Losing Business Because I Am Too Young?
- Thread starter Daniel J
- Start date
Daniel J
Well-known member
Usually when age comes up I try to drop the fact that I have been married for x amount of years (now 3 1/2) and I have a kid on the way (due in Nov). That seems to help some. Also I do try to be as professional as possible. I wear slacks and I nice dress shirt. Those I meet with have usually rec'd multiple e-mails from me that I consider well written and spell checked as opposed to most of my posts here.
RyanBellaCine
Well-known member
ha ha
RokMartian
Active member
I always had the opposite experience - I always looked older than I really am. I was passed up for the lead in Our Town, because the directory thought I was 28 (I was 18 at the time). Now that I am 39, I like to think I am starting to look my age 
Seriously, my opinion is to not dwell on it - just say something like "I get that a lot" and move on to business. The more you talk about it, the more they will keep thinking about it. Give them something else to concentrate on, like your work and let that sell it.
Good Luck!
Tim P.
Seriously, my opinion is to not dwell on it - just say something like "I get that a lot" and move on to business. The more you talk about it, the more they will keep thinking about it. Give them something else to concentrate on, like your work and let that sell it.
Good Luck!
Tim P.
LightSourceMedia
Active member
Hi Dan,
Being young myself, I have certainly come across this before... I would agree with Rok..
I turn 25 next week... its funny the way some people will judge you based on your age, but dont think about that...if it happens...let it go...for instance i can walk on a set and to shoot a test or something for a major company with a F900...no one is worried that i am young...because I let my work and references speak for themselves that I know what I am doing...(not a know it all mind u). I have also sat down with wedding clients and had them do the same thing, like .."your rather young arent you". I just refer them to my reel or my client list...And let them know I have yet to have a single complaint....Be confident, not cocky...and 9/10 times I am sure they will choose based on talent rather then age.... Hope that encourages you !
Keep it up !
Cheers,
Daniel B.
Being young myself, I have certainly come across this before... I would agree with Rok..
I turn 25 next week... its funny the way some people will judge you based on your age, but dont think about that...if it happens...let it go...for instance i can walk on a set and to shoot a test or something for a major company with a F900...no one is worried that i am young...because I let my work and references speak for themselves that I know what I am doing...(not a know it all mind u). I have also sat down with wedding clients and had them do the same thing, like .."your rather young arent you". I just refer them to my reel or my client list...And let them know I have yet to have a single complaint....Be confident, not cocky...and 9/10 times I am sure they will choose based on talent rather then age.... Hope that encourages you !
Keep it up !
Cheers,
Daniel B.
duranracing23
Well-known member
Well i cant tell you this. I just turned 21 this month, and at first when i wanted to get into video. I was intimidated myself about my age, As time went by and i started proving myself at a young age people started taking me seriously. Now that i am 21 i am established and i have about 5 years of experience.
So i think its not really about your age. Its at what age you have "proved yourself".
Im in the wedding video industry and i tell you this im booked for weeks of work. And the other "experienced" people hate me because they have nothing on my work.
So i think its not really about your age. Its at what age you have "proved yourself".
Im in the wedding video industry and i tell you this im booked for weeks of work. And the other "experienced" people hate me because they have nothing on my work.
It happens to me about 90% of the time. Talent I'm shooting, paying clients, whoever it is either asks me straight up how old I am or they see my ring and ask me how long I've been married and follow that up with a "how old ARE you?" Sometimes I tell them to guess and I get 22-23 most often. When I tell them I'll be 30 in October they don't believe me.
I've been dealing with the looking younger than I am bit in non production situations my whole life though so I guess I'm used to it, but I would agree with the advice that you should just say "I get that a lot" and move on. Thats what I do every time and the topic of conversatoin is usually closed right there. It does help to hand people professional looking business cards, invoices, etc as well. But all in all, if it is going to be that big of a problem for the client, you probably don't want their business anyways. If they have a problem with how you look, imagine what other ridiculous crap you will probably have to deal with later on.
On a side note, the story about getting questioned on the plane made me laugh a little. When I was about 26 or 27 I actually got carded for a rated R movie. Sadly, the ticket girl recognized me by my last name and appologized up and down for it. She was friends with my sister, who is 6 years younger than I.
I've been dealing with the looking younger than I am bit in non production situations my whole life though so I guess I'm used to it, but I would agree with the advice that you should just say "I get that a lot" and move on. Thats what I do every time and the topic of conversatoin is usually closed right there. It does help to hand people professional looking business cards, invoices, etc as well. But all in all, if it is going to be that big of a problem for the client, you probably don't want their business anyways. If they have a problem with how you look, imagine what other ridiculous crap you will probably have to deal with later on.
