Networking Can Lead To Accidental Gigs

photo credit: KWentin

I went to a networking event last year in the summer.  I met a woman who wrote a book about writing for television. She was also the runner of a reality show on Comedy Central. We had a great conversation at the end of the event. We stayed in touch via LinkedIn and Facebook.
At the end of last year, my wife, who is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, needed a speaker for her television group. I told her about my new buddy.  My wife reached out to her and my networking colleague agreed to speak to the group. She and my wife became fast friends.
Next thing I know, my wife is editing the promo of a new reality show.

These are  the things that can happen when you get out there and network.  If I stayed home, my wife would have never been in this position.  If I played the wallflower, I wouldn’t have met this woman.  Especially since she was very outspoken…that would have made me “shiver in me boots.”  In networking, the connections you make are priceless, and most times, ” priceful” (is that a word?).

But that is not the reason I approached her. I was simply trying to practice good networking.  And getting my wife another side-gig was nowhere on the list that evening.

So please get off the wall or the couch and attend an event with some biz cards and your best smile. You may get your spouse a job.

Tagged as: Comedy Central, Facebook, networking, New York, New York University, NYU, Tisch School of the Arts