DATE : 13TH OF MARCH 2021
Erica Wernick is a graphic designer, personal coach, author and speaker. She is Hollywood’s leading success coach. She is well known for her work in many well known movies and in her podcasts she motivates everyone to live their dreams without hesitation.
Greetings Erica Wernick, I’m Mayuresh Manchkar on behalf of The Movie Culture and we are thrilled to have you and I hope you are doing well.
Q. Starting with this interview, tell us something about your Book ‘Meant For This’. How much time did it take to finish and what value will we gain from this book?
Erica Wernick: Meant For This took me 7 months to write if we’re just counting the writing process. But it took 12 years to prepare me for this moment. I wrote this book because I feel like there wasn’t a resource for artists that really got their journey. There are some great self-help books out there that help with goal setting, but what about a dream that you feel so deep in your soul that you feel like you’re meant for? That’s a different experience, and I wanted to provide a book that spoke directly to those artists. When people read this book, they will (hopefully!) walk away feeling inspired, with a new sense of belief in themselves and their dreams. Any dream that seemed impossible before, will now feel tangible, and the reader will have actionable steps to take.
Q. “Meant For This” Title of your book is very impressive. I am very curious about this and would love to know the thought behind the title?
Erica Wernick: Every dream I’ve had, feels so much deeper than a random goal I set. My dreams feel like something I’m meant to do, like there is a greater purpose behind it. I know my clients feel the same way, so I wanted to speak to that feeling. The concept behind the title is that you are the only one who gets to decide if you’re meant for this. It’s not up to fate, it’s a decision.
Q. What were the ups and downs encountered by you during your wonderful journey to serve as a success coach? What role does a success coach play in someone’s life?
Erica Wernick: Oh my gosh, so many ups and downs! Pursuing my Hollywood dreams in the first place came with massive amounts of rejection and unanswered emails. It took 150 cold emails until I found someone who would help me. But every time I was working on a TV show, I felt amazing. I really loved being on set and contributing to a production.
As for coaching, the work I do is a combination of mindset work and strategy work. I help artists who are feeling stuck in their career by helping them transform the beliefs that are holding them back and create a fresh new strategic approach. I support them as they pursue their next level.
Q. How did you get into Hollywood and what was the inspiration behind taking up as a graphic designer? Which project is close to your heart and why?
Erica Wernick: I broke into Hollywood by cold emailing 150 people until one person offered to help me. I went to art school and got a degree in Graphic Design, and had always dreamed of moving to LA and working in Hollywood. I grew up singing and acting, and even though that dream wasn’t important to me anymore, I was still enamoured with the entertainment industry and wanted to be a part of it.
I’ve been able to work on some amazing projects, but the two that meant the most to me were Glee and Chasing Life. Glee was my first big show, so it was a very exciting opportunity for me. I really loved being on the Paramount lot and working on a show that was so connected to my high school experience with acting and singing. Chasing Life was the show that was the best experience for me—the cast and crew were the nicest people and I really loved working there.
Q. Coming to your podcasts, many of my friends including myself love to hear your podcast. Is there any reason behind initiating a podcast?
Erica Wernick: Initially, I started my podcast to help people who wanted to move to LA, but I found myself much more excited to talk about succeeding in Hollywood than moving to Los Angeles. The logistics of moving were less interesting to me, but I really loved sharing ideas on how to succeed at big dreams.
Q. What are the things that a person should avoid for one’s successful journey and what should they focus on?
Erica Wernick: The only thing someone should avoid on their journey is the negative narrative. Tune out the negativity. Let go of the limiting beliefs about what’s possible. Focus on what IS possible (anything!). Celebrate everything, no matter how small. Focus on the good things that are happening, and what you want to create for your career.
Q. What specifically interested you in the Art Department? How did you get influenced by graphic design?
Erica Wernick: When I was in high school acting in plays, I started designing the flyers and programs, and became obsessed with fonts and the other parts of the design process. I was drawn to graphic design, and after high school, I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career. So I got my degree in graphic design, and then one day, when I was watching the movie 13 Going On 30, I got an epiphany: the two actors were eating Razzles candy and I realized, “Oh my gosh! A graphic designer had to design that candy box!” Later, I found out that Razzles are a real candy (oops!), but my idea of what graphic designers do is correct. That was so exciting to me, and that’s when I got clear on my dream to design graphics for television.
Q. What are your upcoming projects if you would like to share with us and what advice would you give to the young generation who want to pursue their career in creatives and filmmaking?
Erica Wernick: I’m very excited about my book, Meant For This! I hope thousands of people read it and make their dreams come true because of it. All of my advice is in that book, but if I could leave you with one message, it would be this: Believe in yourself and believe in your vision. Believe in solutions instead of problems. There will be rejection. There will be delays. There will be people telling you not to do it. There will be people telling you all of the reasons why it won’t work. Tune that out. Just listen to your own intuition. You can totally do this. Keep going!
The Movie Culture Synopsis
It was our first time at The Movie Culture to interview a success coach with so much to learn from her. We were thrilled and happy from the very start of the interview.
We started this interview by getting to know about her first book ‘Meant for this’ which was a beautiful journey in itself. We could experience the thought process, passion and hard work that she had put into her book during this interview.
Throughout the interview, we got to know about her journey and how she successfully tackled everything in front of her to become what she is today. Last but not least, the advice she gave does sound simple but the value that it holds is incredible.
