Niche Briefs: Eight Ways to Find Talent You’ve Never Worked With Before
With the demand for multi-skilled talent on the rise, finding the right talent solution for your production has become more complex than ever. In this digital age, no longer do production briefs sit neatly into just television, radio or print, but cover a huge range of varying social platforms too. This has seen production talent forced to expand their skill sets too and the pool to choose from is now more diverse than ever.
As the evolution of technology has allowed us to work with talent from all over the world, sifting through the endless possibilities to find the perfect match has become quite a daunting task. So where do you begin when it comes to recruiting the right talent for your production and what are the best ways to find them?
LBB speaks to the experts at .fount, the platform for digital production talents and consultancy based in Berlin, who share their insider tips for securing the best talent for your production.
1. The oldest trick in the book
Nothing beats traditional word of mouth, so your first point of call is to share your needs with everyone you know and meet. Drop it casually into conversations when you bump into someone - you never know, they may just hold the answer and your perfect solution could be around the corner.
2. Fed by the feed
Instagram is not just a place for sharing pictures of food, babies and dogs; there are thousands or brilliant creatives sharing their work daily. Browse through Instagram using the discover and hashtag tools and don’t hesitate to send your favorite creatives a private message - they’ll appreciate it! Don’t forget to post about your production brief on your story too - with so many people on social media every day, someone with a connection is bound to see it.
3. The power of Facebook connections
Facebook may not be where all the fresh new creatives live but it’s where many of the old gen still connect. And they’re the ones with the experience and the network that you want to get to. Facebook is also a great platform for all sorts of niche groups - spend a little time finding creative production groups to join where you can share your briefs and gain access to a large group of talent at the click of a button. A lot of cities also hold a freelancers’ page where local talent can connect.
4. Where the professionals hang out
Check out LinkedIn - it’s not just a place for suits, it’s a headhunter’s favorite tool. LinkedIn is a rapidly growing platform and you’d be surprised how many professionals not only have a profile up there but also check their messages.
5. Check your list of contacts for their list of contacts
Call the Unit Managers and Line Producers you know, they have been on so many different sets and they know the world.
6. Ask the gossip girls and boys
Talk to production drivers and the catering staff, they always know the newest gossip. We know it from movies: it’s always the bartender or the taxi driver, who’s best informed. And that’s not a hollywood story. It’s true: people like to chatter while waiting for a coffee or sitting in the back seat. So just ask those boys and girls if they know somebody.
7. The good old cardboard sign hack
Create a huge signboard, hold it in the air, and no matter if on the street or at the ABC Awards - the right person will find you.
8. Keep it simple with .fount
If you’re struggling for time - or want to avoid annoying gossip, weird friend requests, and unnecessary lunches with your exes - just head to .fount. With a constantly growing portfolio of digital production talent and the data to find the perfect match for any production brief, we can help source the perfect talent solutions for your production.
