TIFF Survival Guide

Working the press junket at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is like riding a rollercoaster. Fast, relentless, and riddled with adrenalin. Every morning, you wake up after five hours of sleep (if you’re lucky), feeling queasy, and you hop back on again. 

Imagine doing that for seven days straight. Now you understand what it’s like to chase publicists, do interviews, catch press conferences, watch dozens of movies, send content to editors, and squeeze in as many parties as humanly possible. 

Hmmm. I’m not really building a case for sympathy here, am I? 

Well. Take my word for it. From the moment you arrive at TIFF, you’re running around like a crazy person. You find yourself barking at poor, kind volunteers about…movie line length. Seriously. As though your life depended on it. We all sink to such lows. 

So for anyone tackling the TIFF press junket, here are some survival tips:

• No matter how nauseous or frazzled you feel, be sure to eat. If your schedule is insane, pack energy bars. Everyone stops for dinner. You can have real food then.
• Carry water everywhere. When you need it most, you won’t be able to find the freebie bottles. Water works better than coffee to keep you awake and on your game.
• Develop a strategy to maintain calm and keep perspective. Use a mantra, remind yourself to breathe, get a friend to meet you for five minutes. This festival too shall pass.
• Leverage the press office. They are incredibly helpful. For setting up interviews, accessing the Internet, where to buy a digital recorder in Toronto…they exist to assist you.
• Schmooze with your fellow journalists. They are fountains of knowledge. Only the rare few will be unapproachable snobs. The rest are incredibly generous and supportive.
• When you’re at the end of your rope, stop. Ask yourself why you came. What did you want out of this year’s festival? Each year, you’re guaranteed to learn something. 

Above all, remember you chose to be there. When it’s all said and done, you’ll go home with incredible stories. And that’s why we do what we do.