Tag: Career

Working in Hollywood

5 Things You Will Experience

8 years ago today, I moved to LA with nothing but 3 suitcases, my car, a big pair of shades and my dreams of working in Hollywood.  Soon afterwards, I would get my first job in entertainment and reality would strike.  I mention some of the struggle in my past post here.

In talking to some of my other friends, we realized that there were some commonality in our experiences–and even  though some of them would chase a normal person away-we still come back for more.  So here is my list of 5 true things you will experience when you first start to work in “the industry”.

1. Your college internships at local television stations mean absolutly nothing in Los Angeles…in fact, your college education means nothing—unless you are in college that means you can legally intern and work in exchange for college credit.

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2. Even though you know your job as production assistant sucks—your friends back home are impressed with the fact that you get to work with celebrities.  You pretty much have the coolest job out of all of your friends.  You also make the least amount of money out of all your friends—and pay the most rent but whatever you also get summer 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year.

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3. You will meet your favorite celebrity.

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4. You will also find out that your favorite celebrity is a jerk.  They crushed your hopes and dreams. You’ll never be able to love with an open heart again.

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5. Nobody drinks plain coffee.  When you are on coffee runs you realize that quad venti half caf breve no foam with whip two splenda stirred skinny three pump peppermint mocha is a pretty standard order.  You will also begin to abandon the simple “Soy latte” order for the more extravagant kind.

so complicated

Did I miss anything? What are some things you encountered when you got your first industry job?

 

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Featured Image of Hollywood Sign by Florian Klauer

 

by Categories: 5 Things, Career, Film FataleTags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

My L.A. Story- A Reflection of My Time in the City of Fallen Angels

Seven years ago from April 1st, my plane landed in Los Angeles.  I was instantly pulled in by the sunshine and palm trees. I had big shades, big dreams and a 5 year plan that went something like:

  • Get a production assistant job
  • Write a script
  • Get an agent
  • Sell script
  • Buy a condo
  • Write another script
  • Sell script that generates buzz
  • Get a nice profile in Hollywood reporter
  • Enjoy Hollywood and buy all the shoes I want

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Well, I was able to get a really good unpaid internship when I moved out here, I mean what person with two degrees would turn down an internship with a celebrity (even if working for free was totally illegal).   Yeah that turned out to be the unglamorous version of the Devil Wears Prada…I go into more detail in this post.  Long story short, it was a typical Hollywood assistant experience.  Only this one didn’t lead to any great new opportunities.

As I tried to find new work opportunities, something called the Writer’s Strike happened. Productions ceased throughout Los Angeles and nobody had a job…except for people who worked in reality tv and I simply refused to sell out to reality television.  And as all my savings started to run out, of course I had to call on the bank of mom and dad (pretty sure they are FDIC approved). Asking for money always required that I gave a presentation…

Lena-Dunham-Drug-AddictEventually that back up ran out…something about “we have four other kids in college, you’re the oldest and you have to figure it out.”

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From that point life kinda spiraled into a downward succession of suckiness.  It was a dark place.  I was convinced that even though, I loved Los Angeles it hated me.  I call this period of life “L.A. Hates Me”. I choose not to dwell on the moments I had to face real life and get a real job that couldn’t cover my real bills because Los Angeles is a real expensive city and ended up real depressed.

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I feel like I made it to the other side.  Living in this city toughened me up.  First it handed my ass back to me on a tray but then it toughened me…I would even say it bettered me.  I learned what I was made of. I realized that everybody has to go through some challenges to see their dreams come to life.  Bad credit, selling my car (to cover rent), facing evictions…none of that could scare me from pursuing what I ultimately wanted to do.

Praise the Lord! #PTL
Praise the Lord! #PTL

And here I am.  Not exactly where I want to be but doing what I love.  Biblically speaking, 7 is the number of completion. In the 7 years that I have been in L.A., I can say that I needed all those years to become the woman that I am.  I needed that time to develop my skills and to be comfortable in the fact that this is indeed what I want to do in life.  Although I always knew what I wanted to do in life, I now know that I have what it takes to succeed.

