Significant Career Lesson From an Attorney and Filmmaker at Bailey Law Firm and YachtKlub Productions
Michael's most significant career lesson, applicable to both law and filmmaking, is the ability to "pivot quickly," adapting to changing client needs or unexpected opportunities. This adaptability, combined with a proactive approach of "spreading webs super, super wide" by consistently nurturing connections over time—even "keeping everybody...up to date"—has proven invaluable in building a strong professional network that yields unexpected, long-term benefits.
Networking, Adaptability, Persistence, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michael Erike
Attorney & Filmmaker
Bailey Law Firm & YachtKlub Productions
Loyola Marymount University
Sandra Day O’Connor College Of Law - J.D.
Finance
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Law
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. The ability to pivot quickly and adapt to changing circumstances, whether it's a client's sudden change of mind or unexpected challenges in filmmaking, is crucial for success.
2. Building and maintaining a wide network of professional contacts is essential. Don't just network; actively cultivate relationships, keep people informed of your progress, and stay in touch over time. This can lead to unexpected opportunities.
3. Combining persistence with proactive networking: consistently creating and pursuing opportunities instead of waiting for things to happen. This involves combining multiple projects and consistently staying in touch with contacts, creating a strong network that can lead to surprising future opportunities.
Transcript
What is one lesson you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
In the legal world, and I think this applies to filmmaking too, it's about being able to pivot quickly. It's hard when you have a solution for a client and you've worked on it for days or weeks. That solution can become your whole world for that case.
But if the client suddenly has a new philosophical idea, you have to go with it. That's the job. Whatever they say goes, or whatever your boss says goes.
As a younger attorney, I struggled with that. When you put so much effort into one thing and are getting results, and then the client wants to pivot, it can be difficult. We still have to go with it, so that means being very flexible, which is very valuable.
Ironically, on the film side, the best lesson is spreading your webs super wide. Jake and I did this by starting with scripts. Even though we had a hot script, we didn't just sit on it.
We decided to film our own stuff. After filming one thing, we used that to film something bigger. We just kept organically doing things instead of resting on the laurels of one project.
We also constantly referred back to people we had talked to years ago. When someone shows interest, don't forget them just because now everyone is responding to your emails. We kept everyone updated on what we were doing and showed them our progress.
That's how everything connected. You literally need to keep lists and notes of these people, when you met them, and what they know. By keeping them informed, it's a big world, but it's also a small one, and everyone talks.
This is very helpful. It links everything together because someone from three years ago, who might have thought you were cool because you were working hard, could now have a serious offer for you. You wouldn't have known that without keeping up with them.
Building that web feels like a lot more than just networking. It's about stacking your connections and keeping up with them.