Hasta La Creative!

I generally like the no-frills, mostly business approach of LinkedIn.

But today’s New York Times reports that the site is struggling, and may find a bit of a boost in with the Hollywood crowd:

The company bills itself as “the world’s largest and most powerful business network” but is known to most people as the Web site they begrudgingly visit every few months to approve be-my-contact invitations. Could Hollywood’s woes represent an opportunity for LinkedIn to woo new followers?

“Because so many people are looking for work, entertainment is an area that’s ripe for people to be ambitious and entrepreneurial,” said Rob Getzschman, LinkedIn’s entertainment market manager.

Mr. Getzschman lectured about LinkedIn at the Los Angeles Film Festival; on Thursday a LinkedIn representative will speak to indie filmmakers at a Film Independent workshop, also in Los Angeles. Engagements at the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America are also planned. LinkedIn has one happy customer. Robert Margouleff, a producer of Stevie Wonder albums, lost a big sound-mixing client. After attending a LinkedIn event, he used the network to find sponsors for a documentary and to meet a National Geographic executive.

Do you use LinkedIn? Do you like it’s stripped-down approach to networking?