February 27th, 1963 - Ash Wednesday. My birthday.
When you add up the numbers (I'm not going to do that for you, I have to support the education system and make you actually use math every now and then) It's been pretty good. I've done a lot in my life. Accomplished some goals. Missed a few others.
One thing I can say is - it hasn't been boring.
Seven years ago, my girlfriend and I broke up and I moved to Los Angeles as a result. I had a car, dog and about $100 cash. No real friends here, just some acquaintances. Previously, I had been working in movies and commercials in SC as a grip - electrician. Figured I could do the same here. Get in the union (eventually) and live a SoCal life.
But really, what I wanted to do was write. [that's how naive I was].
So, I started over. Got a job for minimal wage and maximum pain at a foreign sales/ production company - Omega Entertainment. Lots of running around. Lots of busy errands. Lots of things for me to get my hands dirty in the "business" of film. I was taking meetings, reading scripts, trading emails, running all over town to get that right croissant for the boss, Nico Mastorakis (Claufoutis on Sunset plaza has the best croissants by the way). Opportunity disguised as hard work. Opportunity to learn. Opportunity to grow.
All the while I was jotting down ideas, bits of dialogue. Looking at posters at the AFM and wondering which movies were selling. Eventually this whirlwind of activity and doggedness led to my producing (co-producing to be precise) the $2.5M thriller .COM FOR MURDER.
Then it was time for me to go. I had writing to do.
I went to Writer's Boot Camp. Wrote a script.
Wrote another. And another.
I needed another 'contact job' in the industry so I went to work at York Entertainment and learned the DVD industry. Worked my ass off there. Produced, wrote, developed, created, marketed, copy wrote, art-directed, learned. Opportunity disguised as overwork.
Which brings me to now (and the future)...
- I'm moving out of my original Hollywood apartment into something new and different.
- I have a short story coming out in a couple of months from Black Coat Press.
- I am finishing a script that I was hired to write.
- I am embarking on a new script (details sketchy, but superhero fans won't be disappointed) that has some interest from a production company.
- I am also going to be writing a TV series pilot / a comic book/ and another pulpy short story featuring a character I worked on with Black Coat.
Things are still tough. Making a living is always hard.
But it's never boring. It's what keeps me young.
Stay tuned
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