[CASE STUDY] How a Single Outreach Email Led to a Dream Job at Marvel | with Matthew Farrugia

Matthew Farrugia is an assistant editor in Hollywood who’s recent two projects are both so high profile and high security, I can’t name them yet (Hint: They’re for Apple+ and Marvel). What’s crazy is that despite his young age (and more impressively his extremely short amount of time in the industry) Matthew went from working in a paint store to landing his dream job working for Marvel in just short of 2 years.TWO. YEARS. After becoming a student of my Optimizer coaching & mentorship program, Matthew quickly learned the fundamental mistakes he was making with his cold outreach that were leading to zero success. Let’s just say once he learned how to become a networking ninja the game totally changed for him.

Whether you’ve been in the industry for 2 years or 20, you’ve most likely experienced the frustrating bridge between where you are now and where you want to be next. And inevitably you won’t bridge that gap alone - you’ll either need a mentor, an advocate, or ideally both. If you’re tired of writing cold outreach emails that don’t get responses - or at least useful ones - this conversation will illuminate what it is specifically that you might be getting wrong, and more importantly how to do outreach the right way.

My interview with Matthew will cover the exact cold outreach email networking steps he learned in the Optimizer program that took him from working in a paint store to, as he calls it, “working jobs he thought would be his endgame.” (pun intended Marvel fans) You’ll learn what a great outreach message should consist of, how to write a great follow up message, and you’ll also learn the key mindset shifts it takes to turn your ‘failures’ into wins and make the most out of every moment in your career.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• How Matthew went from working in a paint store to working for Marvel…in 2 years
• The number one tool Matthew used to rapidly advance his career
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Having a strong skill set is not enough to land you your dream job. You have to learn to properly network so that people know you (and your skill set) even exist.
• The number one mistake people make when they network
• KEY TAKEAWAY: You want to network with people who are working the job you want to be doing next
• The Philosophy Matthew lives by that directly led to his success despite any setbacks along the way
• How ‘career anxiety’ doesn’t ever leave, but how and why it can lessen over time
• What Matthew found out he was doing wrong when it came to networking, and what changes he made led to him landing him his dream job
• Exactly what you should be including in your outreach emails in order to get a response (and therefore useful guidance, mentor, or job)
• KEY TAKEAWAY: People WANT to help you, so the more clear, detailed, and authentic you are in your outreach emails, the more likely you are to get a response
• What quality you should have that makes you more hireable than others (even if they have a higher skill set)
• What you can do at work that makes you stand out above the rest
• KEY TAKEAWAY: If you’re not where you want to be in your career (yet), don’t be hard on yourself. Building a career takes time and patience, but with the right networking skill set IT. WILL. HAPPEN. Just don’t give up before you see the results :)

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Matthew’s Facebook page

Marvel

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Guest Bio:

Matthew Farrugia

Matthew Farrugia is the son of a single mother, he has never been afraid of trying, falling down, and getting back up. To quote his grandfather; "where there is a will, there is a way." He grew to love editing from mentorship of his high school video communications teacher, Mrs. Spatt who pushed him to pursue a career in editing. After high school, Matthew went to a small film school in San Diego, where he learned the value of networking and how it can lead him to his goals. He used to go to LA to start attending meetups while living in San Diego, all of this without having a car.

Once he moved to LA, it took a year of working at a paint store and constantly networking to get his foot in the door, often times the door slammed on his foot. But each one drove him to learn more, network more, and understand what it takes not just to survive but to thrive. In his first ever Post PA position on an indie feature, the assistant editor told him "If I have a choice between someone who knows Avid but is a complete d*ck and someone who doesn't know jack but is fun to be around, I am going with the second guy every time. I can teach you how to be an assistant editor. I can't teach you how not to be a d*ck" and this saying was the golden rule Matthew has lived by. He still hasn't accomplished all of his goals but for only working in the industry for 3 years, he has made incredible progress.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).