FEATURED IN BOOK: Who’s In Your Top Hive? by Bert Gervais

When I was working at MTV Networks as a Line Producer, I was interviewed by Bert Gervais, a.k.a. “The Mentor Guy” one of America’s most in-demand professional speakers. He is an author, speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur.“Who’s in Your Top Hive?”

Below is an excerpt of the book.

Chapter Eight:

The Art of Creating A Great Introduction:

HOW I GOT INTO MTV: THE POWER OF AN INTRODUCTION

 

“How did I get here?” a frustrated Rosangel Perez grumbled out loud. The former
communications and production major-turned-retail manager had a nagging, terrifying concern:

Had she wasted her college education? Her aspirations of working her dream job, as a
producer for MTV networks, seemed as unreachable as ever.
After concluding that there was no way she could use her limited experience at a retail store to get into a big company like MTV, she resigned herself to a life of night, weekend and holiday
shifts.

But her roommate, one of Rosangel’s biggest supporters, didn’t buy it. After some persuasion, she convinced Rosangel to apply for a low-level sales job at MTV. After months of persistence, Rosangel scored a temporary entry-level sales role. It still wasn’t where she wanted to be, but she now really had her foot in the door.
For six months, she came in early, left late, and worked her butt off. Soon enough, however, those voices crept into her head again: “Just give up, Rosie, it’s too hard, you have to know someone or be somebody’s daughter to get a job in production at MTV.”

 

 

:: THE TURNING POINT
After sharing her story with her roommate and a few other friends, the name of a senior
producer at VH1, another company under the umbrella of Viacom, kept popping up. This
producer was well-connected and known to have major input in hiring decisions. But here’s the kicker. She had a reputation — a scary one. She was known for being mean, intimidating and insulting. Not the kind of woman you want to approach out of left field.
 

As if on a loop, one thought ran through Rosangel’s head for weeks: “Why would she

even respond to someone like me? What could I do for her?”
 

One day, after yet another stressful and unfulfilling day on the job, Rosangel reached her limit. “What do I have to lose?” she thought as her nervous fingers clicked “send.”
She had finally emailed the producer whose name kept coming up—but she didn’t ask for a job directly. Instead, this is what she said: “I have heard a lot about you and admire your
leadership. Would it be okay if I took you to lunch to pick your brain sometime?”

To her amazement, the producer replied in within minutes. During the meeting, Rosangel
never brought up a production job; she never had to. Midway through their lunch, the producer asked for a resume and agreed to arrange an interview for Rosangel three days later.

Today, Rosangel is credited with having done production work on MTV Cribs.
Rosangel later learned that few people had ever approached the producer because they were scared off by her reputation. As a result, no one ever took the time to get to know her, so she was especially touched to find that Rosangel had taken a genuine interest in her career.

Stepping out of your comfort zone and introducing yourself to people is what separates those who spend their careers running in place and those who get what they want, when they want it.
 

Rosangel’s story is proof positive that mentorship is a two-way street, and both participants are richly rewarded on their journeys.

 

Thank you Bert Gervais for granting me permission to share this with others. Many blessings hermano!  For more information on this inspirational man, please visit, http://findsuccessmentors.com/

 

Thank you for allowing me to share…

tu hermana,

RA