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Mentorship April 30, 2020
Just graduated and feeling a little lost? You might need to read this.
“Oh, you’re an English major? So, that means you want to teach, right?”
We’ve all heard it. And anyone who’s majored in English with no intention to teach knows the strength it takes to stifle a counterattack. Yet, after graduating with a bachelor’s in English, I remembered this question, and it terrified me.
No, I didn’t want to teach, and writing literary criticism on centuries-old novels didn’t seem feasible either. But, what experience did I have to land a job in any other writing field?
Enter ENTITY Academy.
For every experience I lacked in university, ENTITY provided one with their summer Writer’s Collective. Here are five of the learning experiences I never thought I’d have from experts I never thought I’d get to meet.
To be fair, you might be able to take a screenwriting class in college. But, can you say that you wrote a mock episode of “Modern Family” alongside the woman who developed their scripts?
Jessica Poter, screenwriter and script coordinator of “Modern Family” and “Black-ish,” took us through a day in the writer’s room. From drafts to table reads to post-production, we followed a script through its chaotic completion.
Not only did she teach us the art of writing a sitcom, but she provided practical advice on breaking into the business. In a city where industry professionals regularly hoard their contacts, this is extremely rare.
Who else but a successful freelance writer would tell you not to do freelance writing?
Hearing Merle Ginsberg, an award-winning journalist and writer, teach us how best to navigate these early moments in our careers was instrumental. Yes, she still explained the detailed process of nailing a story pitch, but she didn’t mince words when she explained that the easiest path to freelance writing doesn’t begin with freelance writing.
The key is to maintain consistent work in a more secure field. And if you want to freelance on top? Well, from online platforms to print magazines, she’ll tell you how to do it.
Possibly the greatest asset a writer can have today is knowing how to get eyes on a digital page. In a time where people’s attention spans are shorter than that of a goldfish, grabbing their focus and holding it is instrumental to your success.
Whether you want to be a blogger, a journalist, or even an entrepreneur, learning the basics of content creating will garner you the attention you need to succeed. From Meghan Raab, the Director of Growth at Girlboss, to Elijah Schneider, the Founder of Modifly, to the mentors at ENTITY itself, we learned the pivotal skills every company is looking for when they hire.
If you want to make yourself indispensable to an employer, this is an excellent training ground.
To be honest, social media has always been my blind spot. My focus has been writing, and I believed if I had something to say, people would listen. Well, as I said above, that is simply not the case anymore.
According to Sybil Grieb, the head of Influencer Strategy and Programming at Edelman, influencer marketing is projected to exceed $5 billion in 2020. That statistic alone might be enough to make you want to brand yourself.
Even if you don’t want to become Instagram’s next hotshot, knowing the art of influencer marketing will enable your content creation to reach a wider audience. Again, more eyes on the digital page are the moon we’re all shooting for these days. Isn’t that what we all want for the companies and causes we’re passionate about?
Poetry is a skill that you never have to be great at for it to change your life.
When poet Gina Loring visited, all I can say is it was a spiritual experience. She not only delivered poignant performances of her own work, but she took us inside her creative process.
Writing letters to lost loved ones and declaring in our own words what it is that makes us strong and beautiful and powerful was enough to make even me feel like a poet.
Whether it’s garnering the skills to become job-ready or traveling inside yourself to learn what it is you want out of life, ENTITY truly provides the experience, the advice, and the empowerment to create #WomenThatDo.
