Obtaining Corporate Work -- Methods?

J

JonathanLB

Carbonite Member
Hey,

I was just wondering what ways people have found most effective for cold-contacting companies about corporate work. In other words, if you don't have an "in" or a reference already, what works best for pitching your company to obtain corporate work (Web videos, virtual tours, product promos even, training videos / industrials also, etc.)? I am just wondering if it's acceptable to send letters in the mail or e-mails that are personalized to the company or marketing director, etc., because I will be honest I am terrible on the phone. I get really nervous if it's someone I don't even know, and I'm not like this in person, I can give a great presentation in person if I can get an appointment or meeting, and feel quite comfortable with that situation. There is just something, to me, that doesn't work on the phone for cold-calling someone I don't know. It feels like telemarketing too, haha.

Are there any strategies that work best for finding clients in this manner? I have no choice but to be aggressive about finding clients and hoping that I can convince them my services are going to help them and I'm confident they will, but I need to be able to contact the decision-makers or get to them eventually. I think through the marketing department is often the best, though, because they will be more likely to field your questions and take what you say into consideration.

Any advice would be fantastic.
 
Have a website with a streaming demo on it. Email and PR, Safety, and other department heads in the fields you wish to find work for -- tell them what you do and that you'll call (don't ask them -- if they don't want you to call they'll tell you). Now when you call them it's no longer a cold-call.

You'll need to call at least a hundred potential clients before you get one -- but the good thing is that usually once you get a client they're yours forever (or until you piss them off), and you don't need that many clients to make a living. About 80% of my work comes from only three corporate clients I've had for years. However it took me several months of cold-calling to get them.
 
Hey, ok, so the conversion rate is really that bad huh? About 1 in 100? Well that's good to know so I don't get too discouraged if I get 25 nos first, at least.

I'm targeting first of all a pretty specific industry / field, so I'm hoping because of my experience working with a larger company in that field that I will have some success there, but it's all speculative so I am not sure. I mean, I know they need my services, but in this economy you cannot be sure they will make available the funds. I also don't see these clients as particularly frequent-return clients, you know? I mean when I do video work for them, what I provide will last them probably at least 3-5 years, so I need to keep finding clients to survive. It's possible that if I found one of the biggest chains / companies, then I could have tons of work and really not need many clients. But if it's one of the smaller, one-site type of companies, then I need to find a ton of them to make enough per year to get by. So that's kind of the downside there.

Thanks a lot for the advice. My Website is not yet up but it will have complete versions of all of the work I've done, in Flash and Quicktime both, and be full of information for potential clients. I've spent a lot of money on this site and waited quite a while, but I think a Website is very important to your presentation and this is going to be a great one for me. It has a full back-end admin area for me so that I can update it easily without even using or needing any HTML, etc.
 
Without knowing the industry you are targeting, I will assume the company has several departments. I would contact the marketing director/manager as well as the director of operations, head of human resources, and head of sales. I would target each department which have their own special need, like marketing/brand, profit, training, employee retention, sales, and so on. Promote leadership. Find what their customer's needs are as well. Make them believe that you actually have their success as your goal. The approach takes a bit more fact finding and research but brings a larger awareness and buzz for your company. Follow up with each person. Make sure it's not just 1 person receiving 4 pieces of mail. Marketing seems like the obvious choice, but do not forget that there are other department heads with needs. You could also go with purchasing a mailing list with contact info that caters to a set demographic for bulk mail with follow-up calls. Design a full color 3-fold brochure, mail and follow up with a phone call. Direct mail needs to be seen at least 8 times to be effective. Well that is what the direct mail people tell me. :) If it is just 1 contact person (marketing), get the appointment and develop a highly specialize pitch to their company with their needs in mind. I like the Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales for quick digestible reminders.
 
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Hey, Sean thank you so much or the advice and the book suggestion! Excellent.

The industry is actually the family business as well, I mean so it's something I'm very familiar with because my dad owns and operates one of the more successful companies in this industry. It is with hesitation I'm taking his advice and contacting "the competition" about video work, haha, but he doesn't care, we gave him a 6-month head start and the video and Web work we did for his company has really made an impact. So at least I know this industry fairly well, it's something I really understand, my sister works for the company as well. I just have to be nervous if anyone thinks that for some reason my dad is sending his son to spy on the competition, LOL, but the fact is I couldn't get any information from their properties that you wouldn't get from just a tour, in general.

