In 2014, an American actor friend sat across the table from me at a Melbourne café and said he was going to “hustle” more this year. My response was “that’s fine – just don’t use the word ‘hustle’. Australians find it a bit on the nose.” He was confused. It was like I’d told him Australians thought Tuesdays were a bit on the nose. He said no one was remotely afraid of using the word “hustle” in Hollywood. I told him things were different here.
But that conversation was 2014. These days “hustle” has settled comfortably into the Australian showbusiness lexicon. But it’s important to note that we hustle differently to Americans. We’re less obvious about it. In Australia, if you lay the hustle on thick, you look like a dick, which defeats the purpose of hustling in the first place.
So how do you hustle here? Well, don’t do it with desperation. If you send an email to a production company you want to work with, don’t also DM them on Instagram to tell them you’ve just sent them an email. They’ve seen your email and will get back to you in their own time. But if you don’t get a response, wait a month, then send another email. If that email is ignored, it’s over. It’s not personal. They’re probably busy. And you know what, you should try to look busy as well. You don’t want to behave like a person who has enough time to send emails all day.
But hustling isn’t just about emails, it’s also about getting the word out that you have talent. In the US, bragging is a legitimate way to do this. Whereas Australians think if you need to brag, you can’t be that good. So how do you promote yourself if you can’t brag? I’d advise going straight to social media or video and writing platforms and uploading your work. If it strikes a chord, other people will tell the world how good you are on your behalf. The take away here is that showing is a way more dignified promotional tool than telling. And a third party recommending you is way more powerful than you recommending yourself.
Finally, try not to be a selfish hustler. Help people when you can. And that means keeping your promises. Don’t be the person at the party who says, “I’ll intro you to my friend Baz Luhrmann” and then forget about it. If you’re going to flex, you need to follow up. Americans don’t really care if you’re full of shit. It’s an accepted reality. But Australians loathe it, and your card will be marked.
I hope this helps you on your hustling journey. Next week, I’ll tell you how to resist taking a hit out on someone after they’ve fired you.
Adam is the co-creator of Wilfred, Lowdown and Squinters and the creator of Mr. Black and The Agony Series. He also wrote the book Twelve Summers
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HUSTLE AND NOT BE DICKHEAD ABOUT IT?
Spot on. I enjoyed this so much I had to subscribe. Good hustle!