Questions regarding the Entertainment industry with how to follow your passions, building a team, and moving to a big city.

1. Jason
S
Blanchard
is
a
freelance
producer,
independent
business
and
marketing
consultant,
and
motivational
speaker.
He
spent
the
last
8
years
teaching
Final
Projects
at
Full
Sail
University
before
moving
to
Los
Angeles
in
February.
Jessica
Northey
had
the
opportunity
to
interview
Blanchard
over
Spring
Break:
JN:
What
type
of
work
do
you
enjoy
most:
producing,
business
and
marketing
consulting,
or
motivational
speaking?
JB:
All
of
the
above
because
they
go
hand-­‐in-­‐hand.
Producing
is
marketing
and
business.
Consulting
is
what
a
producer
does
by
sitting
down
with
a
variety
of
people
to
make
recommendations.
The
motivational
speaking
comes
into
play
by
being
able
to
keep
your
team
motivated.
Producing
is
all
of
those
things
combined
into
one
person.
There
are
two
kinds
of
producers:
1)
the
deal
making
producers
and
2)
the
nuts
and
bolts
producers.
The
deal-­‐making
producer
is
also
known
as
the
Creative
Producer
and
knows
people
and
can
bring
them
together
for
a
single
project.
This
type
of
producer
knows
about
a
great
script
and
then
connects
that
script
with
the
crew
to
rally
the
cause
of
bringing
the
story
into
a
movie.
They
seek
out
investors,
they’re
the
champions
of
the
project,
and
they’ll
go
out
and
market
the
movie
on
television.
The
nuts
and
bolts
producer
will
figure
out
the
budget:
what
it
will
cost
to
make
the
script
into
a
movie.
They’ll
price
it
down
to
the
cost
of
the
nails
to
build
the
set
along
with
what,
who,
and
how
it
costs.
To
become
a
Creative
Producer,
you
start
out
as
an
Assistant
Producer.
You
learn
from
the
CP,
the
5-­‐7
year
track
starts
from
Associate
Producer,
Co-­‐Producer,
and
then
a
Producer.
For
the
nuts
and
bolts
producer,
you
start
out
as
an
office
PA,
Production
Secretary,
Assistant
Officer
Coordinator,
Production
Coordinator,
Line
Producer,
and
then
Producer.
That
is
about
a
15-­‐year
track.
An
Executive
Producer
is
anyone
with
money
and/or
influence.
They
know
people
who
will
create
a
movie
based
on
paying
them
well
or
if
they

2. owe
the
EP
any
favors.
JN:
What
are
the
core
responsibilities
of
your
position?
JB:
The
producer
is
the
Alpha
and
Omega
of
a
project.
They
are
there
to
see
the
project
from
the
beginning
to
the
end.
Some
projects
can
be
a
5
to
7
year
process.
Every
project
can
be
different
and
a
producer
can
start
working
from
a
story
in
a
book
before
the
script
is
created
or
not
become
involved
until
after
a
script
has
been
produced.
An
example
of
motivational
speaking
in
producing
was
how
I
had
been
on
a
14-­‐hour
shoot
on
a
set
with
extras.
They
realized
they
had
6
more
hours
to
go
before
the
end
of
their
shift
for
a
20-­‐hour
day.
The
only
way
for
me
to
finish
the
day
was
to
motivate
50
extras
to
stay
for
the
entire
shift.
I
got
out
a
ladder
and
stood
at
the
top
and
yelled
out
and
asked
everyone
to
gather
around.
I
also
gave
them
compliments
of
how
great
they
were
doing
and
thanked
them
for
being
there.
Then,
I
asked
them
to
stay
the
additional
hours.
The
only
way
to
motivate
a
group
of
extras
to
stay
longer
is
to
inspire
them.
Another
trick
is
to
never
give
a
large
group
of
people
an
option.
If
you
do
give
them
option,
the
group
will
not
be
able
to
quickly
come
to
a
common
agreement.
Instead,
direct
the
group
with
what
you
want
them
to
do,
and
they
will
follow
your
leadership.
JN:
What
entry-­‐level
positions
would
I
hold
before
I
would
be
qualified
to
hold
your
position?
JB:
My
advice
is
that
you
stay
as
long
as
you
think
you
need
to
be
there.
As
soon
as
you
feel
comfortable
with
the
work,
set
out
for
your
next
goal.
For
instance,
if
co-­‐workers
invite
you
out
after
work,
then
say
yes.
That
can
lead
into
conversations
about
other
places
to
visit
and
end
up
turning
into
an
opportunity
you
would
have
never
been
able
to
plan
out.
If
you’re
new
to
a
city
and
to
an
industry,
it’s
a
great
idea
to
start
out
as
an
intern.
It’s
smart
to
have
2-­‐3
months
of
savings
to
live
off
of
before
moving
to
a
new
city.
Some
new
graduates
have
been
able
to
work
part-­‐time
at
2
or
3
different
internships
at
the
same
time

