Understanding “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” It is regularly said that “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” This is a common phrase that may be even more popular these days due to economic hardships. While the statement is undoubtedly true it also misrepresents how things work in the real world. After seeing things from both sides it’s not what you might be led to believe. The first step of a successful career is often the hardest one. When I was finishing school I distinctly recall thinking how unfair it was that it’s “who you know” world when I was a student who didn’t know anyone. I work at a video game company, Uber Entertainment. Today we’re at 23 full-time employees and only slightly more diverse – 15 of 23 are from GPG. This hiring practice could be viewed as unfair nepotism. Many teams, particularly small teams and start-ups, are able to fully staff based purely on hiring previous colleagues or exclusively via recommendation. How do you build a strong professional network? That’s it. Your network is your friends.
The Internship - Not the Movie I thought of that cartoon after recently writing about the start-up HireArt, which specializes in matching job seekers with job creators by testing applicants on real-world skills that mimic the jobs they’re applying for. The co-founders, Eleonora Sharef and Nick Sedlet, were flooded with e-mails after the column appeared, from people who were either seeking jobs, wanted advice on how to better apply for a job or wanted to share their frustrations in finding a job. I asked them to analyze their mail to see what it tells us about today’s job market. Internships are increasingly important today, they explained, because skills are increasingly important in the new economy and because colleges increasingly don’t teach the ones employers are looking for. Since so many internships are unpaid these days, added Sedlet, there is a real danger that only “rich kids” can afford them, which will only widen our income gaps. But what, they were often asked, does “add value” mean?
Download Every Book Scott Ginsberg Has Ever Written, For Free, Right Now, For Real! As an artist, I’d rather be heard than paid. My entire career as a writer, publisher, performer and consultant has flourished on the power of giving myself away. And considering the current expectation of the marketplace, why charge customers for a digital cow they’re already milking for free? Enjoy all 13 of my books as free downloads. My first book wasn't a book: It was a brand, a stand, a story and a statement. Any sophomore effort is rife with pressure and expectation. Due to the nametag, everyone called me "that guy." The most beautiful book I've ever done. The first in my series, this book was a response to my clients, who wanted to read short, fun, helpful books on specific job functions. I don't like sales and I'm not particularly skilled at sales. Managers are notorious for being unapproachable. It's a concept album. I'm not an angry person by any stretch of the imagination, but this book is basically me venting. LET ME ASK YA THIS... LET ME SUGGEST THIS... Scott Ginsberg
www.gamecareerguide.com/features/1223/breaking_into_game_design_part_.php?print=1 Breaking Into Game Design, Part 1 By Ethan Levy [07.25.13] [BioWare veteran Ethan Levy offers his insider knowledge in this series of tips for up-and-coming designers looking to land a job in the games industry.] Before I left to work on Enhanced Wars, I was a producer and manager at BioWare's San Francisco office. The majority of my time at BioWare was spent as a producer leading the Dragon Age Legends game team. Since I left BioWare, I have turned to community participation on Reddit and forums to fill the hole in my life where co-workers used to be. I find myself repeating a few pieces of advice over and over again about how to break into the industry as a game designer. A big caveat - I am just one hiring manager with one perspective. Step 1: Fnd Your Mountain In 2012 one of my favorite authors, Niel Gaiman, gave a commencement speech at The University of Arts in Philadelphia. "Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be ... was a mountain. Tangible proof
A New Education for a New Theatre | The Clyde Fitch Report In my first post for the Clyde Fitch Report about a month ago, Business Model: The Next Frontier, I wrote about the need for the development of a new approach to producing theatre, one separate from both the for-profit model illustrated by Broadway, and the non-profit model represented by the major regional theatres. My second post, On Saying It To Their Faces, prompted by Tracy Letts’ Tony Award acceptance speech, was about the necessity to develop a different relationship between artist and audience, one in which the artist stands at the center of his or her community rather than apart from it. Today’s post will focus on the foundation that must necessarily be built in order to support this transformation. Today’s post is about the education of theatre artists. And what does it get them? She pleads: Give me somebody to dance for, Give me somebody to show. Let’s give these lyrics a closer look. The dysfunction on display in this song becomes more obvious if you switch the art form.
Moving to LA Adam Saltsman's Blog - Making Art for a Living The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. What follows is partially a response to Elizabeth Ryerson's interesting post about art and commerce from earlier today, but is also just me getting around to posting something I've been meaning to post for a while. Also, keep in mind as always, that what follows is written from a place of remarkable privilege. We had our first child when I was in my late 20s, about 18 months after releasing Canabalt. I think a lot of people can look back and find an event in their life that acted as a kind of catalyst for a degree of either motivation or self-examination that was previously unknown to them. I'd already decided that that making games was a worthwhile way to spend my life. And so the question I was struggling with, following the arrival of our son, was not "why games?"
The Juilliard Effect - Ten Years Later Correction Appended FOURTEEN years ago, Chad A. Alexander took his bassoon and headed east from a small California town, assumed a coveted place at the Juilliard School and began training for a job in one of the country's great orchestras. "Everything seemed possible," he said recently. He needed a day job. Last May, Mr. Eric Crambes is another former resident of Planet Juilliard. Since graduating, he has moved smoothly into a flourishing career. Both Mr. The results suggest how hard it can be to live as a classical musician in a society that seems increasingly to be pushing classical music to the margins, even as Juilliard and scores of other music schools pour out batches of performers year after year. Sometimes the struggle is just too much, and many drop out, perhaps disillusioned with a once-sacred endeavor that has come to seem a cold, unforgiving trade.
TO YOU ASPIRING ARTISTS...FROM JOE MADUREIRA by `LeSeanThomas on deviantART 13 Reasons You're Not As Successful As You Should Be by Jim Kukral Feeling down about your small business these days? Is the broken economy hurting your sales and keeping you up at night? Need some motivation and tough love to help you stop pitying yourself? Well, here you go: 13 reasons you might have in your head about why you're not as successful as you should be. #1 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Laziness I don’t think there’s an easy way to put this. RELATED: 5 Bad Habits Entrepreneurs Must Drop #2 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Entitlement Only a few people in the world are part of the lucky sperm club. #3 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Fear You are afraid, plain and simple. RELATED: Handle the Peaks and Valleys of Business Ownership Anxiety #4 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Negativity You may not realize it, but the people you associate with might be negative [orifices]. #5 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Stop Thinking You plan nothing.