Optimize Yourself

Learn ‘The Way of the Networking Ninja’

Effortlessly connect with A-listers and “Experts” to seek much-needed advice, set up meetings, schedule shadowing opportunities, and even land your dream job!

*Without sounding desperate or bothering people. šŸ˜‰


GET STARTED

*The live workshop full bundle is now available as a self-guided course with BONUS course materials.

Zack Arnold

Learn ‘The Way of the Networking Ninja’

Effortlessly connect with A-listers and “Experts” to seek much-needed advice, set up meetings, schedule shadowing opportunities, and even land your dream job!

*Without sounding desperate or bothering people. šŸ˜‰


GET STARTED

*The live workshop full bundle is now available as a self-guided course with BONUS course materials.

“I used the VSA strategy from your workshop to reach out to a contact, and it was so effective! He responded with an offer to schedule a Zoom call! On that call he volunteered to watch my film, introduce me to some high-level folks I’ve had on my vision board for a year, and even nominate me for an award! It feels like a real, burgeoning relationship. I love this framework as a way to demonstrate genuine appreciation for someone’s work while building a bridge to authentically connect!”

Emily Branham, Documentary Director

A single, well-written cold outreach message can change your entire career

Itā€™s absolutely true that:

Building your dream career is all about ā€œWho you know.ā€

Thankfully learning how to network is a skill no different than learning any other
craft. So if itā€™s all about ā€œwho you know,ā€ then…

Itā€™s time to get to know people.

Hereā€™s the good news:

You donā€™t need to go to endless (and pointless) networking events

You donā€™t have to waste hours per day on Facebook groups

You donā€™t have to randomly apply to 50 jobs online

You can learn to authentically connect with the right people
who can open doors in your career you never imagined!*

*And you can do it all from your laptopā€¦in your pajamas.

Chloe Lipman, DP & Director

Hey Zack, thank you so much for all your help with my outreach email to the “directing duo.” After editing it with your suggestions, I sent the email and got a response 2 days later!

Chloe Lipman, DP & Director
Chris Patterson, Feature Film Editor

“I got a gig editing a low budget indie feature from an 85% cold outreach email I sent out last Friday! Thank you to everyone in the Optimizer community for all the help, feedback, and support.” šŸ™

Chris Patterson, Feature Film Editor
Jonathan Hodges, Editor & AE

“I just got of the phone with a person I reached out to via email just last week! We’ll be keeping in touch for sure. I love this class man, I know it’s saved me from screwing myself over with bad outreach.”

Jonathan Hodges, Editor & AE

Each of these students was convinced networking via cold outreach couldnā€™t possibly work for them (because theyā€™re too introverted, they hate bothering people, theyā€™re not good at selling, blah blah blah).

These techniques work for anyone (willing to do their homework) who wants to build genuine relationships with the right people.

Even if you donā€™t have any industry experience.

Even if youā€™re not already working (or living) in Hollywood.

Even if you DONā€™T want to work in Hollywood at all.
(These methods work in any industry!)

ALL YOU NEED IS A SIMPLE-TO-FOLLOW SYSTEM THAT GETS RESULTS.

Introducingā€¦

ā€œThe Way of the Networking Ninjaā€

A Product Bundle that includes:

1

THE NETWORKING NINJA ā€ØWORKSHOP

2

BUILD YOUR ā€ØNETWORK ā€ØMASTERCLASS

3

DEEP-DIVE ā€ØCASE STUDY

ThisĀ  package includes three of my most popular, successful, and most importantly immediately-actionable products for building a world-class network using cold outreach

All bundled together for one low price.

HERE’S WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE FULL BUNDLE:

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The Way of the Networking Ninja product card
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Workshop: The Way Of The Networking Ninja

Now available as a self-study course!

In this self-guided online course (recorded from a live workshop), youā€™ll learn how to get the most out of my favorite networking strategy – cold outreach – in less than 3 hours. (It usually takes me 8 weeks or more to cover all this stuff with my advanced coaching studentsā€¦youā€™ll learn the essential steps in a single afternoon.)

Weā€™ll go step-by-step so by the end of the course you have a first draft of an amazing cold outreach message youā€™re excited to send!

