Being a Producer in New York City

“What is it going to take for you to do this full-time?”

I was asked this question during a meeting with my pastor, Dan Stratton who was a Stock & Commodities Trader on Wall Street.

I had to sit and think about it. I went to film school in L.A. and although California is a great place for television and movies (Paramount, Fox, Sony Pictures, etc.), I felt I needed to have solid connections to be at the top. In NYC, there is a smorgasbord for me to build connections: TV, film, music, theater, business, non-profit, government, public relations, new media, print, etc. and if I build my connections here I can have a “shot” in L.A. Frank Sinatra said it best, “If I can Make it there, I’ll make it anywhere…”

So what was I doing?

After I graduated college I returned to NYC and started working (4) jobs simultaneously to support myself and advance my career: I was a package handler at FedEx in the morning; a video editor/videographer for a production company; an educator and youth mentoring counselor for educationally at-risk students at a non-profit organization throughout the day; and a model waiter for an upscale events catering service at night. I did all this while freelancing and networking in NYC.

If you are starting out in NYC, and you do not have a name, you are at the bottom, so the big thing NOT to do is specialize. Basically, I NEVER said “No” to a gig. The way I made it the first year was doing audio, video, lighting, print and web design jobs. In fact, my first freelance job wasn’t doing video production, but converting and mastering audiocassette series into mp3s and CDs. And how did I get that job?

I didn’t advertise at first (I found out that 14% of people trust in advertising, 78% of people trust the words of their friends, according to Nielsen statistics in October 2007, the year I started my business). I began working on projects for the people my parents knew and the clients started coming. One job led to another; I was getting phone calls, people were starting to see the work I did for clients, and my education and experience solidified me getting the job. My parents always taught me that a good name is to be praised, so always do things with excellence. But, beyond that, my mother was important in explaining that in order to be successful, you have to treat a project or a person’s dream as if it were your own. My creative and technical knowledge is realized by creating the vision of how the client sees it in their mind. It was hard, but when I did that, things started to grow.
Now the opportunity came when my pastor asked me, “What is it going to take for you to do this full-Time?”
To be a producer in NYC you have to own or work for a production company. Was I going to go for it? I did, and within a year I went from a bed-room office to a wall street studio (http://www.burgosmedia.com/studiofacility).

My company is continuing to grow, and now I am being presented with a lot of interns that I am beginning to apprentice and mentor with production projects. Interns who tell me, “ I would eat ramen noodles every day to live and make my dream come true.” Interns that want to do whatever they can do to succeed: Work three jobs, not sleep, give up weekends, take on numerous production projects and go to school to continue their education and further their career.

College is a breeding ground & a solid foundation. It is something very needful, and in this highly competitive environment, very helpful. Yet life is an experience and being in the media field full-time--a whole new education. So I give my interns hands-on projects that can grow their knowledge, expand their contacts, and develop their portfolio that I learned in my professional experience with clients.

You need mentors and people that will apprentice you to be confident and competent in your dreams. And I am very happy to say, that within my business many of my interns have found jobs within a month of working with me in their respective fields: web, TV, film, magazines, public relations firms, Broadway and music.

It has been a blessing to watch them grow and expand their markets and lives!

I believe in advancing my career by helping companies, organizations and people advance their goals. What are some of yours?

NOTE: Are internships necessary? Yes.

Did you know the NY Times posted an article that parents are paying up to $8,000+ a year for their kids to get unpaid internships? Click here to find out more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/business/09intern.html?_r=2&8dpc