#ToastTip: Be positive, stick with it, keep the faith and you will soon see the light! #Church

 

by Categories: Career, Film Fatale, The Black SJPTags: , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Stop looking to Hollywood for Heros

Simple question: Why do people look to fictional characters for positive role models?   As Scandal returns and America’s appetite is once again satiated by the extra steamy affair that is Olitz (Oliva and Fitz), I know there will be some comments spread throughout social media about Olivia being a side chick and how we (we being women of color) need a positive black role model.  Like we get it! Cheaters never win!

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But Olivia Pope is not real! It is okay to like her.  Why are people so fixated about a fake person being a good role model?  Do you think we are supporting the Side Chick Come Up Association? No! Nobody wants to ruin marriages.

As a writer, this topic is starting to bother me.  Oliva Pope, Mary Jane, and Claire Underwood are beautifully written tragically flawed characters.  Sure there are other flaws a woman can have outside of having a extramarital affair but then again, why does it matter?  How bad is our society that grown women must seek television for guidance on how to live life? And why does media have the burden of being a moral compass for America?

Where are parents to give their children these guidelines? Where are the parents to tell their children what they can and cannot watch?  Where are the libraries that offer real life biographies on positive women role models?  Where is google for all the times that Oprah and Michelle Obama are no longer enough?  And since when do role models have to be perfect?

This is awkward...
This is awkward…right?

If we must look to fictional characters, can’t we just look at one aspect of their life…the thriving one? Give me Olivia’s career any day!  In my career I look up to women like Tina Fey.  I don’t know what her personal life is like so I can’t hold her responsible for that.  However, I do have ladies around me who I can admire.  Not to say that they are perfect but from what I know about them personally, they inspire me to be a little bit better in my everyday life.

Stop looking to Hollywood for heros. It’s not the responsibility of the writer who probably sacrificed marriage and children for their career to tell you how to be good at your personal life.  Now, let me go enjoy my Scandal in peace.

ITsHandledOliviaPope

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My Issue with Turning 30

Over the past couple of days I have been really nervous about my upcoming birthday.  Generally speaking, I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! I love everything about them.  But for some reason, this time around, it doesn’t feel the same.  I’m ready to become that person, the one that casually lies about her age and tells everyone they are turning 26.  Why do I feel this way? Because THIRTY is a big freaking deal, that’s why!

 

Thirty is one of THE mile markers of life.  You turn 21, you set goals for your adult life, you accomplish those things by thirty, you turn thirty and look at all you accomplished and you say “Go me! I did all this by 30 as planned.” Then you set new goals and continue.  My life is NOT shaping up that way which leads me to believe that I need more time. I need 4 more years to be an accomplished 30 year old.

 

I hear all the talk about being satisfied where you are and focusing on all that you have but in a world where you friends are ALL accomplished by 30 and where freakin Beyonce exist, there’s pressure in turning 30.  By time you turn 30 you are supposed to be married or in a stable relationship, have a solid career and own your own home.  If you are 3 for 3 you are right on track, if you are at least 1 out of 3 you are okay, but if you are 0 for 3 there is a serious need to reexamine your life.  I am in serious need of reexamining my life.  I admit, I am a late bloomer.  My first everything usually happens at least 10 years after everyone has had their first whatever.  It’s getting old…

 

1. I’m not married. I don’t have a boyfriend.  I’m not dating.  I don’t even have a distant prospect of any thing that resembles a date.

 

Miranda: I’m sorry, if a man is over 30 and single, there’s something wrong with him, it’s Darwinian — they’re being weeded out from propagating the species.
Carrie: Okay, what about us?
Miranda: We’re just choosy…

 

At this point, I don’t even think I am choosy.  There are just no prospects.  Most of the time I am fine with that.  But when it comes to turning 30, I am not.

 

2. I don’t own my own home.  I AM A RENTER! On top of that I am a renter in serious debt.  Thanks William D. Ford student loans and a few credit cards.

