This week, host Gray Jones interviews Priyanka Mattoo, a writer/filmmaker and former UTA & WME agent who shares how to find a Hollywood mentor during lockdown.
Priyanka Mattoo Biography:
Priyanka is a writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles.
She was formerly an agent at UTA and WME, as well as Jack Black’s partner at their production company, Electric Dynamite. Priyanka is the co-founder of EARIOS, a women-led podcast network, and co-hosts its critically-acclaimed beauty/wellness podcast, “Foxy Browns.”
Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vulture, and The Hairpin, and her film work in festivals from Sundance to Cannes. She was raised in India, England, and Saudi Arabia before moving to the U.S. in high school, and holds degrees in Italian and Law from the University of Michigan.
Priyanka now lives in Venice (California) with her husband and kids.
INDEX TO THE EPISODE:
1:43 – Interview start
3:10 – Her back story, a wild ride! Studied law, and ended up at UTA, where she found she had a talent for it and rose up quickly.
8:01 – Found she wasn’t fulfilled, and something was missing — partnered with Jack Black to build a TV production company. Sold 40 pitches while she was at that company.
9:33 – Had a yearning to write and direct her own projects, and after making her first short film, felt she found her niche. Also sold a TV pilot version of it.
12:10 – About her female-focused podcast network, and the podcast she hosts.
15:05 – Discussing her excellent industry-related column on Vulture.
18:48 – Sponsor break – drivingfootage.com and avgearguy.com.
19:46 – Finding a mentor during lockdown.
20:59 – Are there exceptions to her advice about not doing cold contact? Having a touch point, or referral. Building a lateral network.
25:44 – Very important to use this time to hone craft and produce material – write scripts, try shooting a short film or podcast.
30:25 – Don’t talk about yourself. Ask questions, offer help, make other people’s lives better. Never ask for a mentor — let them notice and ask you.
33:50 – How to ask without asking. How to be the person they want to mentor. Don’t gossip or slander. Read a lot, and live a life outside of TV. Be relentlessly pleasant… to everyone, at every level. Listen, notice needs and find a way to meet them.
42:42 – Your online presence during lockdown. What to do and not to do.
49:22 – Using SideTime to reach out to established industry people for a fee.
Follow Priyanka on Twitter: @naanking
Visit Priyanka’s website: primattoo.com
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