On this episode of our podcast Breakthrough Barriers with Damali, we had the amazing Sabrina Thompson Mitchell on the show. She has accomplished so many incredible feats like being qualified for the Olympic trials for track and meet at the age of 18, being the runner up for “Survivor: One world”, serving as Hilary Clinton’s cinematographer and being the official photographer of the Washington D.C Women’s March back in 2017. Sabrina is a filmmaker, director, photographer and CEO of KUU Productions and the WEEN Academy (Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network).
Our first caller referred to himself as an amateur writer and filmmaker. He was having trouble capturing the art of storytelling and wanted tips on how to present his vision more effectively, both written and visually.
The very first thing Sabrina advised was to throw away the word “amateur”. That word gives people a preconceived notion of who you are and can be limiting. If you are doing, if you are creating, you already are.
Sabrina reminded our caller, and all of our listeners, to always be authentic and raw with your story. Don’t worry about peoples opinion of it, get your thoughts across in the most honest way. This way, even if they don’t like your pitch, they will never question your capabilities.
Make your pitch quick, vivid and get to the point. Keep your audience interested. Remember to always present yourself as a brand, not only your work. Most companies or audiences are invested in who you are as a person as well. Let that personality shine through.
Creatives are not always social butterflies. Luckily Sabrina introduced us to a whole new tool to present your work, concept trailers.
Concept trailers are 2-3 minutes long and include a mashup of different existing movies which tell the story and set the tone for your concept. There is nothing new under the sun, and if you could use small clips from existing movies to describe what is in your head, why not do that.
Always keep writing, keep developing, keep creating. Having one great piece of work is an amazing accomplishment, but you want to show possible hiring companies or investors that you are a package deal and that they can leverage your talent.
Do you have any barriers that we can help you break through? If so, you can leave a brief message at 646-363-6322 or comment below on our interactive blog.
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Best Wishes,
The Breakthrough Blogger
"Throw away the word “amateur”....That word gives people a preconceived notion of who you are and that can be limiting. If you are doing, if you are creating, then you already are."
