In this installment of Trade Secrets, we offer advice for what aspiring filmmakers should do once they graduate from film school.

It’s an experience shared by many a college grad: You walk across the stage, grab your diploma and are soon mobbed by family and friends all with the same question: Now what?

It’s a hard question to answer. You can spend years in film school gaining skills and making connections, but finding post-grad employment is a whole different beast. That’s made all the more difficult in a fast-contracting industry where things like box office, California production and legacy studios just aren’t what they used to be.

“We have definitely seen a contraction in the traditional model where it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re going to graduate and go directly into the unions,’” Alyssa Katalyna, special project coordinator for the Office of Industry Relations at the University of Southern California, told TheWrap. “The jobs just simply aren’t there.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Katalyna’s office specializes in helping students set themselves up for success and make crucial connections in the industry that will carry them to employment.

While the old models of production are undeniably changing, Katalyna sees growth in areas like indie production, short filmmaking, an internet-to-big-screen pipeline and more.

“Just because one way gets dammed up doesn’t mean people are going to stop,” she said. “The dreams just expand into different things that weren’t there before.”

TheWrap spoke to a series of filmmakers, including horror architect Jason Blum and Gen Z phenomenon Curry Barker, as well as Sundance filmmakers like Natalie Erika James and Adrian Chiarella, to see how they broke into the industry and what advice they have for the next generation of film school graduates. 

Here are the key takeaways:

• Use your connections: The people you went to film school with are the same people trying to break into the industry.
• Keep your eyes open: Don’t lock yourself into one discipline if you’re finding opportunities in another. What new mediums (like verticals) are out there?
• Lean on artist development programs: Grants, foundations and mentorship opportunities exist to give new artists a shot. Find one that works for you.
• Don’t be afraid to pick up a camera: Platforms like YouTube are making it easier than ever to get your work out there. If you’re not getting the opportunities you want, make your own.

Welcome to Trade Secrets, TheWrap’s insider guide to making it in Hollywood. In previous installments, we’ve covered the process of how to get a movie greenlit, who the actors are with green light power and in our last installment, what creators need to look for in representation.

“The biggest hurdle for that is them believing that people want to see their stories. I think it usually takes about a year or two for people to find the courage to be like, ‘You know what? It doesn’t matter. If I’m making it for me, then I’m getting better, I have a portfolio,’” Katalyna said. “It’s actually quite beautiful when they find that confidence to start sharing stuff. They get so personal and they get so weird with it.”

Where should I start?

If you’re reading this article, you probably already know the story of Curry Barker.

Barker made one of the year’s biggest hits in “Obsession,” a horror movie about a man who faces deadly ramification after wishing his crush would love him more than anyone. It went on to become the highest-grossing feature to cost less than $1 million of all time, <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/obsession-…