We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylor Hampton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my strong belief that everything happens for a reason. All the failures and setbacks that occur, will eventually lead me to something bigger and better. That’s not to say I don’t get upset or frustrated when things don’t work out, but I remind myself that it’s not meant to be a part of my journey and I pick myself back up.
I am grateful that I learned this mindset from my parents. Throughout their careers they were thrown quite a few curve balls. They could have simply thrown in the towel and taken the easy route, but they were resilient. Having a job and career that they were passionate about mattered to them, so they kept on going. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their leading example and guidance.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I currently run a networking group called Entertainment Networking Group (ENG). It’s a networking group for people who work in the entertainment industry and we provide them the opportunity to connect with fellow peers in the industry. The group is open to everyone – whether you work in IT at a corporate studio, are an engineer who is currently writing a book, or an actor who just moved to Los Angeles… this group is meant for you!
Our main goal with this group is to not only provide people the opportunity to network, but to form lasting connections. You are more likely to help someone that you have a connection with rather than someone you met once at bar during a mixer. To help form these connections, we do a mixture of meeting at bars and then hosting fun events. We’ve done roller skating, mini golf, beach days, speed networking, and our next event will be Halloween themed networking bingo! Having these fun events takes off the pressure of networking and allows people to be more relaxed when forming these connections. Networking doesn’t have to be stressful and can be fun! I’ve met so many amazing people through ENG and have formed some strong friendships through it. During the day, I work at a prop house in an admin office, so it’s crazy to think I wouldn’t have met these people if it wasn’t for ENG. Everyone talks about how hard it is to make friends in Los Angeles, so I hope we make the experience for them a little bit easier!
When I’m not networking or working at a prop house, you can find me as a freelance producer. I am excited to be co-producing a pilot called Yokai, that is written by my friend Mary Tamura. It’s about a Japanese American witch and her grandfather who race to stop a dark wizard while trapped in a WWII internment camp. I am very passionate about diversity in all aspects of the industry and I think it’s important that we get everyone’s stories out there. That is why I am so delighted to help bring this story to life!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My parents recognized early on in my life that I have strong leadership skills. At ten years old when I was talking about being an actor, my dad was saying he saw me more as a Producer… he was right. They helped me learn how to become an effective leader by putting me in programs where I could develop those skills. (Shout out to the Girl Scouts!) Another skill that has had quite the impact on my journey is my ability to adapt. I’ve learned how to judge a situation and either step up and be a leader or take a step back and let someone else lead. Sometimes it’s more important to be a team player rather than the team leader. I think the most important skill that everyone should have and develop is communication, specifically how to successfully communicate. Communicating in a way that is efficient is key and can help avoid a lot of problems.
No matter where you are in your journey, I am a strong believer that it is never too late to learn. Take a class, join an organization that will help you develop various skills, read a book, or watch interviews of your favorite leaders and learn from them. I recently learned that when Greta Gerwig is directing, she has everyone wear a name tag on set, including herself. That way everyone can know each other’s names and it takes away that sense of ego. That really stuck with me, so recently when I was producing a 48-hour film challenge, I made sure to bring name tags on set for everyone to wear. We should always be aiming to discover something new and evolve into better versions of ourselves.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed; I think it’s important to pause, take a step back, breathe, and see if there are any changes I can make. Whether it’s taking something off my plate or asking someone for help. It’s easy to get caught up and want to take every opportunity that comes our way or we’re too scared to ask for help. That mentality can put a strain on your mental health and could lead to burnout. It’s important to be conscious of your time and energy and who you give it out to. That’s why I’m very strict with giving myself time throughout the week to relax and not think about anything. Put away the phone, get off social media, and just allow yourself to do nothing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entertainmentnetworkinggroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/780608230373903
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14189784/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/entertainmentnetworkinggroup
Image Credits
Mary Tamura
Paulina Sanchez
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
