After working in low budget film for a number of years, I started running into people I’d worked with before. At a certain point, I realized this was a bad sign.
As they say, you’re the average of the five people closest to you. Professionally, the five people closest to me were all working on shitty movies and shittier game shows.
I seriously needed to meet some new people.
So, I quit, busted myself down to PA, and started working on real network shows. I made friends with actual working writers as well as kids my age trying to work their way up.
I started attending networking events, some through my alumni association, others by the power of teh internets. I also started my own writers’ group, and recruited people from Craig’s List.
I used to be told, by people who were old or burnt out or both, that you don’t have to be making mainstream movies to be satisfied, not everyone can make it as a writer or director, and generally making Tv shows with an HVX200 is an okay life.
Now, I’m surrounded by people who won’t settle for second best, who aren’t satisfied with simply getting by, and who are definitely smart enough and talented enough that they can’t imagine anything less than conquering Hollywood.
I like those five people.
9 Responses
YES! The difference between HVX shows and real shows: it just means a lot to work with people you can actually admire and aspire to.
I came out to L.A last year to network, and man, I thought a lot of people in the film biz are a bunch of fucking, conceited, stuck up assholes with a stick up their ass. When I came back home, I was in an even shittier mood.
I don’t know how you can stand it.