3. because
they
had
a
buffer
to
pay
the
essential
bills.
JN:
When
evaluating
a
team
member’s
performance,
what
factors
are
most
important
to
you?
JB:
There
are
two
important
characteristics
to
have
in
this
business.
First,
being
able
to
do
what
you’re
say
you’re
going
to
do
and
having
follow
through
is
essential.
The
second
characteristic
is
personality;
no
one
wants
to
work
with
a
jerk.
If
you’re
a
jerk,
I
don’t
care
how
good
you
are;
you’re
still
a
jerk.
No
one
wants
to
work
with
someone
with
a
negative
personality.
As
a
producer,
in
building
a
team,
I
look
for
their
strengths
and
weaknesses
and
then
match
people
up
that
will
match
each
other
to
create
a
stronger
team.
My
advice
is
to
work
on
improving
your
strengths
because
it
is
better
to
be
an
expert
at
one
thing
versus
being
mediocre
at
many
things.
A
person
with
a
particular
weakness
can
be
matched
with
a
different
person
who
has
strength
in
that
area.
JN:
What
do
you
consider
to
be
the
most
challenging
aspect
about
being
in
this
position
today?
JB:
The
most
challenging
part
about
being
a
producer
is
finding
the
motivation
to
continue
to
do
this
work
every
day.
There
is
so
much
rejection.
It’s
easier
if
you
know
that
you
will
fail
99
times
out
of
100.
You
have
to
go
into
it
expecting
the
failure,
and
when
failure
happens,
accept
it
and
keep
going.
I
wake
up
every
day
with
an
optimistic
attitude.
I
don’t
see
L.A.
having
10%
unemployment
rate.
Instead,
9
out
of
10
people
have
a
job,
and
this
is
pretty
good!
I
also
learn
from
the
mistakes
and
move
on
to
the
next
step.
JN:
What
qualities
are
important
when
evaluating
an
employee
for
hire?
JB:
There
are
two
parts
to
the
decision.
First,
I’d
focus
on
their
personality
to
see
if
they’re
a
good
fit
with
the
team.
The
other
side
is
to
look
at
their
quantitative
worth
to
the
project.

4. I
will
ask
myself
if
this
person
earns
more
than
what
they
are
paid,
specifically
four
times
more
than
their
paycheck.
The
more
details
you
can
include
on
your
resume
about
your
monetary
successes,
the
better
chance
you
have
at
being
hired.
For
example,
let’s
say
you
create
a
graphic
that
took
you
one
day
and
earned
$400
once.
If
the
graphic
is
really
good,
the
company
will
continue
to
use
the
graphic
for
many
years,
which
has
a
potential
to
generate
thousands
of
dollars
in
revenue.
The
longer
the
work
is
used,
the
larger
your
quantitative
worth
becomes.
Another
example
is
paying
a
gaffer
$950
for
one
day
of
work
can
seem
like
a
lot
of
money
to
pay
in
one
day.
However,
what
the
producer
is
creating
is
a
film
that
will
last
forever
and
continue
to
earn
revenue
for
the
company
for
many
years
beyond
the
one-­‐day
worth
of
income
paid
to
the
gaffer.
The
gaffer
can
include
this
information
to
show
how
their
skills
will
bring
to
a
company
that
choose
to
hire
them.
JN:
Tell
me
about
your
first
job.
JB:
My
first
job
was
being
in
the
military.
I
was
in
the
Army
and
worked
as
a
photojournalist.
This
experience
taught
me
many
skills
I
use
today
for
my
career.
My
first
job
in
the
entertainment
industry
was
working
as
an
Office
PA
on
The
Punisher
movie.
I
turned
in
my
resume
and
cover
letter
in
July.
I
created
a
passionate
cover
letter.
I
recommend
starting
the
first
paragraph
about
yourself
and
what
you
want
to
do.
Include
a
brief
background
of
your
work
experience
relating
to
the
industry.
The
second
paragraph
should
talk
about
why
you
want
to
work
for
that
particular
company.
Here,
you
can
include
how
much
of
a
fan
you
are
and
how
you
will
be
talking
about
this
experience
until
the
day
you
die.
The
third
paragraph
should
state
why
the
company
should
care
about
you.
Explain
how
you
will
give
a
100%
and
that
you
are
full
of
passion.
Also,
include
a
closing
paragraph
with
your
contact
information
and
how
you’d
be
happy
to
just
see
the
office.
In
the
film
industry,
it’s
more
about
passion
instead
of
a
professional
cover
letter
because
they
want
to
know
you
can
work
14-­‐hour
days.

