Introduce yourself, your career depends on it

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"Everyone says 'hi'"

- David Bowie

Your parents and guardians probably told you not to speak to strangers, and that's great advice for kids. For adults in the entertainment industry, that's a death sentence. Leave the house! Get off the couch! Go somewhere else!

Nothing happens in a vaccum, no man is an island and I'd like to thank the entire academy. The internet is increasing the opportunities for people who never leave the house and take part in no actual human interaction, but regardless of what you create you need to have contacts, of some kind, in order to distribute your work successfully. Having a face to connect to a name, a shared cup of coffee or a remembered handshake grounds your personality and individuality in another person's memory and gives you a huge advantage over words in a letter or text on a screen, no matter how eloquently written.

In order to really capitalize on this advantage, you have to get local - which likely means New York or Los Angeles. It's becoming less important, but in some ways that makes breaking in harder, not easier. When everything came out of one town at least you knew where to be. But the point is to get out and meet people. If ou are shy, that's okay. Practice does, in fact, make it easier.

You never know which conversation is going to be your big break, but it's probably not the one you are fretting about so stop. Just go say 'hi'. It doesn't matter who you say it to, just that you did it. Maybe the stranger's a jerk and will brush you off. Oh well. Talk to somebody else. Maybe it's true that most people suck, fine, you don't suck so go talk to all 30 people in the bar and find the one that also doesn't suck.

Ask questions - nothing invites conversation like giving people a chance to talk about their favorite subject. Find out if the person is worth your time. Rather than relying on their approval, look for something to identify with and approve them. It really is that easy.

I'm not saying it's not scary, I'm not saying it's not difficult - for a lot of people this is the most terrifying hurdle to clear. But everyone can do it. The more you do it, the less nervous you will be. Each conversation will seem less honerous and stressful than the last. Before you know it, people will be introducing their friends to you and your network - and your career - will take off.