How to make it in LA: First Job Profile of Pivot Producer

This summer I connected with some amazing professionals who were willing to share their wisdom. Each profile features how their first job out of college led to their amazing careers today, as well as their advice to help you do the same. 

From my favorite movie, The Help, to my favorite documentary, Waiting for Superman, I'm a huge fan of the work of Participant Media. They use media to tell a story and create awareness that can change the world. And since they're launching a new network just for millennials called Pivot, I thought it'd be great to learn some career tips from the new network's senior producer, Adam:

First Job Profile: Adam Sumner, Senior Producer of Pivot at Participant Media 

1) What was your first job out of college and how did you get it? 

 My first job out of college was working for a commercial producer in Charleston, SC. I got the job through my video production teacher. 

I was eager to get into the business and sought the first place that might help me, and I guess I got lucky in that my first avenue opened for me. We produced and edited mainly regional commercials, but it was a great first step in the right direction. 

2) What was the most important thing you learned from your first job? 

I think you have to be eager to learn. You need to bring some practical knowledge with you, but don't act like you know everything, especially in this business. 

There are ways to say things and set etiquette that can only be taught by watching seasoned veterans. The most important thing I learned was listening and watching, but also being eager to act and help. 

3) What did you to leverage your first job to help you get where you are today? 

I managed to use my previous experience as an assistant producer to get on the documentary crew for the Bonnaroo music festival. I was very persistent to get that job and I think having that little bit of experience helped me land the gig. 

This job would change my life forever and still stands as one of the most incredible events in my life. Everyone on the crew was from New York or LA, and they'd say "where do you live in LA?" ... and I'd respond, "I'm from South Carolina."

I was a little bit out of place you might say, but again I was ready to listen and learn. I made some incredible friends and lasting relationships and from there I got the courage to make the move to LA and give this a real shot. I had nothing to lose. 

4) What advice do you have for a recent graduate who is struggling to find their first job after college? 

As I said above, you have nothing to lose. If you are young and free from serious attachments, shoot for the moon. Go for it. You can always move back in your parents basement. 

You also need to build on personal relationships. Searching the internet for job postings is like a shot in the dark. It really is about who you know - hit the streets, really get eager and annoying for what you really want.

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I second all of that!  Great advice - thank you Adam!

How to get a job where you meet people like Jay-Z & Lenny Kravitz

This summer I connected with some amazing professionals who were willing to share their wisdom. Each profile will feature how their first job out of college led to their amazing careers today (that they love, by the way), as well as their advice to help you do the same. 

First Job Profile: Chris McDonald, Senior Producer of The Tavis Smiley Show

 1) What was your first job out of college and how did you get it? 

My first job out of college was a production assistant for the CNN nightly news series "The World Today." I had interned with CNN and after I graduated I just went in and asked for a job. Luckily we had built such rapport during my internship they were gracious enough to employ me as a Production Assistant. 

2) What was the most important thing you learned from your first job? 

I took a lot away from my first job, but one bit of experience remains, and it's a doctrine I continue to live by.

CNN is a big company, so if you work there you deal with a great number of people. I worked out of the Los Angeles Bureau, so the big anchors were always coming through town. Since I was always eager to learn, I pretty much became the designated P.A. for all the big anchors, including Wolf Blitzer, Connie Chung, Lou Dobbs, Soledad O'Brien and more. 

Some anchors their producers have egos, and these people tend to make their power known by stepping on the people below them. In my case, it was me. 

Like many large organizations, the hierarchy was very evident and I found myself getting stepped on. I bottled up how awful it felt and vowed to never be that way to anyone working under me.

Yet for every egomaniac, there's a producer who remembers where they came from and is always open to offer help and advice. 

The funny thing is when I left CNN and got a job with some leverage and power, I was in a position to help an old producer at CNN with a huge favor. She was one of the 'good' producers, so I stuck my neck out for her and gave her her solid.  

I learned to be gracious to everyone you work with in business, and treat them equally no matter the position, because your paths will cross again someday and the tables will be turned. 

 

Chris with Lenny Kravitz

3) What did you do to leverage your first job to help you get where you are today? 

When you come out of college, there is an edge you have above the older working crowd - you're used to burning the midnight oil with term papers and reading hordes of books.

Thus, you have bounds of energy that the average adult no longer possesses. If you're ambitious, take advantage of that! It is a skill that has legs for miles!

I realized that very early on in the beginnings of my work years, and I applied myself in any way I could. Fortunately for me, I worked for a company with my facets to it - CNN had an entertainment unit, a news unit, a sports unit, a business unit and CNN Espanol. 

I went out of my way to work overtime and offer my production assistance to all those departments, and they complied. In doing so, I learned a lot! 

More importantly, I developed trustworthy working relationships with the Los Angeles CNN bureau across the board. Moreover, they started noticing my tenacity and allowed me to work beyond my title. 

Although I eventually earned the title of researcher, my job tasks extended beyond that by writing news reels, associate producing, producing and even conducting interviews on the red carpet and backstage at movie premieres and award shows. 

This enabled me to color my resume so much more than I could have if I simply stuck to the parameters of my job title. 

4) What advice do you have for a recent graduate who is struggling to find their first job after college? 

I always give the same advice that was given to me: you're young and you have the whole world ahead of you! Life is indeed short, but it's the most abused statement about our mortality. You actually have time! You're new to the job force, so your canvas is very large and blank!

You may begin painting a pretty portrait over here, but if you splotch it up, scribble it away and move further down your large blank canvas and start fresh. A lot of people, including myself, expect to come out of college and get that dream job right away. There is a TINY percentage of people that happens to. The rest of us have to work extra hard for several years to get there. 

And that's a rough notion to stomach, because even the most humble of students come out of college with a sense of entitlement - why wouldn't you? You just paid so much for good schooling; your newly acquired knowledge is fresh; you're up-to-date with the latest technology and the person you'll be working for has never heard of it. Frustrating, right? 

But let me tell you... in any industry there is absolutely no knowledge like years of experience and hard work. Take your time, work hard, and your time will eventually come.

Don't get discouraged either when it doesn't happen in three years when you're 25. That's called a quarter-life crises. You still have lots of time ahead of you. You'll get there. I promise. 

Thank you Chris for some of the BEST advice in this series so far! You can check out the Tavis Smiley show on PBS! :)