If you want to know how to make it Hollywood, you're obviously not alone. It is easy to dream about becoming the next Hollywood hotshot. You get to town and everybody around you is doing amazing things. Typical conversations revolve around careers in entertainment:
“What do you do?”
“I'm a director.”
When I first moved to Los Angeles, I met these people a lot. We went to fancy cocktail parties, all of us wondering how to make it in Hollywood, posing as if we already had awesome careers. I naturally assumed that, like me, my creative colleagues went home and worked all night on their projects.
But as I am sure you can imagine, that wasn't the case.
How To Make It In Hollywood
In the years since, I now realize Hollywood has a way of filtering out people who are not serious about doing the hard work. As I started landing better and better gigs, many of my dream-filled friends stopped dreaming and simply left Hollywood.
The reason for this is simple. I think many hopefuls discover the truth about Hollywood success. Simply put, the whole idea you can somehow “make it in Hollywood” and you're set for life is a myth. The truth is, Hollywood is a factory. And in order to succeed, you need to constantly churn out product over the course of your career. Even some of my most successful friends still have to hustle.
The only way you can truly make it in Hollywood is by doing the work!
This is good news. Thanks to technology like YouTube and inexpensive camera gear, there has never been a easier time to make, market and share your work with the world. You don't have to ask for permission to be successful.
My point is simple. If you want to make it in Hollywood, you really only have to follow three distinct laws.
- Create solid Hollywood relationships.
- Maintain a reputation for being trustworthy and reliable.
- Hone your ability for picking up the phone and cold calling.
Want a real world example? You will have a hard time finding someone that works harder than indie film producer Tom Malloy. If you don't know Tom, he is an actor and a filmmaker. But what makes him inspiring is his never-ending hustle.
When he couldn't land acting gigs, Tom Malloy decided to produce his own film and then cast himself with other, more well known actors. His efforts paid off. Since his first feature, he has gone on to raise over 25 million dollars to produce multiple movie projects!
A while back Tom and I launched the film business plan. Many filmmakers have participated in the program. And the positive feedback has been really encouraging.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Getting a project off the ground is challenging. Maintaining Hollywood success is even more challenging. You face a lot of rejection. And nobody is going to do it for you. Sooner or later, YOU will have to decide if doing the work is worth it for you. And doing the work is the real secret on how to make it in Hollywood!
