Wednesday, September 20, 2017

MY FIRST SUMMER LIVING IN LA

In June, I finally moved to LA.  

I'm a native New Yorker and moved to California two years ago (to beautiful San Diego).  However, we felt we needed to be closer to the action, especially with my coming up to LA for meetings and projects. The commute from San Diego to Los Angeles wasn't fun (2 hours each way, 3-4 with traffic).  

So, what's it like living in LA as a writer?  

Well, for one, you bump into a million other writers (at the grocery, at movie screenings, Meetup events, picnics, the dog park, even working out).  There are writers, directors, actors everywhere.  It's fun because it gives you something to immediately talk about, but it can be a little weird too.  Everyone is hungry, hustling and looking for their next gig.   

What I really love about living in LA is the culture and food.  We're enjoying great Latin food, Mexican food, Thai food, Health food, you name it.  And the pizza isn't bad either (that says a lot coming from a NYC girl).  There is so much to do living here.  From outdoor activities, like hiking and swimming, to museums and plays to movies and the beach.  In CA, you can be as busy as you want to be and there never should be a reason to be bored. 

This summer had natural disasters from coast to coast.  
We saw wild fires within miles of our house in August (unheard of in Burbank).  It was the biggest fire in LA history.  We also had an earthquake tremor the other night, but I slept through it, thankfully.  
Cast and Crew
Being new in town, I've joined a lot of groups and have attended numerous events.  Two awesome events were held by AT&T.  They had a tech 2-day conference held at Warner Brothers in July (which was off the charts fabulous -- with top directors Patty Jenkins and Kathryn Bigelow giving talks.  

And last week, I participated in the AT&T Create-a-thon.  It was such a fun event where I met other filmmakers and we produced a short film together.  Shout out to my fellow creators Shane Eyler (director/producer), Anthony Castellane (producer /co-director),  actors Phylicia Townes, Edwin Morrow and Jackson Charles. My role was producer/writer.  AT&T gets kudos for promoting diversity and creativity and ALL for free.  No entry fees, no submission fees, just giving creators a platform to express themselves.  Great job, AT&T Developers and Create-a-thon (also they fed us free food and supplied free film kits!)
Creating a Scene
AT&T Short Film Presentations
I also wrote a spec screenplay over the summer and a first draft of a TV pilot.  It feels good to be writing and focusing on what I love to do -- also to be in Hollywood with studios and creators all around -- it inspires.  It can be overwhelming and intimidating to be in this town, but for now, it's where I want to be.  I've wanted to live here for decades, but life and work back east didn't make that possible -- but all things come in time, maybe not on our timeline , but they do come.  Just keep the faith. 

Hope you had a wonderful and productive summer!  Keep pursuing what you love and never give up.  Surround yourself with positive, energized people.

Until next time.



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