First of all, let me just start off by saying I’m well aware of the situation involving the Writers strike. It’s a very big deal that while not only expectations must be met for satisfaction of those who are paid to write the many fascinating stories we watch, it’s also important that us film industry folks have jobs working on sets. When I first experienced a writers strike, I was only in high school and didn’t feel too concerned… until I realized some of my favourite TV shows would be on hiatus. Even more interesting was the chant protesters screamed in regards to getting paid, especially when they get nothing from those who pirate episodes. I do not condone pirating btw, but I do respect the writers striking as this does affect us all, whether we work on films or write articles about them. As someone who cares about his fellow film industry brethren, it is my civic duty to tell you in these crazy times there are some solutions. Perhaps now, you are re-evaluating your life strategy and don’t know what to do. Or maybe you just recently started without realizing it was the wrong time. Whatever your reason, nothing is more important than finding a solution to get you a suitable workflow and cashflow at the same time. There’s somebody who can help you with that.
I’m not talking about some prophet at the top of a hill, or a guy who wrote some ‘Filmmaking for Beginners’ kind of book. I’m talking about Zack Arnold. What does he do? He operates Optimize Yourself, a company aimed to get fine film folks on the positive path of Careers and Creativity. His courses are a big help, as indicated by many of his students and I feel we could use some help in this time of struggling. So sit back and learn, learn, learn about Zack Arnold as he explains his suitable solutions to saving us from some strike stress. Are you ready?
HNMAG: First things first, how are you able to help industry professionals find new work and make things pan out?
Zack Arnold: The best way for helping people find work, whether it’s a slow job market, a strike, or because of a recession, a pandemic or otherwise, is that you have to help them understand what the work is that they’re passionate about and what they want to do. It’s one just to help people find jobs, and another to help people discover what their creative calling is. I find what I do is specifically help people find why they enjoy the creative work that they do, and better understand how they can surround themselves with the right people that are doing the same kinds of work, whether its the same creative themes, the same creative ideas. What I do to help people find work is to better identify the work they’re passionate about first.
HNMAG: And does your help reach out to Canadians?
Zack Arnold: Yes. I have a multitude of Canadian students in my program, there are strategies that I teach in my coaching program. They have nothing to do with just the US market, or Hollywood Entertainment. Essentially about building genuine relationships with people who are doing the work now that you want to be doing next, applies to any industry. I specifically do work with quite a few Canadian students, yes.
HNMAG: Are Canadian students really interesting in your opinion?
Zack Arnold: I have many different students from Canada, I have some from Toronto, Montreal, some from Vancouver. I wouldn’t say there’s anything specific about Canadian students that are different from anybody else that I’ve worked with. I grew up on the Western border, so I will say we’re similar and like Canadians we suffer from being overly polite and I love how nice and polite all my Canadian students are. The Canadian students are just as smart and ambitious as anybody else as I have in my community.
Zack also explained that he doesn’t find his students, his students find him. The only form of marketing he really does is through his podcast, where he shares all kinds of themes with the world. Somehow his topics resonate with a lot of people on different continents.
HNMAG: Why did you choose to teach these courses?
Zack Arnold: The reason I teach career development is that I think that the way we are educated in the 21st century is vastly outdated and it no longer prepares creative minds to be successful. I feel like our education system is the same from the early 20th century during the industrial revolution, where essentially, we have been trained to memorize facts and prove that we can regurgitate information, show up on time, and follow the rules. That essentially allows us to become cogs in the assembly line of somebody else’s dreams. What I do is I’m teaching all the necessary human skills that I believe are necessary to survive in the geek economy of the 21st century as creatives. Whether it’s time management, career development, or understanding how to communicate/build relationships, these are all skills that nobody teaches us in the standard educational system. I feel that those gaps need to be filled.
HNMAG: Did you have to study a lot of resources to prepare yourself for teaching career management?
