Networking (the Right Way), Mentorship, and Connecting with ‘Experts’ | with Troy Takaki, ACE

“You are not networking to get jobs. You are networking to meet people. By knowing people you get jobs.” - Troy Takaki

Troy Takaki, ACE is a Hollywood film & TV editor as well as the founder of the ACE Diversity Mentorship Program. His varied credits include feature films like Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and more recently the television series You on Netflix and Mr. Mercedes for Direct TV. He is also the author of the book Don't Miss Out On Any Avocado Milkshakes: The Art and Joy of being a Film Editor.

As an editor, Troy has worked hard throughout his career to avoid becoming pigeonholed (Quick tip: You don’t actually get pigeonholed, you allow yourself to be pigeonholed…more on that in our conversation) such that he can go back and forth between cutting features, television, and even documentaries because as he says, "The more different kinds of stuff you edit, the better editor you will be."

As a mentor (and one of the best in the business, I might add), Troy believes that mentoring is not only valuable for those who are being mentored, but arguably even more valuable to the mentor. We also dig even deeper into his meta concept of mentorship in which the mentees in his program are asked to become mentors from day one, no matter how little experience they might have. Because as I often like to say, “You are the world’s foremost ‘expert’ to whomever wants to do next what you are doing now.”

If you struggle with building your network, finding a mentor, and reaching out to strangers you admire, this conversation will help you take your networking game to the next level so you can connect with any industry ‘expert’ in the biz.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Troy’s roundabout way into becoming an editor
• How much of a role did luck play in Troy’s career path?
• The best parts of the editing process for Troy
• How to assess what is fulfilling work
• Becoming an extrovert and the skills Troy learned to save his marriage
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Learning small talk can be a lot of fun once you break through the nervousness.
• How Troy is able to switch from editing features to television consistently
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Always be thinking two jobs ahead before accepting a job
• KEY TAKEAWAY: You have to let people know what you want to work on.
• How Troy was able to write a book while continuing his editing career
• The number one reason Troy continues to mentor people. HINT: It’s not about the mentee
• PRO TIP: If you want to connect with someone who has a resource (i,e., book, podcast, etc.), do your homework first.
• Mentoring: It's not about finding an expert, it's about finding YOUR expert.
• The ACE Diversity Mentoriship program and the three different types of mentors
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Try to find someone at your level and one level above you to be your mentor
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Make sure you ask a question that gets you results.
• The most important thing you should NOT to do when looking for a mentor.

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Troy Takaki - IMDb

Don't Miss Out On Any Avocado Milkshakes : Troy Takaki Ace

How to Find the Right Type of Mentor For You (and When You Should Seek the Best)

Ben Franklin effect - Wikipedia

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Guest Bio:

Troy Takaki

Troy Takaki, ACE is a top film editor who has cut such box office hits as Sweet Home Alabama starring Reese Witherspoon and Hitch starring Will Smith. He is one of the few picture editors that splits his time between features and television. He recently edited shows such as You for Netflix and Mr. Mercedes for Direct TV. He recently edited Cheaper By The Dozen for Disney Plus and the Dead Boy Detective pilot for HBO MAX.

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).