5. On
the
day
of
the
interview,
I
discovered
that
the
guy
I
was
replacing
for
the
Office
PA
job
was
a
guy
who
asked
too
many
questions
about
why
he
had
to
do
the
things
he
was
asked
to
do.
The
production
team
that
worked
with
the
prior
Office
PA
felt
that
with
my
past
military
experience,
I
wouldn’t
ask
why
at
all
and
instead
simply
take
orders.
I
understand
the
answer
to
why
is
always
because
they
asked
me
to
do
it.
The
second
reason
I
was
hired
on
the
spot
was
because
I
ended
up
knowing
the
person
interviewing
me.
I
had
previously
volunteered
to
help
out
a
production
team
during
the
summer.
It
was
a
1-­‐day
PA
job
with
no
pay
in
Florida’s
107-­‐degree
heat.
I
ended
up
having
the
responsibility
of
keeping
everyone
hydrated.
There
was
an
elderly
woman
who
ended
up
passing
out
from
heat
exhaustion.
The
2nd
AD
asked
if
she
was
okay,
and
I
assured
her
that
the
woman
was
okay
and
that
I
would
take
care
of
her.
Because
of
my
military
experience,
I
already
knew
what
to
do
to
help
her
recover.
During
my
interview,
I
realized
that
the
lady
conducting
my
interview
was
the
same
person
as
the
2nd
AD
that
I
worked
for
that
day
in
Florida.
She
remembered
me
as
soon
as
I
reminded
her
of
that
day.
She
offered
me
the
job
without
any
further
discussion
because
I
saved
her
job
that
day,
and
she
told
me
how
she
hadn’t
had
the
chance
to
thank
me
properly.
I
asked
her
if
she
wanted
to
look
at
the
office
work
I
brought
in,
and
she
quickly
flipped
through
my
book
and
began
to
discuss
my
work
schedule.
JN:
What
projects
are
you
currently
working
on?
JB:
I
recently
moved
to
L.A.
from
Orlando
on
a
trial
basis
to
see
if
I
could
find
a
great
long-­‐
term
gig
in
order
to
move
the
rest
of
my
family
over
with
me.
I’ve
been
helping
people
develop
their
projects,
and
it
turned
into
me
becoming
a
talent
manager.
I’m
working
with
a
writer
who
has
4-­‐5
scripts
written.
I
work
with
a
photographer
to
help
him
find
more
work.
I
have
a
website
called
www.RentReds.com
because
a
lot
of
Full
Sail
students
who
move
to
L.A.
have
Red
cameras.
When
someone
needs
to
rent
a
camera,
the
request
is
sent
out
to
everyone
in
the
network,
and
then
whoever
can
match
up
the
schedule
first
will
be
able
to
rent
the
camera
out.

