SXSW 2012 Panel: Hollywood Lessons: What I Learned The Hard Way

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SXSW Film 2012 logoBy Stephanie Capizzo

Sitting in the "Hollywood Lessons" panel at SXSW this week made me feel like the event organizers must have created the panel specifically with me in mind (I haven't met any of them unfortunately -- but it's nice to think that they were thinking of me). As a young adult, fairly recent college graduate, and someone who wants nothing more than to make her break in the film industry, this panel was one of the most informative and realistic views on what to expect when trying to make it in such a tough industry.

Among the panelists were Shay Weiner, Adam Hendricks and Stephanie Hall, three industry professionals who have run the gamut of entry-level positions to get to where they are today, and who are not afraid to tell it like it is. On their list of things to expect when working your way up the metaphorical ladder? Working 16 hours a day for little to no money, getting things thrown at you, being yelled at and watching the less thick-skinned people around you drop like flies. It all sounds a bit depressing, yes, but one of the other things that all the panelists agreed on was the fact that they all love what they do and could never imagine doing anything else.

The beauty of this panel was that it was a very candid look into the process of making a name for yourself in Hollywood. While we are bombarded daily with stories of seemingly instant success by the few lucky people to which that actually happens, you don't often get an all-holds-barred lesson on what it means to actually work for their success. Listening to the panelists talk about the time and effort they put into getting where they are today was a nice reality slap for what myself and others can expect life to be like for the next few years. However, along with that slap came the realization that I too could never see myself working in any other industry and I have the same passion that the people talking to me had when they were getting started.

After moving past what to expect when getting started in the industry, the panelists got more in depth with ways to obtain a position to actually get started. Among the list were internships, working in mailrooms, temping for a studio/production company, assisting at agencies and being a PA. They also discussed some great ways to find these positions and go about applying. It was interesting to hear the different paths they had each taken to get to where they are, but there was one thing they all had in common: Once they landed their first job and proved to be valuable additions to their employers, the doors kept opening from there. As someone who has been trying to get a foot in one of those doors for a while now, it's nice to know that once that actually happens, other opportunities won't be far behind.

Hearing how fulfilled the panelists are now in their professional lives is a testament to just how true the statement "hard work pays off" is. While aspiring to be successful in the film industry is no easy task, if it means working with people like this and doing the thing that I love most, then I'm ready to buckle in and weather the storm.

Big thanks to SXSW for organizing such a great panel, and to the panelists for paying it forward.

Stephanie Capizzo is the Studios Apprentice at the Austin Film Society.