I am starting to blog. Sort of a journal I guess.
I'm supposed to be journalling right? I think that's what all the lists say is part of a successful life.
Not sure how often I'm going to do this or ultimately where it will go.
I'm going to stick mainly to film and television production and what I've learned (or not) along the way of coming to Hollywood in 1997 from St. Louis, Missouri (by way of Redwood City & Sunnyvale, California -- but that's another story.)
There will be some stories, some advice. Some lists... I think. Or, I may get a show and disappear for six months.
I'm going to keep this as anonymous as possible. We'll see how that works.
Anyway, here goes:
Hollywood is a small town. A really small town. Everybody knows everybody. You don't realize that at first but you should -- it's actually a great metaphor for life.
Good and bad. Good because small town Hollywood means that if you're friendly and nice to people, they're likely to be friendly and nice to you in return.
Bad because if you screw it up, it can be a long time before you ever get it back together again. Or, you become famous and make a lot of money from your train wreck. Circle of life.
So, when you roll in to Hollywood from someplace else (like I did), you have to sort of find your place in the order. You have to figure it out. And that takes time. It takes you a year just to figure Los Angeles out.
It has to be clear in your head that it's all about the work.
Again good and bad. If you're not working, you're not on people's radar.
And good or bad, you want to be on people's radar.
I think it’s better to be on there for positive events but sometimes you can’t help it.
But I think the free-lance lifestyle of being a Hollywood crew member gives you benefits. One, the job is going to end so it if sucks you can probably make it. Twenty, thirty more years of this shit, I think not.
Two, the project is going to end and then you’re going to need to find work if you don’t have any. So leave on a good note, and you just might get on to the next one.