The Mindset Shift That Makes Producers Choose You for More Jobs

After nearly 25 years as a producer hiring thousands of film crew members across 30 states, I've noticed that the people who are always booked aren't doing anything fancy or exciting to get work. Boring isn't a problem. It's a strategy. And it's why the best stay booked. Today, I'm showing you how it works. In this video, you'll discover a simple mindset shift that makes producers suddenly see you differently and call you first. How to create a steady flow of work. How to no begging necessary. The boring but powerful habit that my most successful crew members use to never worry about their next paycheck. And the mindset shift that changed everything for me when I was starting out. I'm on a mission to help 1,000 freelance film crew members build $1 million in wealth. That's why I created this channel to guide you through with tools made for our industry and a mindset built to last. Let's take action. Section one Think like a pro in every Way Last month, I was scrambling to crew up a big commercial. The budget was decent, but the timeline was tight. Two camera operators found out about the project and reached out to me on the same day. Both were equally skilled. I'd worked with both before, but their approaches couldn't have been more different. The first sent me a text that just said, hey, you guys need any camera ops next week? The second sent a professional email that read, hey, Rob, I hope you're doing well. I saw that you're producing another commercial in town soon. I just wanted to reach out and see if you might need any help in the camera department. I'm available and would love to be part of the project. My new reel is attached. Let me know if there's a good time to chat. P.S. i've been using a new gimbal setup that could be perfect for any tracking shots you'd need. Now, here's what most crew members don't understand. When I'm producing, I'm juggling a million details, client demands, tight deadlines, and everything. I don't just need skilled people. I need people who make my life easier. Guess which camera operator I hired? Take all the time you need. Not just because their email was more professional, but because they showed me they were thinking about my problems and the project. So how do you start thinking like a pro? It's actually very simple. Pick just one way you reach out to producers. Maybe your texts, emails, or even how you introduce yourself on set. Then upgrade it. Here's what I mean. Instead of texting. Got any work Next week, try this. Hey, producer name. I hope you're doing well. I want to let you know I'll be available starting such and such a date and would love to work with you again. I really enjoyed that specific job we did together. See the difference? One sounds like you're just thinking about yourself. The other sounds like a professional who values the relationship. You don't need fancy words or to sound like somebody you're not. Just show that you're thinking about the producer's needs, not just your paycheck. Try upgrading just one type of communication this week. That's it. Just one small change can completely shift how producers see you. Now, thinking like a pro is powerful on its own, but there's a problem if producers don't remember that you exist when they're crewing up for the next project. None of that professionalism matters. That's why the next strategy is something most crew members completely miss. But it's arguably the most important one of all. Learn this lesson and you could go from not getting calls for weeks on end to being fully booked with great projects weeks in advance. Section 2 Sell yourself without selling yourself. I've seen this pattern play out countless times in my nearly 25 years of hiring film crew. The people who treat their freelance work like a business, not just a series of jobs, are the ones who stay consistently booked. Imagine two equally talented gaffers. One. One waits for calls and only reaches out when they're desperate for work. The other keeps track of every producer he works with in his phone notes. Nothing fancy, just their name, what they produced, and maybe one personal detail that he learned about them. Then he spends a few minutes each week staying in touch with producers, even when fully booked. He sends quick check in texts to, say, three producers he hadn't worked with recently. Not asking for work, just staying on their radar. Something so simple like. Like, hey, Rob, I saw the commercial you produced for Old Spice that aired last night. The lighting looked amazing and I'd love to work with that dp. I hope you're doing well. Which gaffer do you think is turning down work and who is struggling to pay rent? I've watched crew members transform their booking rates by implementing this habit. You see, it seems simple, but it can change how producers see you. Not as generic film crew desperately looking for work, but as a professional who values the relationship. Here's exactly what to do this week. Open your phone and find three producers or production managers or department heads that you've worked with in the past few months. Save their contact info if you haven't already. And add a note like Home Depot commercial April 2025. That's so you can recall how you know them. Here's a pro tip. Make a personal note about them. For example, I like to watch old 80s movies. If you mentioned that you saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High or the Breakfast Club and thought of me, that's gold. Once a PA sent me a text out of the blue that said can you describe the ruckus, sir? I was cracking up. Google it if you have no idea. Set a reminder in your phone for the next Monday that says check in with producer such and such a name. When that reminder pops up, send them a message or an email like hey producer name. Hope your week is starting well. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed working on this such and such project with you last month. Looking forward to seeing you again. Now you see it didn't say not working with you again, not working for you, just seeing you again. This solidifies that you're just staying in touch, not looking for work. You know what else locks in that you're not looking for work? Take a selfie on set, be sure not to show anything proprietary and add I'm lucky enough to be on a shoot today at such and such location. Hope to see you soon. That's it. Literally two minutes of work that could land you a spot on their next call sheet. All put some text notes in the show notes so that you can copy it to your phone notes and you can make your own versions. When producers get messages from crew who only reach out when they're desperate, it feels different than from hearing from someone who stays in touch consistently. Every job that you're on, send at least one message to someone in a position to hire you and see what happens. Landing on a producer's radar can quietly become your career's turning point. But here's the thing about our industry that most people don't realize. Getting hired once is about who you know. Getting hired repeatedly is about how valuable you are on set. And I'm not just talking about being good at your specific job that's expected. I'm talking about something that could transform anyone from only getting hired when the producer's first choice wasn't available to getting on that call sheet every time. This next strategy is so simple you might laugh, but I've watched it nearly double people's monthly take home when used effectively. The best part is that you can start doing it today, whether