On a side note, the story about getting questioned on the plane made me laugh a little. When I was about 26 or 27 I actually got carded for a rated R movie. Sadly, the ticket girl recognized me by my last name and appologized up and down for it. She was friends with my sister, who is 6 years younger than I.
Capt Quirk
Veteran
Sounds like a job for Remington Steele! Remember that show? Stephanie Zimbalist was losing jobs, because nobody wanted a woman P.I., so she made up the character of Remington Steele to head up the firm. Either get a "face" to play the boss, or just say he was busy with out of town business, and you are his most trusted partner.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
This is true, but remember how they argued all the time? It made it really hard to focus on solving the mystery at hand and Cybill Sheperd always looked like she was hiding behind a weird fog-like curtain.
Bruce Willis did rock though. Oh, wait... are we talking about Moonlighting? I'm confused.
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Bruce Willis did rock though. Oh, wait... are we talking about Moonlighting? I'm confused.
e
Capt Quirk
Veteran
Only after Brosnon took over the imaginary persona. Stay in control!
That is because she had some serious insecurity issues with her crow's feet and wrinkles, and demanded special shooting set ups, like the Dibi net be used on her at all times. Of course, there is a joke about having to shoot her through a mayonnaise jar
We were just joking with one of our hosts a couple weeks ago about applying the Cybill Filter for her shots when she asked about HD make-up. She left it alone after that. I told her we'd botch the focus half the time anyway...
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Luis Caffesse
Admin
I told her we'd botch the focus half the time anyway...
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Hahahahahahaha
:thumbsup:
Capt Quirk
Veteran
A wife and kids will do that to you fast, won't it?
Back when I worked in the music biz (tour manager for various musicians and bands), we had a similar problem. Our production manager was 19 and looked about 15.
He had been working in theater since he was 12, supervising large crews since 15. He did all of the advance work by phone before we got to the concert hall so the main people knew from talking to him that he was competent and knowledgeable, but it was almost always a shock when they saw him in person.
We did several things. First, he was a consummate professional with everything he did. He dressed well, was friendly but very businesslike in his demeanor, and spoke with confidence but without arrogance and was respectful but also showed that he was in charge. Without fail, he won everyone over with the way he handled things and it was never a problem when we returned to the same concert hall or arena again.
Later, when he was 24 or so, he was in a position of working with professionals in other fields and had a similar problem to the one you're describing... plenty of experience but simply made people nervous because he looked young. He would speak with them on the phone and make all the arrangements, discuss and negotiate things, but then he would take me or someone else that was 5 or 10 years older to important meetings. He would still do almost all of the talking, but simply because someone "adult" was there, it eased the fears and he never had problems.
The one thing that we did often do was to dodge specific questions about his age. A couple ways of doing that are to say you're "under 30" when asked how old you are, and if people persist say "That's a very well kept secret" and smile... another way is to say, in response to a question about your age "how old do you think I look" and if they guess older (which they usually will), respond with "Most people don't get anywhere near that close" which is a brilliant non-answer-answer I learned from a friend.
He had been working in theater since he was 12, supervising large crews since 15. He did all of the advance work by phone before we got to the concert hall so the main people knew from talking to him that he was competent and knowledgeable, but it was almost always a shock when they saw him in person.
We did several things. First, he was a consummate professional with everything he did. He dressed well, was friendly but very businesslike in his demeanor, and spoke with confidence but without arrogance and was respectful but also showed that he was in charge. Without fail, he won everyone over with the way he handled things and it was never a problem when we returned to the same concert hall or arena again.
Later, when he was 24 or so, he was in a position of working with professionals in other fields and had a similar problem to the one you're describing... plenty of experience but simply made people nervous because he looked young. He would speak with them on the phone and make all the arrangements, discuss and negotiate things, but then he would take me or someone else that was 5 or 10 years older to important meetings. He would still do almost all of the talking, but simply because someone "adult" was there, it eased the fears and he never had problems.
The one thing that we did often do was to dodge specific questions about his age. A couple ways of doing that are to say you're "under 30" when asked how old you are, and if people persist say "That's a very well kept secret" and smile... another way is to say, in response to a question about your age "how old do you think I look" and if they guess older (which they usually will), respond with "Most people don't get anywhere near that close" which is a brilliant non-answer-answer I learned from a friend.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Just tell them that the up side is you didn't loose your sense of taste by living through the 70's.
I used to be the youngest one around, never really had much of a problem but?? Now I'm the oldest one around, luckily I look younger, this business is much more biased against the older than it is against the younger.
I used to be the youngest one around, never really had much of a problem but?? Now I'm the oldest one around, luckily I look younger, this business is much more biased against the older than it is against the younger.