As we all know, I’ve been a stalwart Seattle fan for most of my adult life. I love this town, even though some of the people who govern it are slightly “challenged”. I love making movies in this town… but I think I’ve gone in depth about my issues here. Many have wondered why I’ve stayed so long in a town that’s only moderately supportive of its filmmakers. Why I’ve stayed in a town where actual, paying film gigs are about as scarce as tumbleweeds on Pike St. Why I’ve stayed for nearly five years at a job that’s been both good and bad to me just so I could make movies in this town.
Well… wonder no longer. Unless a miracle happens I’ll be moving to LA around March of next year. I’ve already begun applying for positions down there (of which, there are of course many). Perhaps it just took me ten years to realize Seattle investors wouldn’t listen to you unless you yourself had money, or that those “in the know” wouldn’t support you unless they felt you had succeeded without their help.
I hate to be another statistic. Yet one more filmmaker to make the leap down to LA to jumpstart a career. But at this point in my life I’ve learned not to fight the necessary evils in life and instead to face them head on. There are things I like about LA. Beaches, sunshine, pretty people, my friends, Griffith Park and the Getty. And there are things I hate about it: traffic, ugly people, traffic, sunshine, heat, traffic, and traffic. But I need a change to break up this monotony. I also need to make some connections stat if I’m gonna continue to make movies in Seattle.
I’ve applied for a few jobs. Most with NBC Universal which, being owned by GE, has a rather odd application process. It’s obviously designed more for scientists and lab workers and other types, the whole film production element seems oddly cast aside. Entertainment isn’t even one of the job categories in the search function. When you apply they ask for any government ties you may have. Pretty funny. Reminds me of Studio 60 plots.
Anyway… that’s what I’m doing. I plan on heading back up to Seattle at some point. I still have some of my best friends up here, the weather is much more my style, etc. But I’m not moving yet! You, dear blog, will be the first to know when I do.
I totally understand and empathize. I get to go down to LA for 5 days next month in my new role as SAG Seattle Branch Council President. I have been submitting actor and stage manager resumes to various organizations already. You have to go where the work is until it comes to you.
And this my friend is what I have been saying all along. You want to play in the Show, you must go to LA. It is the only way to be taken seriously.
Good luck
To be fair, I’ve never doubted the validity of that statement you and many others have made to me. I certainly recognized the idealism in my voice when I said I would stick it out here. All the same this decision is just me finally giving in to what I wanted to do ten years ago.
I lived down there for several years, and finally escaped to Seattle. If you want any advice/tips/experience stories from one who’s been through the ringer, just hollar. Depending what your goals are, it’s a great place to be. But determining those goals and a plan for getting there is key, lest you get lost in the vast LA landscape where a day becomes a year without warning.
Welcome to the Dark Side, young Zook.