"I started to learn who all the
players were." Through a
friend who knew a theatrical
director, he began supplying
music for plays. He studied the
Hollywood Reporter's film and
television music issue, learning
everything he could about the
people who held the job he
wanted. After four months,
he quit waiting tables and
began telephoning everyone
on his list.
The roommate of a friend telephoned music supervisor Sharon Boyle
and secured Griggs an opportunity to send a résumé and cover letter.
With a résumé of nothing but restaurant experience, he focused on
writing a powerful letter of introduction, stating: "I'm a record junky and
I know a lot about music. I have over 800 records and I would die to
work for you. And, I make really good coffee." The line about making
coffee, he confesses, was a lie: "I couldn't make coffee for the life of me."
After several follow-up calls trying to get a meeting with Boyle,
Griggs was given an appointment. "It was Monday, the fourth of March
1990. I threw myself at her. I said, `Please, I'll do anything. I'll work for
free. I'll work from midnight to 6 A.M.'"
With no openings at the company, Griggs left the interview with only
the assurance that Boyle would consider his offer. The very next day, one
of Boyle's employees announced the need to go part-time, so she decided
to give Griggs a chance to come in on a temporary basis and see how
things went. He ended up staying for five years, working on a number of
big films, including The Air Up There, Kalifornia, Girl in the Cadillac, The
Last Word, and Mr. Holland's Opus.
Ready to test his wings, Griggs opened Tilted World Music in 1995,
and under his own company banner has supervised a number of inde-
pendent films and feature films, most notably The Associate, Guinevere, Let
the Devil Wear Black, Ring of Fire, Scorched, Still Breathing, Thick as Thieves,
and Wing Commander, and television series The Lone Gunmen and
Pasadena.
....
"The most valu-
able asset that you can
have in this business is
trust."--Barklie Griggs
"Be straight with
people and expect and demand the same
from them, and you'll save a lot of time."
--Barklie Griggs
CAREER TIPS
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