In this workshop youā€™ll learn how to:

Overcome the #1 mindset barrier that keeps 99% of people from sending cold outreach

Stop wasting time with the shotgun approach (i.e. randomly sending your resume around town when you need work) and instead be absolutely surgical about who you connect with based on your career goals

Provide value in such a way you no longer sound ā€œdesperateā€ and can instead start a genuine relationship (as opposed to completing a transaction)

Connect with complete strangers in such a way they are absolutely DELIGHTED you reached out (no matter how much further they might be in their career than yours)

Use my ā€œVSA Formulaā€ to make it super easy for anyone to understand how they can help you (which makes it more likely theyā€™ll respond to your message)

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ā€œVirtually Build Your Network with IMDb Proā€ Masterclass

Youā€™ve probably used IMDb before, but I bet youā€™ve never used it the way I teach it to rapidly build your network. (Psstā€¦the same strategies work for LinkedIn if thatā€™s your jam.) In this bonus 3-hour masterclass, I share my ā€œTornado Techniqueā€ for strategically identifying leads and surrounding yourself with the RIGHT people in your target industry byā€¦

Helping you identify your dream projects & dream collaboratorsā€¦and then building the ā€œconcentric circleā€ around that network

Coming up with a list of dozens (or even hundreds) of potential contacts who are doing now what you want to be doing next

Prioritizing who to actually reach out to first (Hint: You donā€™t have to contact EVERYONE!)

No matter what job role or industry youā€™re in, taking the actions taught in this Masterclass ensures youā€™ll never run out of people to connect withā€¦and youā€™ll never have to wonder ā€œWho do I talk to?ā€ ever again.

BONUS: This Masterclass even comes with this BADASS (my studentsā€™ words, not mine) Google Sheet Template to track it all.

Donā€™t worryā€¦itā€™s a lot easier to use than it looks. Iā€™ll show you every simple step.

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Deep Dive Student Case Study: From Corporate to Hollywood
With a Single Cold Email

Boy, do I have an amazing case study to share with you. One of my students Marian originally came to me with NO CLUE how to connect with the right people in the entertainment industry…yet it only took her 12 weeks to go from being totally clueless about what to do next (and who to reach out to) to landing her dream job at one of Hollywood’s top Visual Effects studios in the world.

With NO prior experience in the entertainment industry!*

*As if thatā€™s not enough, she was working in the corporate worldā€¦in the Midwest.Ā 

For the first time ever, Marian has decided to share every single juicy detail (and walk you through step-by-step) how she used cold outreach to land the meeting that landed her the (two) interviews that led to her dream job.

In this case study youā€™ll learn how Marian:

Went from blindly sending hundreds of applications to recruiters to finding the single most important person on the planet to help her achieve her goals

Drafted a single outreach message that led to a free 3-hr Zoom call (3 hours!!!)…without even asking for it.

Ultimately went from that Zoom call to two job interviews (one with the head of the studio for her dream job) and then being offered her dream gig AS THE ONLY APPLICANT.

Marian literally talked the head of a major studio into opening a position just for herā€¦and they gave it to her. Marian has officially graduated to ā€˜Networking Ninjaā€™ status.

“I’m not crying, you’re crying. šŸ˜­ Thank you so much Zack, I would not be here at all if it weren’t for you and this program and the Optimizer community! You are a treasure to this industry.This has been a life-changing experience!”

Marian Shammas, Junior VFX Coordinator (Crafty Apes)

LEARN ā€œTHE WAY OF THE NETWORKING NINJAā€

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Typically students pay me $2,000 (or more) to work with me privately or in small groups for 8-12 weeks to learn this entire system. But Iā€™ve distilled the most important ideas & strategies into this single 3-hr workshop so you can take action and get immediate resultsā€¦at a fraction of the price.

WORKSHOP

The workshop package includes the following:

Lifetime Access to the workshop recording
(edited into a self-guided learning course*)

BONUS: Lifetime Access to The IMDbPro Networking Masterclass
(includes the Google Sheet networking template)

BONUS: Lifetime Access to the Student Case Study Which contains 3+ hours of interviews and live coaching sessions about the following topics:

  • Outreach email makeovers
  • RĆ©sumĆ© before & after teardown
  • Prepping for a Zoom meeting
  • Prepping for a job interview
$297
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FULL PRODUCT BUNDLE

The full product bundle includes the following:

Lifetime Access to the workshop recording
(edited into a self-guided learning course*)

BONUS: Lifetime Access to The IMDbPro Networking Masterclass
(includes the Google Sheet networking template)

BONUS: Lifetime Access to the Student Case Study Which contains 3+ hours of interviews and live coaching sessions about the following topics:

  • Outreach email makeovers
  • RĆ©sumĆ© before & after teardown
  • Prepping for a Zoom meeting
  • Prepping for a job interview
$497
Credit Cards

Not convinced this is the right fit for you, or you have
questions about how this online workshop works?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!

