The most important thing to get when you move to LA

In honor of my significant other who just paid off a car loan in record time, I’m going to tell you the most important thing to get when you take my advice and move to LA (if you don’t already live here).  That’s right, you guessed it…a working car!

Allow me to tell you a story.  Once upon a time, I had the worst car on earth.  It was well over ten years old when I bought it with a small amount of loan money I had squirreled away in college.  I needed the car on short notice to lug tons of heavy equipment for a class I was taking.  That car ended up being crazy bad (duh) but in my defense, it ran okay at first.

My old car...just kidding, this is way nicer.

Anyway, when the car went bad, it went bad fast and started breaking down ALL THE TIME. Right after college, I was working a night shoot and when I was driving home at 4 AM the car broke down on the 10 freeway (busted radiator).  Yeah, that sucked, and after spending mucho dinero (that I didn’t have) to fix it, the car never ran right again.  I was almost fired from a couple jobs after that when it broke down and I couldn’t make it in to work/I came in late.  On top of that, I was nervous to even apply for jobs knowing there was a chance I wouldn’t make it on time if I got an interview.

So, don’t come to LA without a working car or even a car that has occasional problems because I promise you, those problems will multiple times 1000 at the worst possible time (like on the 10 at 4 in the morning) and besides, it's way better to put your hard earned money towards a car payment for a reliable car than keeping your clunker on life support.  Also, like it or not, this is still a car town.  Even if you’re not commuting much (you will be) you still need to be able to get to interviews, meetings, and just from A to Z (sometimes on short notice).  So yeah, I’ll say it again, the most important thing to get when you live in LA is a working car, take the time to save up for one.

Winning the lotto

Earlier this week, I bought a lotto ticket for the first time in several years (and I wasn't the only one).  The Mega Millions was up to 355 million and after taxes that's 200 some million.  I didn't win, and that's way more money than I'd know what to do with, but I had a few ideas on how to spend it.  That being said, I don't like to play the lotto because the odds are astronomical while the promise of "it can happen to you" can suck you into spending lots of dollars on quick picks.  I much prefer contests where some skill is involved, or gambling games where I feel like I have some control over the results.  That's probably why I've tried my "luck" by sending my work off to several writing programs and competitions over the years.  Hey, one almost panned out.

I guess this is my way to get around to saying the last thing I'll say about moving/not moving to LA.  My last post talked about connections as a way to solve the problem of wanting to be a working writer but living in the wrong city.  Honestly, connections are important to anyone who wants to get paid to write, regardless of city, but when you're a baby writer lacking connections, there's one more option, and that's CONTESTS!

If connections are the secret handshake to get past an industry doorman, contests are the battering ram to break down the door.  You could be Joe Schmoe one day, win the Nicholl the next, and suddenly have agents blowing up your phone asking to meet.  Many Non-LA (but mostly LA) baby writers have sent their work off to prestigious and reputable contests, competitions, festivals, and writing workshops/fellowships to launch their careers.

Now, applying for stuff gets tricky because good contests are SUPER competitive AND there’s about a bazillion contests that will just plain scam you.  I’ve listed several contests that I think are reputable/worthwhile under CONTESTS AND STUFF on the right.  But, just like lotto quick picks, you shouldn't go crazy.  While some are free (huge plus) most charge a reasonable fee to enter.  Don't crank out something mediocre and waste a bunch of money sending it everywhere and don't apply to contests in areas outside your interest (I'm looking at YOU baby writer who applies to TV fellowships despite not actually wanting to write for TV).  After all, some of these contests have an interview/vetting process, and if you aren't serious, you don't stand a chance (this is mostly for the TV fellowships, but even the Nicholl has a small additional vetting process for finalists).

So yeah, that's pretty much my final word to baby writers who won't come to LA.  But, I warn you, lots of baby writers who DO live in LA (like me) will also be sending scripts off to all of these contests, and the ones that are programs often want people who have industry savvy and experience.  Being a baby writer with the wrong zip code might hurt your chances in the eyes of the contest deciders.

Get yourself connected!

The other day, I had lunch with a friend from college who is not in "the industry."  It was great, not only because this person is my friend, but because they have lots of cool stories from their work (in medicine) that have nothing to do with typing on a computer all day.  As a writer, this is the stuff I crave, otherwise, all my scripts would start to be about struggling artists or young assistants who get screwed over.  Bleh.

I think it's easy to get sucked into the wonderful world of Hollywood and suddenly realize all your friends are industry friends.  Now, this isn't totally bad.  Industry people are cool, have cool stories, and sometimes do cool non-industry things.  Also, this city does run on connections.  However, you'd be surprised to find connections are everywhere!  For example, my college friend once worked for a woman whose brother is an A list film director.  Heck, my grandmother, who lives in another state, once emailed me contact info for her neighbor's friend who lives in LA.  Turns out he was a very successful VFX supervisor.

What I'm getting at is an answer to the question I posed in my last post.  You want to write Hollywood movies/TV shows but you aren’t willing/ready to move to LA...so what should you do?  One answer is CONNECTIONS!  Connections can get you jobs, bridge city gaps, and bake ten minute brownies in five minutes.  Also, connections exist everywhere.  If you cast a wide net and tell everyone your goals, you might be surprised what turns up (even from people who don't live in LA who aren't in the industry).  Now, unfortunately, only certain types of connections (GOOD connections) can help with BIG problems like living in the wrong city.

