A few years ago, I spoke to a class of film students at a university in Los Angeles, who asked for some tips to build your media career advice before graduation. My friend, award-winning advertising writer David Morgenstern, shared some tips with me for the class that he had given to USC film students a few years earlier, and they were so fantastic I wanted to share them with you.
David Morgenstern’s Tips to Build Your Media Career
1) Return every call and e-mail quickly. Show up on time, even if you’re the only one there. Dress like you deserve your salary. Believe me that will put you ahead of a surprising number of people.
2) Write thank-you notes. Remember birthdays. Remember the assistants, the secretaries, the coordinators, and the mailroom folks. This is a people business. And people never forget how they are treated.
3) Every day, you are placing a brick in the tower of your reputation. Remember, everything you do, big and small, either adds or subtracts from your reputation.
4) Watch what you say in elevators, restrooms, airplanes, and casual conversation. She could be the client’s wife. He could be the boss’s brother. She could be your competitor’s accountant.
5) Don’t care who solves it. Just get it solved.