I think marketing is probably my best option, you're right, because in my experience if you can convince someone like that to jump at the idea, they will present it to the president / decision-maker as their own idea and ask for the go-ahead to spend the money. So it ends up making them look good, too. It's like when friends pass me clients for rentals, and those friends save their producer money, which makes them look good and makes me money, so it's like an everybody-wins situation.

I think the type of work that I'm trying to do can really benefit any of these companies, and certainly has for my dad's company, where they've had a number of clients from just the Web work we've done, and it being a high dollar value industry just TWO clients for a single year will pay for all of the video work we did for the entire company. That means for a single site, like the competition, a client for 2-3 months should pay their costs on the video project. It's really a no-brainer if they believe in the power of Internet marketing.
 
Definitely the win-win scenario is the way to go. Who cares which department head gets the credit as long as you get the contract and get paid. As an old preacher friend once told me, to get a preacher to listen to you, stroke their ego. I often tell my clients, if they don't look good, I don't look so. It is in my best interested for them to look outstanding.

Contacting the competition in a social engineering fashion, I think you need to weigh the possible information gathered and income from the gig against improving them with better training and marketing materials. I can't answer that 1 for you. That is your decision. If they higher you, they will have to give materials to you to help you effectively produce a quality video. Just ask for them. I do caution that if the company found out your competition connection they "may" drop you like a hot potato. You would be advertising for your own competition at that point. You build the awareness and need for the video but they can't go with you so they will opt for another production company.

If your dad and you are fine with it, keep it on the down low and quickly gear up to be that industry's leading niche producer. This moves you into marketing in their trade zines, making a newsletter to produce for that industry, and contacting other forums within that industry with your proven track record. Cold calls and direct mail follow-ups will be easier to other industry decision makers. Now you aren't some fresh out of college cracker jack whiz-bang upstart with a camera and enough technicle & theory jardon to talk over their head for hours or a seasoned vet with over 10 years experience shooting everything from micro-zombie films to weddings (more zombie stuff) to high end commercial design. You are THEIR industry specialist that has a stake in the game. You aren't selling a web site and video, you are improving an industry, whether in safety, client awareness, profit, better equipment, product or service development and so on. This could be a cash cow for you as the next niche widget multi-media producing expert. That is a very good thing. You are a now a leader. Promote it.
 
Hey,

I like what you said, my dad talks that way to me, haha. He says I really should stick with one industry when I'm just starting out so I can put all of my focus into how to best serve that group and those companies. He is not worried about the competition because he's confident in his company, but it's a little bit weird for me too because not only is it his company but I have a stake in about 5 of his properties, so my willingness to make promotional materials for competing companies that directly compete in the same markets he does, well, I have to think about it. But then again, the issue is if *someone* is going to make these videos anyway, which is what my dad says, then it may as well be me who makes the money on it. At least my dad's company had enough of a head-start on the competition to benefit, and now they'll have to catchup, then actually my Web designer friend and I have already thought of the next step for his company (we're on retainer to do some minor Web work for them) that would involve a complete redesign of the way the Websites function, the interactivity for family members and clients, etc. In any case we have steps to take next to put my dad's company back in the driver's seat once everyone catches up, haha, so that's kind of funny too.

I don't mind helping the competition, though, because the fact is I'm just a video producer, so I can't really do anything more than make these guys look their best for what they have. I mean if they run shoddy facilities or don't have good rates, I can't help with that, I can just make what they are offering look the best it possibly can. And I do take satisfaction in that, it may be "boring corporate work" I guess to some people, but I don't mind it, I mean I enjoy doing something that helps a company and making people excited by what they are getting, grateful for what it does for their company, etc. It's fun. Especially with my dad's company, it was awkward because I knew in some respects there were going to be a lot of his employees thinking, "Oh, daddy's boy gets the work because he's the son, well this better not suck," and then we underbid the competition by more than 35%, delivered on time, and we did our work with a crew of four compared to this company that was -- I am not joking -- going to send one camera guy to do everything. They are supposed to be doing well in the market, but we offered a better product for a much better price and the results were superior to what the company marketing people expected. They were surprised we brought an entire (largest possible) U-Haul trailer and Hummer full of equipment to every site, lol, dolly, jib, tons of lighting, multiple cameras, etc. We didn't play around.