Matt Allen, Feature Film Editor & AE

“I received a response to my outreach email! The recipient said the email made her ‘tear up.’ What a great way to start the week. Plus the ‘Andy DuFresne Technique’ helped me land an upcoming coffee hangout with an editor I’ve been trying to do this with for over 3 YEARS.”

Matt Allen, Feature Film Editor & AE

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

You deserve to absolutely love what you do for a living, but not at the expense of your health, your relationships, or your sanity. Building a fulfilling creative career (that includes a life outside of your job) is not easy, and you’re not going to do it alone. Consider me your career sensei. Welcome to my dojo.

My name is Zack Arnold, and Iā€™m a podcaster, a writer, a father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and as your career sensei, consider me part coach, part therapist, and part ass-kicker. In a nutshell Iā€™m Tim Ferriss meets Ted Lasso (minus the mustache). Iā€™m both obsessed with learning everything I can about optimizing human potential as well as inspiring you to believe you can realize yours. Because you are destined for more. As a recently retired Hollywood film & television editor of 20+ years (notable credits include Cobra Kai, Glee, Empire, and Burn Notice), I specialize in helping creative professionals transform their careers and build the more fulfilling lives they deserve.

Where a traditional “career coach” will just help you focus on improving WHAT you do for a living, Iā€™m also here to help you optimize HOW you do what you doā€¦and most importantly clarify your ā€œWHY.ā€ Because if you arenā€™t working in the most effective manner possible – and even more importantly if you arenā€™t clear on why you really get out of bed every morning – I can all but guarantee youā€™re on the road to burnout.

Zack Arnold

ā€œEveryone deserves to love what they do for a living…but not at the expense of their health, their relationships, or their sanity.ā€

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Not sure if this workshop is the right fit for you?
See below for the most frequently asked questions.

When are you holding this live workshop (and where)?

This workshop was held LIVE on Zoom Saturday September 10th, 2022. The first two hours were the formal workshop, and I built in a full hour for both individual “Hot Seats” as well as additional Q&A. It is now available as a self-guided course you can complete in just a few hours (with hours of bonus materials for when you’re ready to dive deeper).

How long will I have access to the other products in this bundle? And when will I get everything?

Immediately after purchase, you’ll have LIFETIME ACCESS to The Way of the Networking Ninja workshop online course, the IMDbPro Masterclass, and the Student Case Study with Marian.

Iā€™ve sent cold emails before, but I never get a response. How is this any different?

I could write a book about all the things people do wrong in their cold outreach (waitā€¦I already did that). In this workshop Iā€™ll highlight the key areas where most people go wrong and provide simple strategies to drastically improve your cold outreach in a matter of hours to get you real results. Ask any of the hundreds of students who have used my programā€¦not only do these emails work, people are excited to receive them! (and they have a very high response rate)

If Iā€™m not an editor like you, will this system still work for me?

Yes! Just because I used to be a film & tv editor by trade doesn’t mean what I teach is only for editors. These networking & relationship-building skills work across all crafts and industries. People are people, and networking is networking. The same applies to geography, there are no special skills I teach that only work in Hollywood. What you learn in this workshop has been used successfully by my students across six different continents.

Will this system work for me if I donā€™t work in the entertainment industry?

Although I happen to work in the entertainment industry (and most of my students also work in entertainment), these strategies have NOTHING to do with Hollywood. This system teaches you how to provide value to ANYONE who is doing now what you want to be doing next so you can authentically connect with them, build a genuine relationship, and potentially land a mentor or even be referred for your dream job. People are people, relationships are relationships.

These strategies work for anyone in any industry.

Will this system work for me if I live in another country? Networking is different here.

Iā€™ve heard fifty different times how ā€œnetworking is different hereā€ whether you work in Israel, South Africa, Ireland, Denmark, or [fill in the blank].

People are people, relationships are relationships. Iā€™ve seen these strategies work for students on six different continents. However – full disclaimer – Iā€™ve yet to help a student build genuine connections in Antarctica. Still working on cracking that codeā€¦

What if this system still doesnā€™t work for me. Do you offer refunds?

Because this is a live event I cannot grant refunds no-questions-asked. However, if after the workshop you can demonstrate that youā€™ve followed the systems I teach yet youā€™re not getting any results (and youā€™ve made an attempt to follow up using the methods I teach), I will grant refunds on a case-by-case basis within the first 30 days of registration.