 

…I’ve spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live?! I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes.”  ~ Carrie

 

Granted I’m haven’t spent that much on shoes and I’m not even that much in debt. I so relate.  All the money spent on renting, buying clothes, food, traveling and I have nothing to show for it but a few facebook pictures.  At least Carrie has her shoes.

 

3. My career or lack thereof is not as I planned. In fact it’s nowhere near where I planned.  When I was 17 I said “by time I am 28 I will have been nominated for my first Oscar.”  When I was 25 I revised that to say “when I turn 28, I will be working a steady job above assistant and coordinator on a television show nominated for an Emmy.”  I am currently 29 saying “screw it, I will just take an industry job.”  Okay, maybe not that desperate, but that’s what it feels like.  When you’ve done all the right things like go to school, get internships, go to grad school, and take non paying job, you would think you would be well on your way in your career.

 

At least I do have a start of a career, one I can focus on intently because I don’t have a relationship.  And maybe once that takes off, I will get out of debt… Can’t I just get four more years to get it right? Can’t I just be that person that says casually, “Oh I’m 26.”? And in four more years, this late bloomer will be right on time.

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The Devil also wears Dior Homme

So in my new fabulous unpaid Hollywood job as an Executive Assistant working for a not so known production company for a B-list celebrity, I realized that Los Angeles may indeed be the city of Angels.  In my hypothesis I will even suggest that the angels in this city are fallen Angels where dark forces carry out the mission for the Son of the Morning and I was hired by the Lucifer himself!

The job itself was not stressful, remember this company was way small, so the majority of my work was answering phones and reading scripts.  The job, when the Devil was out of the office was somewhat pleasant.  Unfortunately there was more Hellish days than pleasant ones.  I worked in the office with three other interns.  All who dealt with the heat in various ways.

On the way to the office I would listen to soothing music, ranging from Enya to Hillsong.  One of my fellow interns would roll a joint and blow away her anxiety.  Others would pray to their perspective gods.  No matter what we did, we would still get yelled at, asked to pull long hours, &get criticized…all for no pay!

One time when Beezlebub called the office and one of the interns answered the phone and then the call was transferred to me.  He told me that her voice was ”too black” and he wanted someone “less ghetto and more professional”  to answer the phone.  Maybe he could get away with saying those things because he too is black but I’m pretty sure in a major studio the girl (who by the way wasn’t ghetto at all) could have gone to HR with a serious discrimination complaint.

Another time  Satan stormed in demanding that I get so in so’s agent on the phone.  I got as far as the assistant…apparently this was not good enough.  Even though the agent was in a meeting he felt that the he should still be able to get through.  None of my negotiating skills was sharp enough to penetrate the agents assistant.  So my boss let me know that I didn’t have what it take to make it in the industry.  As far as I remember he standing beside me and was unable to get the agent on the phone either…somehow he is doing okay.

One time I didn’t have his smoothie back to his office “on time” meaning that although I had to walk a couple of blocks, wait in line, wait for the smoothie to be made, and walk another of couple of blocks…he wanted his smoothie in 3 mins not 5…so I got yelled at.  Oh and a classic one was when I answered the phone and the person asked if they could speak to the Devil, I asked “may I ask who’s calling?”  Once I transfer the call, he told me never to ask his girlfriend who she is, just put the call through.

Are you effin kidding me?

Am I effin kidding?

These are real stories.  I’ve seen interns get fired on the spot.  I’ve heard one intern get told she wasnt stylish enough.  At that point I wanted to remind them that our salary of nothing made it kind of difficult to go on shopping sprees at Nordstrom Rack let alone Nordstrom!

At the end of my three months, none of my fellow interns, all who started after me were working at the production company.  And I was told that my work and my work ethic was great, however the company could not afford to pay me for another couple of months.

I’m willing to do free labor to get my foot in the door but I’m never willing to be used.  So that day I quit.

My savings was spent up. Rent was due the next week.

by Categories: Career, Film FataleTags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments