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Today's guest is Malinda Zehner Guerra who is an Emmy nominated film and TV editor. She is also a long time Optimizer OG since the pre-pandemic days. Malinda has over 15 years of experience cutting a variety of genres on such shows as Shark Week, Naked & Afraid, and A Black Lady Sketch Show for which she has earned her 4th Emmy nomination. But what led to her interview today is her unusual story of transitioning from working on unscripted shows to doing scripted and eventually landing her dream job in one of the top level scripted shows on TV. Malinda shares how she said 'no' to an opportunity to transition to scripted as an assistant editor, why she decided to turn down the offer, and what she did instead. She also shares how she made the most of her downtime during the pandemic by going through the Optimizer program to help in her transition to scripted.

In this student case study, not only will you learn about the steps you can take to help you make a career transition, you will also learn the important mindset and relevant skills you need that goes beyond the technical aspect of your resume. I highly recommend that you listen to this Optimizer student case study to give you a better understanding of what you need to do to make your own career shift.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

Why Malinda turned down the offer to assist in her dream show
The reason why Malinda joined the Optimizer Coaching & Mentorship program
How Malinda made her first contact into scripted during the pandemic
The subject line she used to catch the attention of the editor she's reaching out to
How Malinda maximized her membership in the Optimizer community (she only did a few Hot Seats!)
The exact exercise that Malinda did to identify her transferrable skills from different genres
The reason why people are pigeonholed and how to avoid it
How Malinda chose who to reach out to
How to have the courage to say 'no' to the wrong opportunities
The right way to ask for help from someone
How Malinda convinced the gatekeepers to take a chance on her despite her lack of experience in scripted

Continue to Listen & Learn

Ep76: Transitioning to Scripted Television (Without Becoming an AE) | with Phil Habeger & Toni Ann Carabello

Ep232: How to Future-Proof Your Creative Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger Than Your Résumé | with Christina Wallace

Ep204: [CASE STUDY] How to Make Your Dream Project a Reality | with Matt Allen and Matthew Gentile

Ep172: [CASE STUDY] Landing Your Dream Job Isn’t About “Luck,” It’s About Strategy | with Fabian Corrado & Nick Towle

Ep192: [CASE STUDY] How a Single Outreach Email Led to a Dream Job at Marvel | with Matthew Farrugia

Ep179: Navigating The ‘Messy Middle’ of Life & Career Transitions | with Melissa Costello

Ep145: [CASE STUDY] Navigating a Difficult Career Transition | with Sam Lavin

Ep62: [CASE STUDY] Transitioning to Scripted Television | with Len Ciccotello

Ep15: Transitioning From ‘Reality TV’ to Scripted Drama | with Monica Daniel

Ep160: Convincing People You Can Do The Job (When You Don’t Have the Credits) | with Chris Patterson

Ep159: Overcoming Limiting Beliefs (and Lack of Experience) to Break Into Scripted Television | with Marcella Garcia

Ep233: Redefining Your Career Path in a Post Generational Society | with Mauro Guillén

Guest Bio:

malinda-zehner-guerra-bio Malinda Zehner Guerra

Malinda Zehner Guerra is a three-time Emmy nominated Film and TV editor. Her love for storytelling first brought her into the entertainment industry as a performer, but she soon found her true passion was in the edit bay helping to bring the story to life. Her body of work includes a wide variety of genres and formats in both the scripted and unscripted space. She earned Emmy nominations for her work on Naked & Afraid XL, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and Born This Way. Her most recent work can be seen on Season 4 of the hit HBO Max show, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and the upcoming season of American Horror Stories.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Chris Orsi, 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).

[CASE STUDY] How to Make the Most of Slow Work Periods and Make a Career Pivot | with Malinda Zehner Guerra

The Zack Arnold Podcast