…and am methodically working my way back in.

First off. I am not bitter. I repeat. I am not bitter. But Hollywood is a shitty place filled with shitty people. Whether it’s Hollywood that makes the people shitty or the people that makes Hollywood shitty. I don’t know. It’s the never ending chicken vs. egg conundrum.

Now, I have some incredible friends who are wonderfully talented and genuinely sincere. However, I have to wade through thousands to find this handful. I have lost track of the amount of times I have done a “friend cleanse”. I would be naive to think that I have never been a disposable friend during someone else’s cleanse. The fact that it comes down to that is ridiculous in a city where collaboration and teamwork is vital.

This however is not a post about the people in Hollywood, but about Hollywood in general. The biggest thing that turned me off from this place of dreams was that it functions just like a fraternity/sorority. If you aren’t an Alpha Sigma Sigma, or whatever you are in for a tough uphill climb, regardless of your talent level. That is of course until the every 5-year panic that there isn’t enough minority representation.

By no means am I claiming that I am more talented than another individual. That is all arbitrary. However, I do have experience, and to be looked over time and again for someone with little to no experience that is a friend of X producer to get the job. It’s a bit disheartening.

You want originality, a different point of view? Start hiring outside of your little comfort hole.

The unfortunate thing is that Hollywood is built with a series of gatekeepers that you have to convince to say “Yes”. This puts you at their mercy and essentially removes you from the equation. So I got tired of the bullshit and I quit. Though I knew it wouldn’t last.

Instead, I lived my life as if I had quit, and coincidentally I worked harder. I created my own opportunities and succeeded.

This was a valuable lesson. As I realized that I could be in control of my career. I could create what I want when I want. The beauty is that there are an increasing number of avenues to distribute this work and retain all rights.

In Hollywood there are a thousand beta personalities acting like alphas to try to get their way. The biggest crime though is an alpha acting like a beta for fear of stepping on toes and burning bridges.

Well, I have woken up! I no longer fear burning a bridge or stepping on toes, because I am going to do Hollywood my way and they will have to conform to me!

Happy creating everybody!