One of the best kept secrets in the entertainment networking community is certainly something you should consider. Even if you will be staying in San Diego just one month, you can use this. Just motor up to my favorite restaurant in Del Mar, The Poseidon. It's right on Del Mar Beach on 15th Street, so it's very easy to find.
The secret is this... If you prove yourself to be a regular at this place, there is a phenomenal amenity in it for you. Once you've dined there for a time, you may receive an invitation to attend a special networking night. The staff puts these together in an intelligent fashion. For example, if you have made yourself known around the staff as a writer, you may be invited to dine on a night when many other writers have been asked to be there.
Personally, I love this. You really have to go there and make yourself visible. Talk to the waiters, the bartenders, the greeters... Anything you have to do to put your remembrance in their mind's eye will work.
I have made contacts this way that would have been very difficult to pull off otherwise. I even met one of my favorite
actresses and managed to share a flight with her cross country. I've gotten mega deals from sources that are otherwise considered closed. You get the point.
The staff here are the key. If they like you and you fit in with this crowd, you'll be invited. Think about it. How else are you going to know what time on what night that a certain producer is going to be dining there? This also applies to fields other than the entertainment industry. You can use your own imagination.
Here are my suggestions. Go eat dinner there. Order heartily and be friendly with the staff. Don't say anything about this to the staff directly. It's more important when they ask you a few questions about yourself to be humble and make a decent impression. You could be Paul McCartney, but if you make a bad impression or you're nasty or mean, then you're left out. Once you're invited for a special night. BE THERE! You may not be asked again. Once you're in, you're in. You will meet phenomenal people this way.
You have to admit, Qassia is a pretty cool place and The Poseidon is my favorite restaurant in the world. I'm not trying to increase sales for the place. They are booked as it is, and rightly so. You don't need reservations though. There is a high turnover and you won't have to wait long for a great seat. My favorite seats are out on the terrace overlooking Del Mar Beach.
All I'm asking of you is once you've experienced this, please come back here and find me, and write me a note about it. That's all.
Rane
