Ep184: Networking (the Right Way), Mentorship, and Connecting with ‘Experts’ | with Troy Takaki, ACE

<blockquote>“You are not networking to get jobs. You are networking to meet people. By knowing people you get jobs.” - Troy Takaki</blockquote><p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0847258/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Troy Takaki</strong></a>, ACE is a Hollywood film &amp; TV editor as well as the founder of the ACE Diversity Mentorship Program. His varied credits include feature films like <em>Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul </em>and more recently the television series <em>You</em> on Netflix and <em>Mr. Mercedes</em> for Direct TV. He is also the author of the book <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Dont-Miss-Out-On-Any-Avocado-Milkshakes-Troy-Takaki-Ace/9781365412479?qid=1654283550017&ref=grid-view&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow"><strong><em>Don&#39;t Miss Out On Any Avocado Milkshakes: The Art and Joy of being a Film Editor.</em></strong></a></p><p>As an editor, Troy has worked hard throughout his career to avoid becoming pigeonholed<em> (Quick tip: You don’t actually get pigeonholed, you allow yourself to be pigeonholed…more on that in our conversation)</em> such that he can go back and forth between cutting features, television, and even documentaries because as he says,<em> &#34;The more different kinds of stuff you edit, the better editor you will be.&#34;</em></p><p>As a mentor (and one of the best in the business, I might add), Troy believes that mentoring is not only valuable for those who are being mentored, but arguably even more valuable to the mentor. We also dig even deeper into his meta concept of mentorship in which the mentees in his program are asked to become mentors from day one, no matter how little experience they might have. Because as I often like to say, “You are the world’s foremost ‘expert’ to whomever wants to do next what you are doing now.”</p><p>If you struggle with building your network, finding a mentor, and reaching out to strangers you admire, this conversation will help you take your networking game to the next level so you can connect with any indust