Random question. How can someone find out if they’ve been blacklisted? Is that still a thing? Is there a “rate my professor” but for producers/creatives going around?
Things aren’t going well job wise and yes, it’s a pandemic... but I need to know if it’s Covid-19 ruining my life or mean girl tactics.
Mentor
Your reputation is everything. If you have a history of being difficult to work with, negative attitude, or anything else that makes you out to be a pain in the ass - that follows you forever. Covid has ZERO to do with it.
Yep. My old boss is going to struggle with her reputation.
Why are you concerned if someone can be blacklisted? You’re either paranoid or feeling guilty about something, but no matter what it is, it’s a matter of the internal dialogue you’re having with yourself.
Change your perspective. There is loads of work, but the pandemic is testing people’s persistence. It’s a ratios game - the more you prospect, the more likely you are to land something.
More importantly, learn from your experiences. If you brought a negative energy to the scene, people are likely to retract away, so work on bringing a vibe that attracts people with credible work behind it.
Unless you are aware of a pattern of fuck ups I wouldn’t worry about this. But truthfully I think people who get on blacklists are unable to see how they’re fucking up.
I have a personal blacklist of crew people who, while often lovely people, fuck up their central role at go time. Once a sound department lost half an interview of a very important subject. No one could pinpoint the issue so I was forced to put every one of them on a blacklist. 🤷🏻♂️
What people are saying about prospecting is true. Make a spreadsheet. Make 5 cold calls every day. Many will turn into conversations but around 1/50 will turn into a job. It will build with time.
Blacklisted = you’ve burned enough bridges that your network is working against you.
If that’s happening to you, you would be the first to know.
You’re not alone. It’s seems pretty slow currently. I think clients are waiting for most people to be vaccinated and the return to semi-normal. It should pick up as the year goes on.
In my experience, the only way to "blacklist" someone is via the network, as stated elsewhere. Check your LinkedIn connections. Is there someone on there that is highly connected that you have had conflicts with? They might not be actively dragging you, but if people ask them about you, they presumably will tell their truth about working with you.