Surround yourself with like minded people, lose the unnecessary distractions and be proactive, don’t wait for opportunities, make them. It won’t be easy and if it is it won’t last so work hard, it will pay off. Also don’t be scared to take a job or work on a film that isn’t your dream project. Take it as a challenge to make a dull thing amazing. I like to use the analogy of taking someone like Steven Spielberg and getting them to make an infomercial. You can bet that would be the most bad ass infomercial you’ve ever seen! If you are passionate and do good work people will notice.
