By Carole Dean

The Bible says “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  I believe that this means you need to love yourself more than anyone.   This self-love allows you to love others.  Operating from self-love allows you to move to any situation with confidence.  That includes talking to a room full of investors.

Filmmakers are often hardest on themselves.  I want you to think of all the talents you have.  Most people would literally give their right arm to be able to act or produce or direct and you probably can do all three of these incredible feats.

Are you confident when you walk into a room full of investors?

Loving yourself and exuding confidence is key to funding your film.  When you walk into a room people should feel your presence.  They should know from your actions that you are confident and in-charge.  That’s what investors and donors want.  They give the money to you, not the film.

So, who are you?  Are you confident?  How do you talk?  Are you saying, “Well, we hope to….” or “What we want to do is….” If so. you just lost the money person.    They need to hear exactly what your plans are and how you will achieve them in a confident manner.  If you’re not sure, how can they be about giving you money?

Most wealthy people belong to a group that operates their lives around mission, visions, and values.  They have carefully created their one sentence life mission statement.  They have a vision of what they want to achieve with deadlines they often hit.  Their values are clearly defined and they live by them.  They are self-starters and high achievers. They have detailed to-do lists to work from daily.  They are looking for people who are like-minded, who have a mission and clearly defined goals.

I want you to show how much you love yourself through your self- confidence.  Be like a conductor on a train from one of those great 1940’s movies.  Your train is on a track at Grand Central with a clear destination.  You have to get others on board.  This is much easier when you operate with self-love and the confidence that your film is fully funded.

Money loves confident people.  Confident people have a high regard for themselves, they love themselves and this love is a major asset.