Ep234: [CASE STUDY] How to Make the Most of Slow Work Periods and Make a Career Pivot | with Malinda Zehner Guerra

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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 showThe reason why Malinda joined the Optimizer Coaching & Mentorship programHow Malinda made her first contact into scripted during the pandemicThe subject line she used to catch the attention of the editor she's reaching out toHow 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 genresThe reason why people are pigeonholed and how to avoid itHow Malinda chose who to reach out toHow to have the courage to say 'no' to the wrong opportunitiesThe right way to ask for help from someoneHow Malinda convinced the gatekeepers to take a chance on her despite her lack of experience in scriptedContinue to Listen & Learn

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Guest 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).