6. I’m
currently
working
a
temporary
job
at
DC
Comics,
and
I
do
not
know
what
will
come
next.
Having
a
“go
with
the
flow”
attitude
allows
me
to
stand
out
during
interviews.
JN:
What
is
the
most
challenging
aspect
of
your
job?
What
is
the
most
rewarding
aspect?
JB:
The
most
challenging
aspect
is
coming
up
with
something
career-­‐related
activities
to
do
every
day.
The
most
rewarding
part
of
what
I
do
is
seeing
someone
else
succeed
because
of
work
I
put
into
helping
him
or
her.
JN:
If
you
could
change
anything
about
the
film
business,
what
would
it
be
and
why?
JB:
Sometimes
living
in
a
big
city
can
be
lonely.
There
are
many
people
who
are
motivated
by
making
connections
versus
building
friendships.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
people
have
friends;
they
don’t
have
hundreds
of
connections.
It’s
about
the
relationships
you
build
and
the
life
you
live
while
building
projects.
I
have
met
with
over
100
Full
Sail
grads
out
in
L.A.,
and
the
major
consensus
is
they’re
lonely.
I’m
creating
monthly
get-­‐togethers
just
to
hang
out
and
make
new
friends
or
spend
quality
time
with
old
ones
without
any
business
talk.
Most
people
are
introduced
by
what
they
do
for
their
career
instead
of
what
kind
of
person
they
are.
I
like
to
say
I’m
in
between
work
just
to
trip
up
people
because
it’s
not
a
usual
response
and
instead
going
with
the
flow
and
enjoying
life.
JN:
What
advice
do
you
have
for
Full
Sail
students
who
are
a
few
months
away
from
graduation?
JB:
If
you
don’t
know
every
single
student
on
campus,
then
you’ve
messed
up.
The
best
advice
is
to
get
to
know
each
other.
If
you
cannot
properly
network
within
the
Full
Sail
campus,
then
how
are
you
going
to
survive
in
the
larger
cities
such
as
L.A.
and
New
York?
Even
if
the
networking
is
competitive,
it
is
still
important
to
meet
new
people.
The
larger

7. cities
have
a
lot
of
competition,
long
work
hours,
and
negative
aspects
such
as
crime.
A
recent
graduate
can
feel
like
the
city
is
trying
to
kill
them
and
eat
them
alive.
Instead
of
becoming
another
causality
of
failure
in
the
business,
you
have
a
better
chance
of
success
by
knowing
the
battle
is
a
fight
for
your
life.
This
quest
is
not
for
the
faint
of
heart.
It’s
also
a
great
idea
to
give
yourself
a
deadline
after
moving
to
a
large
city
of
how
long
you’ll
live
there
to
try
it
out.
If
it
doesn’t
work,
you
know
you
have
a
back
up
plan.
I
recommend
giving
yourself
one
year,
and
if
you
haven’t
made
it
into
the
entertainment
industry
by
then,
it’s
time
to
pack
up
and
go
home.
Doesn’t
sound
like
an
option
to
you?
Then
fight
for
what
you’re
passionate
about.
If
you
become
the
person
who
procrastinates,
then
you
can
be
in
L.A.
for
ten
years
before
you
get
a
break.
Once
you
get
the
drive
to
complete
your
dreams,
then
nothing
will
stop
you.
If
you
do
find
yourself
in
a
rut
for
a
long
time,
reflect
on
what
is
standing
in
your
way.
You
do
not
need
to
work
for
people
who
string
you
along
for
years
but
never
give
you
a
promotion.
JN:
How
do
you
build
an
effective
team?
JB:
Build
a
team
of
a
core
group
of
4
people
with
specific
roles
who
all
have
a
common
goal
or
vision.
I
suggest
using
the
model
of
having
a
team
made
up
different
purposes
and
responsibilities.
I
refer
to
them
in
this
way:
the
looks,
the
brains,
the
muscle,
and
the
wild
card.
The
figurehead
is
the
showman,
known
as
the
looks.
The
brains
is
the
person
who
holds
everyone
together
and
gets
things
accomplished
as
a
project
manager.
The
wild
card
will
create
some
chaos,
and
without
chaos,
no
creativity
or
spontaneity
can
happen.
The
muscle
is
also
needed
to
do
things
like
loading
and
unloading
equipment.
However,
when
all
4
of
these
personalities
come
together,
great
things
can
happen.
It
works
best
when
everyone
has
the
same
goal
and
shares
the
same
level
of
satisfaction
when
achieving
projects.
When
the
project
grows
larger
than
the
4
people
can
handle,
it
is

8. fine
to
bring
in
new
people
on
a
per-­‐project
basis.
However,
when
the
project
is
over,
the
core
group
should
continue
to
stick
together
on
all
future
projects
as
partners.