If passing out your business card at industry events leaves you feeling like a schmuck and still hasn't launched your career, you're not alone.
"The idea we’ve all been sold is, get a card, give it to people, have a short to show, and you’ll be successful," said Todd Bieber, who works at Comedy Central, on the SXSW panel "Build Your Tribe: Networking is Bullshit."
"That didn’t work for me," Bieber continued. "And I even had a short film play Sundance. For me, it came from finding a tribe—a group of like-minded people."
Bieber and fellow panelists Tess Greenberg, Head of Post-Production at UCB, and Julie Gomez, a freelance producer, challenged filmmakers to forget the soul-sucking search for paid gigs. Instead, they offered, focus on finding a group of people for whom you feel loyalty and mutual admiration.
"The industry is too big and too competitive to wait around for somebody to give you a job," said Gomez. "Find your own leadership and initiative!"