Has being on IMDB helped you?

J

Jungle Media

Don't Stalk Member
Just wonderin'.

I am thinking of investing in a local film if for nothing more than to get that Executive Producer title and a new page on IMDB. It's a really good film with an amazing cast and script so I don't think it will have trouble getting on there...

That being said, the idea of having a page on IMDB is really exciting! I'm just wondering if anyone has any stories on how this has affected their careers?

Alison
 
Nope. Being on IMDb for a bunch of films nobody has ever heard of only impresses people who don't know better. Now, if you get a cred there for being on something well known, that's different.

Then again, IMDb tells people that I am a producer on Dog the Bounty Hunter....and that I've been working in this industry since before I was born...
 
LOL, There are so many people with the same name as me on IMdb. I link people if they really want to know my page, but a cursory glance, I have done SO much. So I hear ya, Jim, who has done:
"Dog the Bounty Hunter" (associate producer) (29 episodes, 2006-2007)
- A Man Called Dog (2007) TV episode (associate producer)
- Year of the Dog (2007) TV episode (associate producer)
- Growing Up Is Hard to Do (2006) TV episode (associate producer)
- Inside Out (2006) TV episode (associate producer)
- Running on Empty (2006) TV episode (associate producer)
(24 more)
"American Masters" (line producer) (1 episode, 2005)
- James Dean: Sense Memories (2005) TV episode (line producer)
"Slavery and the Making of America" (coordinating producer) (4 episodes, 2005)
- Liberty in the Air (2005) TV episode (coordinating producer)
- Seeds of Destruction (2005) TV episode (coordinating producer)
- The Challenge of Freedom (2005) TV episode (coordinating producer)
- The Downward Spiral (2005) TV episode (coordinating producer)
"Wild TV" (2002) TV mini-series (coordinating producer)
NYPD Emergency Service Unit (2000) (TV) (associate producer)

Talk to Me: Hostage Negotiators of the NYPD
 
IMDB is useful to me as a sort of on-line resume. People looking to hire seem to frequently start with the available lists, then check out names on IMDB, and decide who to call from there.
 
Sad Max said:
IMDB is useful to me as a sort of on-line resume. People looking to hire seem to frequently start with the available lists, then check out names on IMDB, and decide who to call from there.
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But your IMDb page is full of well known properties, so I could see how that would help.
 
Anyone can be on imdb nowadays. I'm on imdb and didn't even realize it. I think if you submit to withoutabox you automatically get one. It's kind of silly.
 
jpastuch said:
Anyone can be on imdb nowadays. I'm on imdb and didn't even realize it. I think if you submit to withoutabox you automatically get one. It's kind of silly.
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It's actually pretty arbitrary. I tried submitting a film I did a few years back that screened at some of their approved venues. It kept getting rejected and I gave up. Other films I have been involved in get on no problem.
 
I know people probably aren't going to believe me on this, but I got an offer in a PM, on IMDB, from a producer to produce my feature. But I declined when he told me I'd have to drop out as a director/executive producer/actor and only take an associate producer and writer credit because I had no previous directing experience.
 
Yeah, same here. Held a camcorder for a friend's indie project and he got carried away with crediting his crew...
 
I've worked on several indy projects and even a major feature but I've never bothered to list myself on IMDB. Apparently, neither did the producers or directors I worked with on those gigs.

Meanwhile, my dad is listed as best boy grip for Dude, Where's My Car?. Awesome! :thumbsup:
 
ha ha, so I guess it's not so accurate after all!

It is kinda funny how you can work on many films and then appear all of a sudden on IMDB as if it's your first time..

So I guess aside from bragging rights (oh ya, I would brag if I was on there), it doesn't help anybody! Except that one guy that said he got a job from it. ;)
 
All I can say is thank goodness I have a unique name...because I see tons of people who have like "John Smith" as their name and have all sorts of credits constantly popping up on their profile that isn't theirs.
 
I know plenty of producers who crew-up using IMDB to give them a better picture of what projects prospective crew members have contributed to - and for how long. Word of mouth goes a long way, but at the end of the day, a producer may not want to crew a whole show on recommendations from people who are often strangers to them.

Playing full-season - and over several consecutive seasons, for instance - is often a good indicator that a staffer integrates well into a larger production staff. This prospect usually knows how to navigate the production waters and how to work across departments.

A cleverly edited demo reel showcases just one thing - the artistic side - and completely ignores how the given crew member achieved those results. First-person endorsements, a solid credit list-resume and an IMDB that backs both up gives producers a decent tool-set for making decisions about who to hire and who to pass over.
 
...although I tend to avoid spending more than one season on any single show. Not because I don't get asked to stay - I usually do - but because I don't think it looks so good on the 'ol resume to spend several years in the same place...
 
SadMax,

For sure that's definitely a catch-22 in the business. When you play across multiple seasons, you enjoy the plush, reliable income, pay into the pension and enjoy those other fringes while simultaneously limiting your list of contacts for other work.

Diversifying the clients you work with is certainly career protection - even the best EPs / show-runners have long dry spells. And when they're not working, that long-term relationship doesn't net you a paycheck.

Strike a balance and you'll keep busy enough and hopefully be rewarded with a resume that you're proud of.
 
Seems to have worked fairly well, so far. Haven't had a vacation in going on four years, now...

...I usually think of settling in with a show for several seasons as the kind of thing one does near the end of one's career when the next stop is retirement, anyway. It seems like kind of a common strategy among people who try to stick as much as possible with feature rather than tv work - features when possible, television when necessary, several seasons of television when about ready to retire...
 
IMDB has been more than useful. It adds a hint of legitimacy and people are more likely to work with a person who is known for finishing a project. A lot people simply don't finish projects and actors don't want to work with them. Actors are working with you to be seen. Chicago's acting community is small compared to LA, I means seriously the same names keep coming up over and over. Word gets out that you don't finish projects, the only talent you'll be getting is college theater actors. Being on IMDB let's people see that you do finish projects and actors use it to refer people to.

Jim Brennan said:
It's actually pretty arbitrary. I tried submitting a film I did a few years back that screened at some of their approved venues. It kept getting rejected and I gave up. Other films I have been involved in get on no problem.
Click to expand...
Get your film listed in the HWood Reporter and you have a much better chance of getting on IMDB. Do the "Withoutabox" business and get some press and it's a good chance you'll get on IMDB.

-Nate
 
It took me forever to get my first credit on IMDB. I think it actually took 2 years. After that, it's fairly easy to get other films posted within a couple months. I would say for a few jobs, having an IMDB has helped.

I also do the IMDB resume thing too. Really not sure if that has helped me.
 
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