Of course my desire in the industry is one day to be doing something I really enjoy, like whether that's directing TV commercials, music videos, maybe TV episodes, features (ideally), etc., like so many people. But right now I'm desperately trying to figure out how can I make a living and stay in the game so I don't have to do something entirely different.

Unfortunately some of my friends in the industry don't understand my position. They think I'm being unreasonable, because I don't want to take $150 to work for a night, when I have $80,000 in equipment sitting around. But what I try to explain is, look, it costs me more than $1,000/month to run my company, that's full production insurance, equipment storage, my phone lines, etc. That's if no equipment needs replacing, breaks, etc., which is going to happen every few years there's no way around it. So if I make $25/hr I cannot live on that. That would mean the first 50 hours at least of every month are going to pay for my company expenses, absolute minimum, then guess who pays my health insurance? Yeah, me. So there is another $250/month, that's another 10 hours at that rate. If I can't make $50/hr it's not worth it to me, and I'm not talking about for my talent, I'm just talking overall with my equipment and insurance included. I don't think that's an unreasonable fee given just how much money I have invested and what it takes to operate. But... it's an uphill struggle sometimes in Hollywood, and largely because some people here are so desperate for work they will undercut anyone. It's very disheartening. It's their right, but it just makes it so hard. Imagine if somehow there were so many people who wanted to be police officers that the pay was $27/hr, then someone said they'd do it for $22, then $18, pretty soon police are working for $9 an hour. That is the film industry. Tons of people with tons of talent, mostly all underpaid, except for the handful who are often overpaid (then again I don't believe you are overpaid if you make $20 million and you sell so many tickets it's obviously worth that, I just mean the $1,500/day hair and makeup artists, sorry nobody will ever convince me that's not overpaid, haha).

I'm actually fine with getting paid about $20 to $25 per hour for my time, I just want to make fair money for my equipment use and for my insurance, really. So I think my friend thinks of it like, "Well, you aren't worth $50/hr," which I think is true, but I'm not just giving my time, haha.
 
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You could develop a special interest video(s) that the entire industry could benefit from and sell it door-to-door, spreading the cost out over multiple sales and offer your services for further development. You could contact the companies that manufacturer products/services specializing in that industry and offer your services to them as well. As an independent producer, it's a lot easier to specialize in a particular industry for cold calling and networking. The widget industry is your genre.

It is good that you know your cost of doing business just to operate. A lot of people don't understand that and destroy their own company in the long run. This is an entirely new and huge discussion, especially with the current economy, factoring in the mindset of grinder type clients and just getting people of any industry in the door to keep the lights on. Sometimes just surviving is considered a success. I will say that there is a huge difference in a new green/student type and a master craftsman producer and the range of experience/pay between the two. Don't compete on price alone. In the end, do you want to be the guy that gives $5 haircuts or the guy that charges $50 AND fixes $5 haircuts. Who do you want your clients to be?
 
Haha, totally, I don't want to sell myself so short I sell myself out of business. I don't expect or want unreasonable pay, I'm not looking to get rich here or make a killing, but I do want to be able to afford my living expenses and pay for my company's overhead, and let's be honest it's a different ball game then a paid employee. If I was just working for someone else making $60,000 a year let's say, police department for instance, I get my paychecks, no equipment expenses, health insurance is paid on top of that, some retirement savings / pension, etc. But if I'm on my own I need to be saving a certain amount for retirement (or just "the future"), I should be putting aside emergency funds every month to pay for equipment, really. I mean what kind of a business plan is it, for instance, to make just enough to get by for 3 years, then suddenly you realize you need lots of new equipment and saved absolutely no money to pay for it, and now you find yourself in the awkward position of trying to compete in a changing marketplace with yesterday's equipment or half-broken items that you never budgeted.

