How to break into Hollywood without moving to Hollywood
Advice from a TV writer/showrunner
So many aspiring screenwriters/actors/directors want to know if it’s possible to break into Hollywood without moving to Hollywood.
Who knows why they don’t want to move?
Maybe they’ve established roots where they live. Maybe they don’t have the financial resources to relocate. Or maybe they just don’t want to move.
Whatever the reason is, they’re telling Hollywood, “I’m not coming to you. You have to come to me.”
It’s a little presumptuous, right? Okay. But if you want Hollywood to get off its ass and come to you…
You have to bring more to the table than just a script and your willingness to trade it for a big bag of money.
Realize that most people will do whatever it takes to break into Hollywood. They’d give their left arm to sell their screenplay or get cast in a movie.
By not moving to Hollywood, you’re sending the opposite message. You’re saying that you are not willing to do whatever it takes.
If you were a talent agent, producer, or studio executive, would you like hearing that from a prospective employee?
The people who have left their families to move to Hollywood have sacrificed. In order to afford an apartment in Los Angeles, they’re rooming with three strangers. They’re starting over in a new town. They’re missing out on family events. etc.
These people automatically jump the line to success.Because they don’t want to regret their decision to move, they’re going to do more or work harder to keep their dream alive. They’re hungrier.
They’ll network more. They’ll write more scripts. They’ll take more writing classes.
But is it possible to break into Hollywood without moving to Hollywood?
Yes, but it makes a difficult task even harder.
Here’s what I would do:
