Careers advice to my younger self

Ryan Denham, script writer, director and producer, recently attended the ‘exploring careers in the arts and creative industries’ at the University of Warwick . Here are his tips to help you succeed in the creative sector.

Make stuff…

As a student, you’ll never have more resources (friends as crew/actors, kit from Uni, free time) to make whatever you want to make. So do it! Even if it’s terrible – ESPECIALLY if it’s terrible. It’s all experience that builds you as a writer and, most of all, it’s fun.

Bother people…

Politely. Duh. Since the pandemic (where everyone was stuck at home without excuses to say no 😈) I’ve made it a habit to constantly drop into people’s emails and LinkedIn DMs (if I haven’t got to you yet, it’s coming) and it’s literally never gone badly. Some people are busy or not available, but 90% of folks will say yes to a 20-minute Zoom or a coffee. It’s a great way to start to build a network and get some face time with people your respect and want to learn from – but only if you’re nice about it.  So…

Be the kind of person you would like to meet…

The industry is huge… and tiny. People talk. Make sure they’re saying good stuff about you. Even your classmates and lecturers now. Eventually they’ll be your colleagues and references. They’ll be the difference between your CV at the top of the pile vs in the bin, because, when asked about you, they will be honest. Be the kind of person people want to vouch for.

Vomit drafts are great…

Writers are very precious, sensitive people, and writing is hard – putting pressure on your first draft to come out like Shakespeare will only guarantee you don’t finish it. Just get the first draft out, then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. That’s where it comes together. And be kind to yourself. You’re your first critic, but you’re also more closely intertwined with the work than any critic ought to be – don’t trust the voice that says you suck. Prove it wrong.

Get good at bad ideas…

Writer’s block is real, and it sucks. One of the best methods I’ve found for getting past it? Improv games! You don’t have to aspire to be Ryan Stiles, but improv is basically just constant spontaneous idea-generation, and that’s such a valuable skill to work on. It’s also best way to get used to just getting ideas out, without ‘the voice’ criticising them first. That’s valuable, too. In a writer’s room, that’s everything. All ideas add something, even the bad ideas – because they lead to good ones. Oh, and also this is really fun too.

Be trustworthy…

This might just be a me-thing, but I’d always rather work with someone who is going to meet deadlines, fulfil the brief, be responsive to feedback and communicate well, over someone who is a bona fide genius but an absolute liability. If you can, be both, of course, but being reliable is a choice YOU consciously make – and it’ll make everyone like working with you, and more open to investing their time in you.

Everyone’s route is different…

I entered university wanting to be a big grown-up film director. I left university wanting to be an editor. I’ve since done that.. and been a producer… and a runner… and a director… and a barman… and eventually a writer. I don’t think it really occurred to me at the time that writing could be a career for me – and certainly not outside the traditional linear routes (which my University course was very much built around). Point being, I didn’t find what was right for me straight away, and neither did most of the people I know and studied with. Don’t put pressure on yourself to get everything right from day one. Try, fail, try again. Just always be moving towards what fulfils you the most and you’ll end up in the right place.

Explore every option…

When I thought of writing whilst at university, I thought of Film or Television. But that’s the tip of the iceberg – and more fresh ice is presenting itself every week (that’s a terrible metaphor but it’ll make sense). Writing is everywhere. Games, podcasts, radio shows, web series, streaming, socials, audiobooks, stage shows, comic books, novels, billboards… even fortune cookies need writers. Try things on. Explore new disciplines, or at least be open to them. They’re all fun and present a unique challenge (and will usually give you money which is good for rent and food and other things that keep you alive).

You can find Ryan on Linked In if you’d like to connect linkedin.com/in/ryan-denham