I think if you're doing production business, which someone here correctly said is one of the most equipment-intensive businesses there is, you should be figuring out what is a reasonable amount to set aside each month for equipment replacement and maintenance, whether that's $500 a month or $1,000 a month or even as high as $2,000 per month, if you have lots of equipment, that's only $72,000 every three years, which you could spend that much on equipment if you were running a larger operation, easily, etc.

I think it's important to account not only for the month-to-month operations but for future expenses that are going to be required, even stuff like figuring, obviously, that if you need to make $7,000/month to live, you can't make $7K per month, you need to make $9K because of taxes, etc. Whatever the case is, you have to figure out what you need to make and then go about pricing accordingly.

Ultimately, though, as I told my friend, I don't want to be the cheapest company in town. I won't be the cheapest. ALWAYS one guy with a camcorder and low overhead can afford to do things cheaper than me, but he won't make them better than I will. I'm a perfectionist with an eye towards detail and I will not settle for work that isn't top notch. So if the client cares about money only, and not quality, I'm probably not the best person for the job. But if they want to pay for quality, and not overpay a much larger company, then I think I can do great work. I can underbid any of the larger, more established companies, but I'm still a company so I can't underbid the guys on craigslist. It's like when I saw someone posting they'll make a band a music video for $200, shoot it and edit it. I'm thinking, uhh, ok wow. The lowest budget video I did, which to me was ridiculously low budget, was about $1,800. So I can't really compete with that. But I can do a great video for less than a really well established production company that does work airing on MTV2.
 
Great thread Jonathan. I agree with what you say, but the problem is, most clients these days don't care about quality and are not willing to pay for it. That just seems to be the way the business is these days.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
Great thread Jonathan. I agree with what you say, but the problem is, most clients these days don't care about quality and are not willing to pay for it. That just seems to be the way the business is these days.

Dan
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Yeah Dan, I have experienced some of that myself :( I find it really frustrating. I don't want to sound ungrateful or something, but I don't want to do film work at all if I can't do work I'm proud of. I mean if it comes down to it, I'd rather work another job and do film as a hobby that maybe one day could be a better career, rather than do lousy work because I have tiny budgets. Also I have to be a bit realistic with myself, I mean if I can't make an adequate living in this industry I cannot continue forever. It sucks, this is all I really know how to do and all I've trained to do with my life, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point if things don't workout over the next year or two.
 
I think if you're doing production business, which someone here correctly said is one of the most equipment-intensive businesses there is,
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Buy quality gear that last, especially lighting, grip and audio gear. Camera and computers turnover are the major crutch. I hate the format wars and high turn over of cameras and constant upgrades of computers and software. Am I dealing with a necessary evil or the pied piper? It's a beast. I recently banked on P2. I hope in 5 years I can say it was the smart choice.

When I start adding up all the gear needed (not just wanted) I often tell myself I should have been a writer. A laptop, internet connection and a library card. Maybe I need to brush up on my typing skills? :)

Also keep in mind that the teevee industry is laying off people left and right which puts a lot of talented people on the streets. Sometimes surviving is considered successful. If you are fortunate to find a niche to exploit, do so. Also learn to diversify your skills.
 
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It should be mentioned that having turn-key gear means you simply don't have to change with the todes on gear. Your work flow workd so you only have to replace what croaks as ya go, type of thing.
I only replace gear when it dies. For me, thats about every five years for cameras and with any luck, a bit longer for NLEs.
Yes, having the latest greatest gear helps when bidding sometimes but as many of yu have found, most of the time this is not something that comes up in a pitch or a bid. Capabilities are what are purchased in the end and the truth is, a talented artist with a miniDV camera and FCP on a laptop is indeed highly capable.
What has changed more about this industry than anything else in the last decade is a huge overhead is just not a requirement anymore. I'm proof of that.
 
I found this post by John "Lensmith" DuMontelle, a news photog on the B-Roll.net forum. http://www.b-roll.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22677 post #5. He brings an eye opening POV on freelancing with practical, real world experience.

Lensmith writes:

As someone who was a staff television news photographer for 18 years, then went the freelance route for ten years, now two years again as a staff news photog...with a little time on my hands this morning...let me try and offer some insight.