Zack Arnold: Yes, the first and foremost thing that I’ve developed over the last 20-25 years as a Hollywood editor is my ability to tell stories. I think that one of the most important things that somebody needs to develop as a skill is if they want to advance their career, and do jobs that they are passionate about, they need to be better storytellers. What I don’t have is a certified degree as a life coach or career management expert. What I do have is 25 years as a professional storyteller, that’s how I show people to break down all the other aspects and moments in the lives of their career, that are valuable so they can learn to tell their stories. I’ve also spent about 15 years buried deep into the personal development spaces, read stacks and stacks of various books, did podcast interviews with hundreds of experts on these topics. None of which gives me a formal certification to do what I do, but what I often tell my students is I have an unofficial degree in the School of Hard Knocks. Any challenge that they’re going through in their career, whether it’s unemployment, making a career transition, or people that believe they can’t do something, I’ve gone through all those things. I’ve suffered all of those obstacles and taken on all of those challenges, so despite not having any formal degree, I know what it takes, and how to get a successful career in the entertainment industry when you don’t know anybody and starting with no experience.
HNMAG: How does the Writers strike especially impact us in Canada?
Zack Arnold: To be honest, I don’t know what the production or post-production situation in Canada looks like right now, because I’m not there. But I can tell you is that they’re a lot of productions that count on America writers. I’ve worked on films shot in Canada that were written and edited in Los Angeles or even anywhere else in the United States. But I know that the entertainment business is a global business and global economy, so even for the Canadian students that are in my program they’re saying it’s a really slow job market and there are no new shows currently that are looking for crew, because the Canadian market largely follows the US market, so they’re so intertwined.
While Zack can’t speak to it firsthand, he says we’re all experiencing a slow-down, I’ve noticed this myself as I’ve only gotten a few auditions for local shorts and at least one commercial.
HNMAG: How long do you feel the strike is going to last?
Zack Arnold: I think we’re looking at a minimum of 3-4 months, my prediction before the strike even started is that hopefully things go as well under the circumstances that we’ll maybe see a resolution by the end of the summer so sometime in late August or September. But right now with the perfect storm, not only the writers on strike, but it looks like the DGA, and possibly SAG-AFTRA are going to go on strike as well. This could become a once-in-a-generation reckoning of how Hollywood does various business with all unions and filmmakers.
HNMAG: What kind of options have your students been considering amongst this strike?
Zack Arnold: I have a multitude of students that have really been focusing on developing some sort of a side-hustle. Another area that most students are focusing is thinking about “What is any job that I can take right now that’s going to earn me some money but rather I can use this time to develop my skills so I can take some work that is free, but expand my network, skillset, and get more credits/experience?” But to be honest, most of my students are using this open availability so they can network with others and build relationships while everyone’s out of work.
HNMAG: How has the process been going with running these courses?
Zack Arnold: Even though I would not wish the strike on anybody and I hate to see the industry in this situation, the strike is the same thing that happened to me 3 years ago when the pandemic hit. Everybody that had been forced to hit the pause button in their lives has had to reevaluate the kind of work that’s really meaningful to them and the kind of work they want to do in their life going forwards. When people start asking questions about the meaning of their work, how they want to have a more sustainable career path and have a more balanced life around their work, I’m the person that they come to. How its affected me and my students, I have more students in the business than ever. In that sense, it’s been very good. But anytime that there’s a forced pause and people have to reflect on their choices and are not forced to be busy, when they start asking questions they come to me.
HNMAG: Do you see yourself doing this long after the strike has stopped?
Zack Arnold: Oh yes, I’ve been doing this for years and I absolutely see this as a career path I’ll be following for years to come. When it comes to helping people find their calling and work that’s really meaningful, I have found what is my calling and is meaningful to me and having this impact on others, helping them discover what they believe to be their calling and their true passion. I will be doing what I’m doing now far beyond the strike.
Zack’s got a promising career ahead of him. I feel all the new and upcoming talent could really benefit from him. Just last month I went to a Booze and Schmooze hosted by my good friends of Raindance Vancouver, an associate business if you will. I met one man finding his way back into business and several different people finding their bearings, plus a young and aspiring person who was just starting. They made connections to get them started, but those kinds of people should also consider this. We all should. Log onto Optimize Yourself today and get in touch with Zack. He might find a business plan for you that’ll meet ALL your needs, both business-related and finance related.