Hollywood Reality Lesson #424

Everyone always says they know it is a struggle to make it in Hollywood as an actor and they understand almost no one makes any money, blah, blah, blah. But, that very same person in the next breath will tell me how they can make it as a producer or some other executive position and just roll in the dough. There are even fewer producers who really make it. You would probably be better off trying to make it as an actor. Anyone can call themselves a producer and many people do, but very few succeed. It may also surprise you to know that making money in producing is not really all about who you know. It really is building up a resume and experience and working on hopefully profitable projects which will make you some real money.

Stranger Danger is a friend of mine and yes, that is way too long, so we will call her DR. If you get the reference to the nickname, you will get the initials. DR is no one famous and I guarantee none of you have heard of her. She is a producer and ekes out a living much like an actress would each month. She is in her early 30's and smoking hot. Later I will get back to the smoking hot and the who you know reference I made in the first paragraph. Anyway, DR is a producer and if you Google her she will come up and she even has an IMDB listing which makes her smile REALLY big. She got it for this great movie she worked on in 2005. A really great movie which she thought would lead to bigger and better movies. She doesn't have any since. Right now she produces commercials and makes a good living for anywhere but here in LA. She works really hard and is great at what she does but there are way too many people for too few jobs. She has been producing for several years and it will probably take another four or five to really get some traction and to be a player. Ten years of her life will be spent working and working and always looking for that next paycheck just in the hopes of maybe making it at that point. MAYBE. It could be that after ten years she is still doing the same thing and still kissing the same ass and still making those same phone calls everyday just to help pay for living expenses. You are afraid to take a vacation because you may miss out on some work. Sick in bed and you will miss out on work. Most people think things happen overnight. They don't.

Anyway, back to the who you know. DR is one of the few who was born and raised in LA. Why is this important? Well she knows everyone, or at least their kids. While you and I were looking for a fake i.d and hoping to tap a keg, DR and her friends were diving into their parent's stash and partying like rock stars. If you want gossip these are the people to ask. To them it is not gossip it is just growing up. We might share a story about so and so getting it on in the backseat of a car. To us that is growing up. To DR, the story might be something like you remember when so and so who is an A list actor now got it on in the backseat of the car with so and so who is a Playboy model now. Different perspective. DR has mountains of gossip about Playboy and the girlfriends, but, I am still hoping for that Midsummer's Night Dream Party invitation. So, for now that gossip is off the table. Another interesting tidbit about native gossip is they don't usually gossip to others about their own. They will gossip like crazy about people who are not natives and also gossip amongst themselves about natives, but generally close ranks about all other stuff. In addition, when they do gossip, it is generally along the lines of so and so is so old and gross. They have twenty examples of why this is the case, but they rarely expand on that initial thought because everyone in their circle also knows the 20 reasons why so and so is old and gross. It is the rest of the world who is dying to know the why.

So with all these people that DR knows you would think that she could get lots of work. Who you know works well to the point of I will listen to what you have to say or your pitch or get you an audition, but it does not actually get you work. Hollywood is a business. Just like any other neighborhood friends, the people you grew up with will take care of you, but you still need to show them that you can do the job that you are wanting to do.

So, DR just got a national commercial and so will be making some money this month. The bad news is she is going to NYC for the production so won't get to see her for a few weeks. So for those of you who think that AP and I are an item, you are so wrong. Did I mention that DR is smoking hot? As for the SUV, my parents also complain about me having one when I am close enough to walk to work. i don't want to give it up though so contribute to a fund that determines how much in fossil fuels my SUV is using and converts it into a dollar amount for me to give.