1161. A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Film and TV Industry Executive?

“After graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in advertising, I worked as a media planner at McCann Erickson figuring out the best media and advertising strategies for the movies that Columbia and TriStar released from 1989 to 1992. I figured out a more effective way to complete the reach and frequency efficiency of our campaigns across 200+ markets–my analytical skills at play–which cut the planning time of most planners from over 2+ hours to 20 minutes or less. After questioning me about my method for solving the problem so efficiently, the New York office asked me if I’d like to transfer there as supervisor and a pay raise that was literally three times greater than what I was earning at the time as a 25-year-old ‘newbie’ in the world of advertising. My immediate response was: ‘No thank you, I want to make movies.’ Soon thereafter I accepted a job as a production assistant on a TV show called Dream On which was featured on HBO, for a tiny fraction of the salary I was offered in the ad business. My gut told me that if I took that high-paying job I would be shackled by the proverbial ‘golden handcuffs’ and never be able to pursue my passion for the film and TV industry. My gut was spot on and I have been creating a career that I love every day ever since.”

Tim Tortora has spent his impressive career in the entertainment industry garnering extensive financial and producing experience before releasing his second book “Hollywood Dream Jobs: How to Build the Connections That Will Shape Your Career in Film and TV.”  His latest book and companion community guides aspiring filmmakers through the black box that is building a durable network in film and TV production.