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Inspired by @johnzaozirny& #39;s thread, here& #39;s my path to becoming a manager. I decided to moved to LA summer of 2013 after undergoing chemo, radiation, and surgery for Stage 4 NHL. I had one friend who was on the periphery of the industry at the time send my resume to Benderspink.
The position was an unpaid internship. I had just turned 27 but was eager to take any opportunity to help move me forward - especially since I hadn& #39;t attended film school. I was hired to intern and they asked where else I was working/interning. They sent me to Vertigo Ent at WB.
This is where I met @GavinDorman13, who was working there as an exec. I interned at both places for 3 months before expressing that I wanted agency experience. JC Spink arranged for me to meet at several agencies while I managed to leverage those meetings into additional ones.
I took another internship at Resolution when a position opened up in the mailroom. I had hoped to land at the likes of a WME, but the eariest start date was months down the line. My interview with a senior partner had gone well, but I was 27, poor, and not connected.
Jeff Portnoy helped me land the position in the mailroom at Resolution and it was a cautionary tale of what not to do. I was quickly promoted to assistant to a talent agent. He left the company a month later. I had always wanted to do lit and convinced another agent to take me on
It went well but the agency folded mere months later. I was severly underpaid and thought about quitting days before its demise. My boss went to Verve but I thought I should work for someone more senior. A friend submitted my resume to CAA and I was quickly hired.
CAA was the opposite of Resolution in most respects, but incredibly stressful. I made a few friends pretty quickly and generally enjoyed the experience as my boss was a good, smart guy. I didn& #39;t keep my mouth shut when I should have but otherwise made a good impression.
He knew I wanted to be a literary manager so after awhile, he made a few calls on my behalf and set up meetings. I landed at Writ Large first as an assistant but then as a coordinator where I started to bring in clients.
It was a great learning experience with some truly quality people. One of my coworkers was responsible for me meeting my wife. I got there a bit early for someone as ambitious as myself, but overall it was a good company.
I decided to leave WL after my three year cancer checkup in an effort to see what else I wanted to do with my life. I spent the rest of that year doing consulting work and coaching sports teams for sick children. It was a good reset.
I eventually took a day job where I more than doubled my salary. I served as a project manager for a trade association. It was a swift reminder of what I didn& #39;t want to do with my life. After a year, my boss was let go and my position was eliminated.
A good friend set me up with a full time consulting job in the original film division of Netflix. I got to vet super high level projects and give notes on drafts that were heading toward production. A very cool job but wasn& #39;t going to lead to anything of great note.
