By Naomi Gish
While attending the Port Townsend Film Festival there are a few things to re- member. To a handful of film students at the filmmakers lounge on Taylor Street, Director Steve Edmiston outlines a few tips for people looking to make connections with industry professionals.
“That badge you wear around your neck is your most powerful accessory; it signifies you are now part of a tribe,” said Edmiston. Chuckles come from around the small table but Edmiston continues. On the street, festival goers will see the PTFF logo on a badge worn on a bright green lanyard and know that that person is one of their own.
Edmiston who is also a screenwriter and entertainment lawyer based in Seattle, encourages the students to utilize the badge in a number of ways.
“Go up to someone with a different colored badge and ask what it means,” he said. Since there are red, green, blue, yellow, gold and black badges that mean a different standing of importance, it seems there is no end to this question. Simply asking what it means can lead to a conversation which can lead to an acquaintanceship which can lead to a connection inside the film world.
Nearly everyone here is passionate about film and wants to see young people get involved in their beloved craft in some way or another.
Introducing yourself is critical to advancing in this business.
You never know if the person standing in front of you in line is a director, a mogul, or a producer who has the right position for you on their shelf of protégé’s.