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This person, who happens to be one of our most successful members, said that their philosophy about the industry isn't so much about breaking down barriers as about building a framework for success which will attract people who want to work with them. When you think about it, that's quite a powerful statement. I guess so many years of listening to our speakers (and other speakers at other events over the years) talk so much about "breaking into" Hollywood really kind of colored my thinking. Most of us do see barriers in front of us as we try to forge a career in the entertainment industry. The agents who reject us, the companies who won't read our scripts, the pimply-faced studio readers who wouldn't know a good script if it smacked them in the face (or so we think). All of these things tend to foster a warlike, guerrilla mentality on the part of those of us trying to break in. How do I circumvent the agent to get my script to Julia Roberts? How can I bypass the reader and get the executive himself to read my script? This theme is everywhere you look - even in the Network itself with our annual "Breaking the TV Barrier" seminar. But let's look at this other philosophy for a moment. One of the biggest "secrets" about Hollywood is what an amazingly small town it really is. The entertainment industry is truly fraternal - everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. And because of that, the real key to working in Hollywood is relationships. Good work will keep you inside, but it's good relationships that will get you in the door. Who do you think will get successful more quickly: The writer who sits at home writing constantly and just sends out the occasional query letters to agents and production companies? Or the writer who, while writing and improving their craft, is also going out to seminars and networking events, meeting people and forging friendships with writers, agents, assistants, etc.? This is why the Scriptwriters Network is such a valuable entity. We provide ways to get you out of your little writing cubbyhole and out into the world, meeting people and building relationships. Whether it's our monthly meetings, our various committees, our Triad Program, or by helping to promote other valuable seminars like Flash Forward, Michael Hauge, David S. Freeman or Sherwood Oaks College (and getting big member discounts for all of them), we do everything possible to expand our members' horizons and network of relationships. If you're just sitting around and entering POP or the Competition occasionally, that's fine (and granted, for our out-of-town members, that's about all they can do, although we're looking at ways to change that), but you're not getting the full value of the Network. The real way to get your money's worth is by getting involved. By doing that, by getting out and building up a network of friends and acquaintances, you really are, as our esteemed member told me, building a framework for success. And really, when you think about it, wouldn't you rather work with someone who wants to build things rather than break them down?
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