Author: Katherine Di Marino

One of the most difficult things you’ll ever come across in your career is coming to the realization that somebody is not a suitable fit, and you need to show them the door. This can be for any number of reasons. Their skills might not be where they should be and they sold you defective goods, they could be an awkward personality that is causing a rift within your crew, they could be a complainer and whiner that is bringing everybody else down, they could be a gossiper that is poisoning the waters of your swimming pool. There could be…

Jealousy and back biting seem to run rampant in our industry. I think it’s a very sad thing that friends and colleagues can’t be happy for others when something finally goes right after much struggle. Because that’s what it’s all about…struggle. People go through a lot of it to get where they want to be. And usually many years of it, to land their dream job, or to get something funded and see it go to camera. I have a fair amount of experience with this through dealing with my own career, while attempting to cheerlead for my friends at…

There is a fine line between being persistent and looking like an idiot. Let me explain. I spent two and a half years working at a production company that was three doors down from a film school. You’d think we would have been inundated regularly with graduates banging down our door seeking work. Sadly this was not the case. I have a distinct memory of two people coming to see me looking for work. One was persistent bordering on mania…the other was not. I took meetings with both of them to get some idea of their personalities, and where they…

At the beginning of your career a great way to gain experience and get samples of work under your belt is timed film making competitions. They can be hell on wheels to get through, but if you’re on a good team you could end up coming out of it with something worthwhile. Creativity is an interesting thing. Put under pressure people are forced to perform, and have no time to stand around umming and awwing wondering if they are making the right decisions. There is no time to be questioning every decision you’re making. It’s a case of do or…

You’re going to hate hearing what I’m about to tell you, but administrative skills are where it’s at. Sounds like a strange thing to suggest, since the majority of you aren’t interested in becoming producers, but it’s true. Why do you ask? Because you have to figure out a way to pay the bills in between gigs so you’re not constantly eating up your vacation/retirement fund. I’ve spent 20 years scratching my head trying to figure out if there’s a better way, and so far I haven’t managed to crack the code. I’ve always looked for something that I could…

Just like buying real estate, in the world of television and film finding the right location for your shoot is everything. And aiding in the process goes hand in hand with finding a good location scout/manager. They will know the ins and outs of contracting, permits, and ways in which NOT to piss of the city and neighbors that you are not necessarily familiar with. On my first short film I could not for the life of me find one of these human beings due to an unrealistic schedule for prep that was outside of my control, so I set…

When you are casting sometimes it’s easy to have blinders on. You see what’s written on the page, and the description of the character, and you get a mental picture of what this person looks, sounds and acts like. In your search you can get very fixated on finding the replica of who fits that bill. And that can be a mistake. What we forget are that actors are just that – actors. They sometimes bring things to the table, and to a role that we never could have imagined. And this can open up the material to whole new…

When you are first starting out in the industry, finding work can be tough. Your first job may not immediately lead to a second job… it could be months or even years before the next opportunity presents itself. The best you can do is to make yourself memorable when you are working, and do everything in your power to be of service to everyone, and make other crew members lives easy. You need to go out of your way to go the extra mile, and if you do it will be remembered and rewarded. Let me tell you a bit…

People are always complaining about the crap that’s currently at the theaters, and is getting made on television, (yes most of the cable networks get a pass), and that their stuff is better yet they can’t seem to get arrested. I’m sorry to tell you this is just not the case. When your work gets good enough it will in fact garner attention. Why do I know this? I’ve worked inside a funding agency, as well as having worked at several production companies reading all of the material that came through the door seeking either a producer to take it…

One of the trickiest hurdles to get over while pursuing your career is finding your people. And what I mean by that is the people you like, respect, appreciate their skills, and want to collaborate with. You will need to ally yourself with both senior people to get your projects made, along with people that are at your own level, and will be moving up at the same time you are. These are the folks that you will want to work with again and again when the opportunity presents itself. And this rag tag group will likely be cobbled together…

The following are some tips for you about either visiting, being a cast, or crew member on a set when you’re first beginning your career. I’ll start with probably the most important one. Stay out of actor’s eye-lines. If you are there, you are a cause for distraction. The first time I visited a set I made this mistake and the actor pulled a Christian Bale and went ballistic! Try and stay behind the monitor if possible. The subject near and dear to everyone’s hearts…food! If you’re visiting, let the crew get through the catering line first …particularly if it’s…

I just won an award for a feature length screenplay I wrote. Am I happy about it? Of course I am. Who wouldn’t be? But with the happiness comes a bit of melancholy. Sounds like a strange thing to feel but it’s true. The reason is the award is for new voices – new vs old. And I really feel like I should be an old voice by now and I have to question why I’m not. Why don’t I have more of my writing produced? The fact of the matter is I spent too much time worried about what…

The following is something I wrote for the writers program at the University of British Columbia when I visited them as a guest speaker. The students all took turns pitching (or selling) me one of their projects. I wrote down some thoughts for them about going out into the world as a professional, and turning your pitch meetings into a positive experience, and avoiding some of the potential pitfalls. So here it is – part two: KNOW THE PERSON/COMPANY/BROADCASTER YOU ARE PITCHING! What is the type of project you are attempting to pitch? Is it comedy? Do they do comedy?…

The following is something I wrote for the writers program at the University of British Columbia when I visited them as a guest speaker. The students all took turns pitching (or selling) me one of their projects. I wrote down some thoughts for them about going out into the world as a professional, and turning your pitch meetings into a positive experience, and avoiding some of the potential pitfalls. So here they are: THE ART OF CONVERSATION I got an opportunity to work on my pitching early in my career with a woman named Jan Miller. If you ever get…