First few days in la

So, I have a general impression that I gave to someone about my first few days in La, first I will give you the skinny.

Sat--moved in, missed a great panel I'm super bitter about.

Sun--went to a scriptwriter's network group. found that the first people I met were really good and insightful about writing. Was told to get my butt to CineGear, which I will.

Mon--First, had a job interview, which I think I did okay on, but might have talked myself out of the job in the final minutes of the interview. She's interviewing 7 people, but the place is so hip, it has a pool table. Then, i went to a birthday for the screenplay lab's founder, Gabrielle. The people were really nice and I got an offer from the President of Scriptwriter's network to coordinate all the writer's groups. So in one day i went from a new member of one group to the Director of all the groups. Pretty cool right. I'm already moving up the ladder. I also saw Gary Durant, from CSI at the DMV. Someone recognized him, and he left.

Tuesday--Went to Bank of America for 2 hours, looked for a Hyundai Dealer, bought a bike, went to the 3rd St. Promenade 2x, once on a bike. There's nothing like cruising on a bike along the beach to tell you everything will be okay.

So, down to the nitty gritty. If you're looking or thinking about moving, here is an email I sent to someone in DC today. Minid you, it's only based on my very limited, not even week old, opinion:

Dear XXXXX,

the best advise i can give, even though I've only been here for 2 days, is to get your ducks in a row. Make sure you have material to show people when they ask, that you have quality projects you can talk about, that you've worked on a lot of formats, that you know the industry inside and out, and that you can give people material if they ever ask for it. luckily, I have been working on projects as a producer and director and writer for several years, so it helps when I meet people to discuss my projects and send them to my reel online.

Have tons of business cards made out. I have already regretted not having them when I first got out here with my new information on it. I must have passed up on giving out 20-30 cards already.

After that, find a nice place, not a shit hole, nut up, and move. I've already found people in 2 days that could potentially help my career more than I did in 3 years in DC. The people are pros, they know they're shit, and they can spot a fake from a mile away. However, at the same time, they have been overwhelmingly nice, gratious, and giving of their time. I have found actually the opposite of the cut-throat, is that because everyone needed a break at the beginning, they all recognize and want to foster new talent.

If you're into tv, there are lots of fellowships closing this month or next month. If you're into features, try the screenplay lab, scriptwriter's network, and UCLA extension. If you're into production, try film independent and AFI. There are also tons of public access stations out here. One station is housed on the old lot of a major studio. Try to find that in DC.

That's it. I say NUT UP and MOVE ALREADY!