you just moved to town or you're the OG in your crew position become invaluable. In my years of producing, I've noticed a clear pattern among the most successful crew members across all departments. The ones who get booked over and over again aren't just technically skilled. They have something extra that makes them invaluable to producers like me. What exactly is that something extra? It's their ability to make the entire production run smoother, not just their department. I've seen it happen repeatedly. When I have to choose between two equally skilled sound mixers or camera operators or gaffers, I'll always pick the one who thinks beyond their specific role. Let me paint a picture of what this looks like on set. Imagine a sound mixer who, before we even start rolling, has already walked the location to identify and solve potential audio issues. For example, where the control for the air conditioner is. Or puts the lawn maintenance crew down the street on the location scout's radar. They coordinated with the DP to ensure that they won't cause any boom shadows and introduce themselves first thing to the wardrobe stylist to iron out any potential wardrobe microphone conflicts. This not only helps speed things along during the shoot, but it's a good look for celebrity talent or CEOs who we have on set just for a limited time. This type of crew member isn't just doing their job. They're making the job better. The most valuable ones I know have this boring but powerful habit. They consistently set aside time to learn something new that makes productions run smoother. This could be as little as 15, 20 minutes, two to three times a week. Sometimes it's learning a technical trick. Other times it's understanding another's department challenges. Occasionally they simply ask producers what drives them crazy, then make sure they never do those things. This approach can transform careers. Crew members who adopt this mindset often find themselves booking at higher rates within months. Not because their technical skills improve dramatically, but because they've become known and as the people who make everything easier for everyone else. Here's the simplest way to become more valuable on set. At the end of each workday, open the Notes app on your phone and answer one question. What's the one thing I noticed today that could make tomorrow's shoot run smoother? It might be how the first AD handled that scheduling conflict without stressing everyone out. A better way that you discover to set up your own equipment faster. Or reading the name of a crew member on their walkie as you approach them so that you can call them by name. That's my personal trick. Feel free to call me out on it. On set. But I'll never admit it. This takes literally 10 seconds. But here's why it's so powerful. Most crew members are focused only on their own department. When you start noticing things that make the entire production better, you become incredibly valuable. After just a month of this habit, you'll have a list of a dozen insights that 99% of crew members don't have, and you'll start naturally applying them on set. Productions are complicated, and producers remember the people who make complicated things. Simpler. Be that person. So far, we've covered how to present yourself professionally, how to stay on the producer's radar, and how to become more valuable on every set. But there's one shift that separates the crew who are truly thriving from everyone else. Pay close attention, because this last strategy might be the game changer you need to hear. Section 4 Act like a Business Owner the most successful film crew members I've observed share one critical mindset shift that separates them from everyone else. They don't think of themselves as looking for work. They approach their careers as if they're running a business. Think about it this way. Let's say your name is Jim Smith and you were running Jim Smith Camera Services or Jim Smith Lighting Design. Would you be your own best client? Having a business owner mindset can transform how you approach your career in the film industry. Based on what I've seen watching hundreds of careers evolve, the most successful ones make these key shifts. They treat every set like their business reputation as on the line. Well, because it is. They show up early, anticipate needs before they're mentioned, and stay late if it means saving the production time tomorrow. They track which productions actually pay on time and which ones consistently try to negotiate their rates down. Then they quietly focus on building relationships with the good clients and become unfortunately unavailable for those troublesome ones. They consistently invest in becoming more valuable, sometimes with new gear, sometimes with workshops, sometimes just buying coffee for a more experienced crew member to learn from them. None of this is exciting. It's all boring stuff. But I've watched this approach transform careers time and time again. Crew members who make these shifts go from scrambling for work to having their calendars booked week after week. The key is to stop thinking like someone looking for a job and start thinking like a business owner serving clients. Here's a simple exercise that changes everything for me to this day, this Sunday, plop down on the couch, open your phone's notes app, and spend just 15 minutes answering these three questions. Which producers treated me well and paid me fairly on recent jobs Make a quick list of their names. These are your ideal clients. Next. What's the minimum daily rate? I need to pay my bills and save a little. Be honest with yourself. This is your new won't work for less number. And third, what's the one small thing I could learn this week that would make me more valuable on set? It could be as simple as watching a YouTube video about new gear in your department. That's it. Fifteen minutes once a week. This isn't complicated business planning. It's just taking a moment to think about your career like a business owner would. Who are my best clients? What should I charge? How can I become more valuable? Before this video, it might have gone something like this. Who are my best clients? The one from last year that what should I charge? What's the rate? How can I become more valuable?

Yeah. Most crew members never do this. They take whatever work comes along at whatever rate is offered and wonder why they're stuck in the same place year after year. Try this for just four Sundays in a row. You'll be amazed how it shifts your approach and to your career and how producers start treating you differently as a result. Look, I get it. None of this sounds as exciting as building a fancy website or sending out lavish gifts or buying a car. You can't afford to look successful like I've actually done. But here's the thing. Boring stuff is the secret. It's what gets you there. They might not be exciting, but they work. So here's my challenge to you. Pick just one of these strategies, whichever one resonated with you the most, and try it for the next 14 days. Not a month, not a year, just two weeks. Let me know in the comments how it went. Now that you know how to stay consistently booked, the next question is, what will you do with those steady paychecks? If you're ready to turn consistent work into serious wealth, watch this video. How film crew members are making big money. In 2025, you'll discover how to transform your film career into financial freedom that lets you choose only the projects you love. Thanks for watching. Stay focused, stress less, and build wealth. That's a wrap.