Examples of GOOD connections are:

Your good friend/close relative or good friend's close relative is …

• A creative executive at a reputable production company
• The VP of Development at a reputable production company
• A Lit Manager at a reputable company
• A Lit Agent at one of the major agencies

And to counter, here are some examples of NOT-AS-GOOD connections:

Your roommate’s, friend’s buddy is…

• A security guard at a studio
• A PA
• A recent film school graduate
• A Blockbuster employee

Don't get me wrong, ALL connections on both lists can actually be great for a baby writer living in LA (except the guy who works at Blockbuster, sorry) but the only ones who can probably solve a baby writer's wrong city problem are the GOOD connections (and even then, they can't just hold up your unsold script(s) snap their fingers and make magic).  If your writing is good and your connection can really come through for you, you might get some meetings, and if those go well, perhaps you can cross the whole “living in another city” bridge at some point after.  On the other hand, I think knowing you have ANY connections is a good incentive to think about moving to LA, already.

Won't move to LA, but still want to be a writer?

LA has heard my complaints about the weather and has responded with a beautiful sunny day.  Thanks!  In other cool news, some recent mail hijinks has confirmed a semi-famous actress lives in the apartment directly above mine (which is funny because I swore a tap dancer lived directly above me...maybe that's just the extra large cockroaches?).  

Looking back, I realize I've met the actress in passing in our elevator but I totally didn't notice because all actors and actresses are actually TINY in real life.  Or, GIANT.  There is no in between.  Anyway, I just had to mention this because despite living in LA for several years, I NEVER see celebrities or pseudo celebrities unless I'm at work and they're asking me for something (usually a beverage).  But now, one lives above me!  Yet another part of my sales pitch for moving to LA (Come to LA!  Land of famous neighbors and tap dancing cockroaches!).

Speaking of which...I was thinking about my last post, and I have a few revisions.  Yes, you wonderful LA hating babies, you don’t HAVE to move to LA (or NYC) if you don’t want to.  Even if Los Angeles isn't as dangerous as you might think, I get it.  LA is still expensive, big, occasionally soul sucking, tough for families, and writers can write anywhere, right?  So, what should you do if you want to be a writer but won’t move to LA? 

Well, the big exceptions I can think of to the LA rule are writers who write books.  I think authors can pretty much live anywhere and still find a way to sell their stuff.  Didn’t Stephanie Meyer write Twilight from her home in Utah in between changing baby diapers?  Yeah, those stories are one in a million and you shouldn't count on becoming the next Stephanie Meyer, but if you have your heart set on a career in writing and won’t live in LA, I’d suggest focusing on novels or nonfiction.

BUT,  let’s say that’s not what you want.  Noooo, you want to write screenplays and TV shows, but won't move.  Then what?  Well, you're screwed!  Just kidding.  I think you actually still have a few options.  More on that next time...

Should you move to LA?

Is it just me, or is everyone in this city sick right now?  Seriously.  Myself, my significant other, and just about everyone I know is suffering from some sort of cold/allergy/flu/seasonal Ebola.  I’m sure this has something to do with the very un-Los Angeles weather we’ve been having (i.e. the nonstop rain).  I know some people love when this happens, but I’m sick of it.  This isn’t what I signed up for when I moved to you, LA!!!  Which brings me to a question I see all the time…Should YOU move to LA? 

More specifically, what I usually see is a baby writer (who doesn’t live in LA) asks if it is necessary that they move here (or NYC) to pursue their writing dreams.  I’ve seen people waffle on this, but the answer is simple: YES.

You're a baby writer who wants to write studio movies, TV shows, or maybe just get your foot in the door by working on a show or at a reputable production company?  Well then, you better come to LA (or Shreveport, or Detroit or…).  Ah, that’s the tricky part, there actually ARE lots of film/TV employment opportunities for people starting out in places all over the country and if you live in one of those places (mostly states that have big rebates for filming like Louisiana and Michigan) you can probably get a job on the next show that comes to town (if you know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody). 

Doing that might help you make a few connections, but don’t misunderstand me, eventually, if you want to move upwards and onwards in this business, you’ll have to move to one of the big cities.  How else are you going to have drinks with that manager or take that sweet writer’s assistant job that just opened up if you don’t? 

Now, maybe I'm just a little biased.  I currently live in LA, AND, I was lucky enough to go to college in LA, so I basically got a 4 year transition period where I got to learn the city, make friends, and figure a bunch of things out without the instant pressure of gotta-get-an-apartment-gotta-get-a-job-gotta-not-starve.  But, I stand by my opinion.  LA or bust.  I know it’s scary to move to any new place and LA is as big and scary as it gets, not to mention kind of lonely (and now, with more rain!).  So maybe, if you know this is what you want but you’re on the fence, consider moving out with some friends.  OR, before you move, try to reconnect with any friends/acquaintances from high school, college, or anywhere, who work and live out here.  Actually, yeah, definitely do that last thing.  This city runs on connections and the more you have, the better off you’ll be when you get here.