Does anybody read specs anymore?

[artisone]

Originally Posted by UnequalProductions

This is a time-honored tradition of how to break into to writing for film and television. If you can get around it, bravo. Just know you'll be competing against people who are developing connections, working as assistants, and able to drop anything and be at a meeting that afternoon.

And these are the people who get freelance episodes. Especially the assistants in the office who have paid their dues.

[JoJo]

Artisone, Unequal: I get all that.

I'm not saying I'm special. There's nothing I want more than to move to LA. I'm currently packing up/fixing up my house so I can put it on the market. My problem is I live in ground zero for foreclosures and house sales don't happen easily or quickly.

I consciously decided not to get married or have children so I would never be forced to make compromises that limit career choices.

But I'm no kid and the hardships I would have been more than willing to endure when I was younger seem like an ordeal to me now.

At least by staying in small town where everything is cheap, by living in a house that's paid for, I have the freedom and energy to focus on writing, to build up my portfolio (package?) with a recently completed feature and pilot (both now entered in a bunch of contests and I already know my feature made the first cut in one of them), and I'm about to start my first spec of a current TV show.

Whether here or there in LA, it seems you need to first prove you can write, and that you can churn out a variety of projects in a timely manner.

[artisone]

Originally Posted by JoJo

Artisone, Unequal: I get all that.

I'm not saying I'm special. There's nothing I want more than to move to LA. I'm currently packing up/fixing up my house so I can put it on the market. My problem is I live in ground zero for foreclosures and house sales don't happen easily or quickly.

I consciously decided not to get married or have children so I would never be forced to make compromises that limit career choices.

But I'm no kid and the hardships I would have been more than willing to endure when I was younger seem like an ordeal to me now.

At least by staying in small town where everything is cheap, by living in a house that's paid for, I have the freedom and energy to focus on writing, to build up my portfolio (package?) with a recently completed feature and pilot (both now entered in a bunch of contests and I already know my feature made the first cut in one of them), and I'm about to start my first spec of a current TV show.

Whether here or there in LA, it seems you need to first prove you can write, and that you can churn out a variety of projects in a timely manner.

You sound like a hard worker. I certainly wish you luck.

[killertv]

At least you have a cousin with a couch to stay on, which will hopefully make the transition a little easier. I heard of a guy getting a Writers' PA gig off of Twitter, so you can start making friends before you get your feet on the ground in LA.

[mge457]

Originally Posted by killertv

At least you have a cousin with a couch to stay on, which will hopefully make the transition a little easier. I heard of a guy getting a Writers' PA gig off of Twitter, so you can start making friends before you get your feet on the ground in LA.

He used Twitter for the introduction, but was later in email contact with Jeff Eastin (hired onto White Collar).

[aaronz]

Continue your hard work, and congrats on your recent placements, but pay close attention to what Emily says a few posts ago. Meeting times can change. Not just by a couple hours, but by weeks. If your cousin can put you up, great, but prepare for last minute changes -- even "the morning of" changes. Also, if you do find yourself in a bind and funds are low, live like those of us who are struggling here. No, not the good life. There are transient hotels where you can stay for short spurts at a much reduced level than the cheapest motel 6, which in LA is still much more than you'd imagine. Just bring your own sheets and lots of disinfectant. And when the dude down the hall wants to "show you something" in his room, politely decline. You'll spend most of your time out and about anyway. This post is not meant to dissuade you from pursuing your dreams, but rather to inform you that LA is indeed expensive, and the people with whom you will meet do not care if they make you wait.

[JoJo]

Thanks for the encouragement. Maybe some contest prize money will ensure I don't have to stay in the kind of place where some weirdo wants to "show me something" or with my cousin who lives in the valley (ick!)

[UnequalProductions]

Originally Posted by JoJo

Artisone, Unequal: I get all that.

I'm not saying I'm special. There's nothing I want more than to move to LA. I'm currently packing up/fixing up my house so I can put it on the market. My problem is I live in ground zero for foreclosures and house sales don't happen easily or quickly.

I consciously decided not to get married or have children so I would never be forced to make compromises that limit career choices.

But I'm no kid and the hardships I would have been more than willing to endure when I was younger seem like an ordeal to me now.

At least by staying in small town where everything is cheap, by living in a house that's paid for, I have the freedom and energy to focus on writing, to build up my portfolio (package?) with a recently completed feature and pilot (both now entered in a bunch of contests and I already know my feature made the first cut in one of them), and I'm about to start my first spec of a current TV show.

Whether here or there in LA, it seems you need to first prove you can write, and that you can churn out a variety of projects in a timely manner.

While you're working to relocation, just write. Don't worry about agents or managers or any business stuff. Build yourself a great library of scripts. You should have 4-6 scripts that you love ready for reading. Then when you get out here you'll have all the bullets for your gun.

[JoJo]

Originally Posted by UnequalProductions

While you're working to relocation, just write. Don't worry about agents or managers or any business stuff. Build yourself a great library of scripts. You should have 4-6 scripts that you love ready for reading. Then when you get out here you'll have all the bullets for your gun.

Yeah, I also know a move to LA at this point would cut down on the productivity. It seems to be all about versatility these days.. I hope to option an obscure, out-of-print book (hopefully for small bucks) and write an adaptation as well.. thanks for all the positive thoughts.