credit: HAMED MASOUMI

What do Cameron Crowe, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Baz Luhrman, Robert Zemeckis, and George Lucas have in common? Besides being accomplished directors, they all had mentors who guided them throughout their careers.

Wealthy and successful businessmen and athletes also have mentors. Tiger Woods had his first coach at a tender age of 4. Michael Dell couldn’t have built Dell Computers into the juggernaut that it is today without gray-haired suits showing him the way.

In my directing career, I’ve had many mentors from executive producers to directors to agency creatives. These people, who I now consider friends, showed me the ins and outs of the advertising business and cautioned me on things to look out for.

What do you gain from having a mentor?

Through a mentor, you can:

- Learn from his or her experience and expertise. You’ll discover what it takes to succeed in your profession or industry. You’ll attain the specific skills and knowledge required for your success.
- Have someone toot your horn for you. They can champion you when the need arises. They can vouch for you when your credibility is in question.
- Gain valuable feedback on your performance and skills. You’re forced to be accountable for your work.
- Have a sounding board to bounce ideas off of and vent your frustrations.
- Stay motivated through his encouragement and guidance.
- Learn to avoid the mistakes your mentor has already made.
- Develop a networking base. A mentor can introduce you to his peers in the industry. He can open doors for you.
- Save valuable time and money on your way to the top.

Why would someone mentor you?

Mentors do what they do because it gives them a sense of fulfillment and personal satisfaction from helping someone else. It is basic human nature to want to help another human being. At the very least, it’s an ego boost for them. We all want a newbie looking up to us.

How do you choose a mentor?

Choosing the right mentor is critical to your success. He or she has to be someone you trust and who’s work you respect and admire. Someone who’s well-connected. Someone who’s ‘been there done that’ and has been successful. And of course, someone who’s willing to work with you.

How do you get them to mentor you?

Just ask! You’d be surprised how many people are either too shy or embarrassed, or worse, too proud to ask for help. It never hurts to ask.

But make sure you’re prepared. Be professional and not flaky. Prepare a list of questions that you want answered. Be specific. Don’t use general questions like ‘how do I get rich and famous’.

Your mentor is an extremely busy person so be prepared to put in the work. If your mentor sees you slacking off, he’ll quickly lose interest in you. Mentors also like it when you take initiative. They see you as someone who has true potential when they see this.

What does mentoring entail?

The start of a mentoring program will depend on how formal and structured the agreement is. This aspect is something you’ll have to discuss with your mentor. In fact, it should be one of the items you bring up when you first approach him or her.

Mentoring sessions can be anything from phone conversations to face-to-face meetings. They can be every week or once a month. Generally, once you get to know your mentor and have developed a more personal relationship, the mentorship won’t continue to be as structured and you’ll start to consider him as a friend or father-figure.

Finally, you’re not necessarily limited to having just one mentor. You can have as many as you want. But it’s best to start out with just one in case you can’t handle the work load.

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Tags: directing career, director, Film Career, filmmaker, filmmaking, filmmaking mentor, mentor