IMDB Pro - The Complete Guide
Why do I need IMDb Pro?
When I first got my IMDb Pro account I was broke, so it was a big risk for me to get the pro membership. I was getting ready to graduate from film school. I had directed and produced a few projects, but there wasn’t a way to show it off. I had a website, but it was hard to keep it updated and IMDb made me feel like a “real” director.
If I google your name what will come up first??
1-Credibility:
This is probably the first reason why we need IMDb in the entertainment business. There is an unspoken social aspect to it. Bragging rights, validation, it just makes you legit. I remember that when I showed my friends at film school that we had an IMDb page for our short film they all freaked out.
2-CONTROL:
Control your profile You need to control your profile. Specially if you are an actor. Many times I look people up on IMDb to see what they have worked on and they don’t even have a picture, or they show up with 3 different profiles and all the credits are spread out.
IMDb can be hard to update, and when you have a neatly organized profile with your headshot it makes it a lot easier for other people to find you and also add you to future projects. I have tried to add a page for a project and ended up calling or texting half of the crew to make sure I was adding the credit to their correct profile, submitting profile mergers and that can take hours.
If your profile is not correct you could never get the credit that you deserve because we are busy with other things and don’t always have the time to update IMDb.
3-Headshot:
Your headshot is key no matter if you are in front or behind the camera. Hollywood is an industry literally built around images. You are putting all of this hard work into your career, but when someone looks you up the get a flat grey stick figure looking thing.
Please get your headshot up there. And make sure is your best looking picture. Even for people who work behind the camera a picture on your profile is important. It puts a face to the name. It also lets me know that you are committed and took the time to present yourself properly. This also gives you a chance to show some of your experience by adding some behind the scenes pictures.
If I see you working on a professional set I’m more likely to trust that I can hire you on my project. I know appearances don’t equate competence, but it is a good way to start. Reel: If you are an actor, cinematographer or set designer having your reel here is also very important. Remember to have different reels depending on the type of projects like commercials, short films, features and TV.
4-Reseach:
This is my favorite feature of IMDb Pro and the reason why I really pay for it. If you want to be a film and TV professional you will have to work on projects with many different people. You will have to prove yourself time and time again, and more importantly you need to make sure that you are woking with people who know what they are doing. Before you say yes to working with someone make sure to look them up.
Specially when working in smaller independent projects. Do they have a track record of projects that have proper posters, credits and other information?
IMDB Pro shows you other people you have in common with any person. Reach out to people who are listed on their Production and ask abut their experience. Via IMDB I found a sales agent for one of my feature films. Every week I get emails from composers, sound designers and other crew members offering their services and although I don’t hire someone just out of a cold email I do go on their site and keep them in mind for future projects.
5-Tracking:
Tracking is a new feature that was added recently and it allows you to get notified every time someone is added to a new project or they appear on a news article. This feature can help you be on top of what is happening with people on your network.
