How to Get a Response from Ari Emanuel

Do you know that the higher profile a person is, the more likely they are to respond to an email quickly?

I learned this years ago, and get evidence of it over and over again, when I hear stories from the MyGradsGetJobs community. One of our own (we’ll call her Britney) recently had the pleasure of meeting Ari Emanuel—you know Ari, the real life head honcho of WME, made famous by Jeremy Piven in Entourage. Britney welcomed Ari to the set where she was working and showed him around. Being a smart MyGrad, Britney didn’t want the opportunity to go to waste and so asked for my advice on how to make a connection with Ari. I reminded her of the principles I’d taught her in my Summer Intensive.

The next day, Britney sent Ari a short email along the lines of “It was a pleasure to meet you at the XX set. If you need anything else over here, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Sincerely, Britney Smith.” Britney knew that her email had to be short and include her contact information in the signature. Sending this email to Ari was the first step in building their relationship. That’s it. Simple. Easy. Polite. Appropriate.

Britney got a response in literally two minutes! Yes, you read that correctly: Britney got an email response from the legendary Ari Emanuel in TWO MINUTES!

Naturally, she was completely shocked that someone of Ari’s caliber would respond to her with such lightening speed.

I, however, wasn’t.

I know that big, important people usually return emails promptly (within twenty-four hours), especially when it serves them. Ari knows everyone, and he now has yet another inroad to this set, this studio, or this big star, if ever he needs it. If, for example, Ari’s was trying to get a hold of this big star and couldn’t reach him directly, he’d go through every other avenue, including Britney, the person who happened to show him around the set that day!

Guys like Ari are super-resourceful, and their key to success is knowing people at various levels and for various reasons. I’d say ninety-nine percent of those reasons are totally self-serving, but so as long as you appeal to the needs of the VIP, you’ll stay on their radar.

Also, Ari and other big shots know that you won’t be an intern or assistant forever, and that one day you might even be in business with them. (who knows: Ari might be pitching YOU ideas when you are running a studio one day!)

Had Britney emailed Ari with a link to her short film or a request for coffee, my guess is he would’ve ignored it. It doesn’t serve him, and truth be told: it wouldn’t serve Britney, either. You can have all the connections in the world, but if you don’t have the talent, experience, or solid relationship to back up the ask, it simply doesn’t matter.

So, keep sowing relationship seeds with people you meet in your office, on set, or anywhere you might go, and always with the intent of serving their needs first. When you make it about the other person’s needs, you end up helping yourself in the long run.