To work in another country or to get a work visa, you need to qualify for it. Before an employer can hire you, you have to fit the criteria to get the work visa in the first place. Most of us realize that when it’s too late: When you need the job, or even have the job offer -- but we don’t qualify for the visa. Then it’s back to square one.

So how do you go about getting a work visa, to work and live in the U.S.? if you’re from a different country, there is a lot of complexity around it and it’s good to understand how this works. In this Podcast, Allan shares his expertise with several types of U.S. visas: how they work, the qualifications you need and what you can do right now, to be proactive with your visa application.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/257/.

Just because you send in your demo reel doesn’t mean that it’s going to be seen by anybody. Even if it does, who says it will be watched all the way through? Most reels are skipped over just because there is one wrong thing on there. We don’t realize that the people reviewing the reels at first may not know much about your industry, or discipline, or the talents you have. They just enter your reel into a database, and when it’s time to hire specific talent, they load up hundreds of reels and forward them to those people who are going to review them. This means that it’s critical to rise above the noise, make your reel stand out and be able to demonstrate that you have the talent above everyone else on that spreadsheet. 

When your reel gets to the decision makers, it comes down to this: They have little information to go by and have lots of reels to review. So there are multiple reasons why your reel could be skipped over. People who are in disbelief about this have their own resistance. But for those of us who actually want to get a job, we have to know the situation and put in the work.

In this Podcast, Allan McKay goes over the anatomy of a killer reel -- from which shots should be on your reel to how long it should be, which crucial information should be included and which items are of little importance -- everything that will help you get that first job as a VFX artist.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/256.

People are afraid of being judged but it’s little things that build up over time: For example, if you’re shy, try going out to a bar and talking to people. These are little things you could do to get out of your comfort zone and push through your pain points. It takes trial and error.

If it scares you -- that’s good! That means that the more you do this, the less it will scare you. More importantly, you’ll get better at that thing because you’ll have more data to go on. You will know what worked and what didn’t. It’s the feedback that will help you grow. Part of that is not being afraid to experiment. That’s what will help you get better. The more data you have, the more you’ll be able to tweak things.

It’s all about trying new things and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Look at everything as data!

In this Podcast, Allan talks about experimentation, how to use it to get you out of your comfort zone and to provide data for your growth and success.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/255/.

This Podcast is in response to someone’s message, “How do I get things done? And how do I stay motivated?” You have to start thinking like a producer. You have to ask yourself the questions, “Where can my time go so I get more bang for my buck? Where can I make the most amount?” It’s about making decisions on where the core of your time goes and what’s your Return On Investment (ROI) is.

The more you question these things, the more creative you get. There are different ways you can leverage things to your advantage. You’ll start to look at your habits and realize where you’re leaking time -- and coming up with solutions.

In this Podcast, Allan answers the crucial question of, “How do I stay motivated?” by tackling the bigger question of what your bigger purpose is -- your WHY -- and also gives a few hacks to get a lot more done in your day.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/254/.