connections improving greatly moving forward!  

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community, and was the Executive Director for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards. He held similar positions with The Soul Train, The Grammys, Blockbuster Video and Saturn award shows.

Geno has close to thirty (30) completed feature film screenplays and television pilots. His company has completed fourteen (17) novels-to-screenplay adaptations to date for his clients. He counts many celebrities among his vast clientele. He has two TV projects, (Hell Hath No Fury; Sextracurricullum) in the hands of Spike TV, and two reality show concepts, including Just Like Elvis, about the lives of Elvis Tribute Artists, currently being marketed.,His most recent television project, Bad Priest, is under consideration by another group of television executives, of which, one stated:

"This pilot is compelling and clear and offers just enough to tease us with where these stories and characters might go. It begs for a full season..."

Today, he is working on several bio pics, including the adaptation of pop star Jimmie Rodgers autobiography, and a Harry Chapin screenplay.