Networker Extaordinaire
All fields of industry have those people who are in the background; those who make things work smoothly. Without the man behind the curtain the wizard tends to fall flat on his face. In the entertainment industry, these people are the backstage crews, the studio engineers, the cameramen, the editors, directors, producers, voice-over talent; the list goes on.
The purpose of this series, “Behind the Curtain,” is to showcase the talent behind the faces; not merely as a means to praise these people, but to help those who might feel led to follow in their footsteps. It is only appropriate therefore, that the first profile is about a man who feels led to do something few people will do for free.
Meet Torry Martin
Ask veterans of the entertainment industry – secular or Christian – and they will tell you that, while talent is important, it’s who you know that makes the difference.
Networking, smchoozing, or socializing – however reviled the concept might be in some peoples’ minds – is imperative. Merriam-Webster defines networking as the “productive cultivation of relationships for employment or business.” For many, that translates into, “Meeting you to find out what you can do for me.” But not for Torry Martin.
An actor, author, story-teller and standup comedian, Torry Martin is tall, red-headed, with an infectious personality and a plethora of hilarious stories that he shares whether he’s onstage or not. Like most artists, Torry realizes that promotion is an important part of getting steady work; yet he has developed a unique form of networking that he not only teaches, but practices daily as a form of tithing.
“Each day, I tithe about half an hour to an hour first thing in the morning promoting others.”
Whoa! An actor who promotes others? Yep. That’s Torry.
“The Bible is true when it says, ‘Let others sing your praises and not from your own lips,’” Torry explains. “And a true friend will sing your praises. It’s like singing the praises of your children. You can’t help it. You love them, you’re proud of them, you want the world to know.”
Torry admits that, unlike other comedians, he doesn’t do his own publicity. “I can’t do cold calls. I have no interest in calling a church and telling them why they should book me. All of my bookings come from word of mouth or people who’ve seen me at conferences.
“But, I can call people who I’ve met that I think would be great connections for my friends; or my friends for them. So, before moving to myself and what my day is about – writing my columns, writing my articles, writing my screenplay – I tithe the first ten percent of the day promoting others.”
Torry explains that this involves praying over who the Lord wants him to help that day, asking for ‘holy introductions,’ and praying for the people that the Lord lays on his heart. He has a list of the things he feels led to do to connect people with each other. It might be sending a writer friend’s bio to an editor or movie maker. It might be suggesting an actor to an agent. It might be contacting someone in charge of staffing writers’ conferences to suggest a friend he feels would be a great addition to their faculty. It might even be turning down an offered role in a film and suggesting a friend that he feels might better fit the part.
Torry teaches this method of tithing networking at Christian artist conferences, where his handout explains his beliefs; ‘Networking to me is about offering help and sharing information. It’s about being MORE concerned about others. I enjoy networking out of kindness and out of community. It’s about loving your neighbor as yourself. It’s investing in the lives of others.”
Investing in the lives of others was what Jesus was all about and that is what Torry desires to imitate; and he makes it seem so effortless. In fact, before this interview was over, Torry added my name to his list of people to tithe over and gave me a list of names of people he thought might fit this series.
When it all boils down, Torry has two thoughts that define his network tithing;
“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” – Keith Ferrazzi
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit; but in humility consider others better than yourself.” Philippians 2:3
(taken from the article Behind The Curtain: Torry Martin by Paula Parker on Examiner.com)