I left freelancing because my wife was offered a big network job...but we had to move back to the US for her to take it. I knew freelancing in Central America was very different, fewer "rules", than in the US. I was a happy freelancer but after looking at the big picture for my situation, I decided I'd prefer staff work again instead of jumping through all the legal hoops required to be a successful freelancer based in the US.

First, the advice given by others so far, while bleak, is honest and should not be discounted. This is not the best time to be rolling the freelance dice. Especially if you have others, a family, depending on you to pay bills and put food on the table.

That said...

1. The "business career track" for freelance varies. Part of it depends on timing. Are there a bunch of companies looking to hire freelancers? If the answer were yes, then it would be a good idea to think about freelancing. Sadly, many companies are not hiring freelancers as much as before. Most who freelance have years of experience and real world news contacts who are familiar with their work. Those who hire feelancers know the freelancer will not fail them. This kind of trust does not come from having a degree from school. It comes from first hand experience day after day year after year.

2. Yes, it's possible to not have to move simply because in the larger towns/markets, there is GENERALLY more freelance work when the economy is good. The flip side is you usually also have more freelancers available for work so they are your competition. They already have contacts/reputations with those that offer the jobs. You might try and reach out to those near you and offer your services/abilites to them on their shoots. Starting out cold, with no freelance reputation/experience of your own is going to be very hard.

My freelancing days were a success because I positioned myself in a place where, at that time, there was a fairly constant need for higher end news/documentary work with very few nearby who could match my skills and equipment available. I'm not saying I'm the best in the world. I'm saying what I offered was several steps above the nearby competition and those times there was a need for "product" I was the best bang for the buck to those in need.

3. You will need to do whatever it takes to make a buck. One day it may be a daily news story. The next it may be some documentary or commercial work. You might even shoot some weddings! Whatever it takes to put money in your pocket. You'll also have to be your own sales department. Every day looking for that next gig. That next paying customer. It's a never ending cycle and all part of running your own business. Just because you might know how to shoot and edit doesn't mean you are going to be a successful freelancer. You have to cover all the bases needed in running a business by yourself. Sales, accounting, collecting past due accounts, equipment maintenance, Business and health insurance, all additional time consuming duties on top of shooting and editing.

4. How long "realistically" should it take to reach a viable business model? That's a big question and the answer is...you never do. It's day by day. One week you're on top of the world. The next it's dry and you are freaking out because you have gear payments to make...along with a hungry family and bills to pay...and you have no idea when you'll work again. A downturn in the economy can signal weeks or months with no work if you are in the wrong location. Did I mention health insurance? You'll also be paying for that yourself too. Think carefully about all you have before you jump into freelance. Many do not thinking it's all about their skills with a camera. They fail. You can not afford to fail. Don't start out on something that carries too much risk for yourself and those you care for. Freelancing never has that moment where you will be "successful" and never have to worry about finding new work in the future. The fact is...you are always looking for new work and failure, no work, is a constant threat no matter how many years one has been freelancing.

5. The only "approach" to freelancing is to go out and sell yourself and your skills. It's all up to you and either you succeed or fail. And it's all on your shoulders. You can't limit yourself as to what you will do when starting out. You have to have basic, professional level support gear. Lights, audio gear, tripod, a vehicle to get to and from shoots. Along with all the other things you need to keep your financial records in order for billing and tax purposes. You'll need to incorporate as well. Find a lawyer now. Don't kid yourself into thinking you can freelance in the US without some kind of real legal advice.

6. Ah yes, the money question. Yes, companies will hire freelancers...but only when they have to. Getting paid? Be ready to wait 90 days between the work and getting a check to put in the bank...and that's optimistic for many clients. Picking and choosing your work is directly in balance with what bills you have sitting on the table in front of you. Don't kid yourself into thinking you'll be turning down all kinds of work and only working on high end, fun, creative projects. You're going into the grind and there are days it's a grind. You have bills to pay and you have to make the bucks to pay them. The only jobs you'll turn away are the ones you don't think you'll be getting paid for anyway.

Stress? Yes, there's stress. For all the reasons listed above and all of it is on your shoulders. Freelancing is not for wussies who freak out when everything doesn't go perfectly all the time. In fact you'll need money in the bank to cover all your bills during the months you have no work. That means quite a bit of cash on hand to make it through those down times...and then you have to save it up again as fast as you can to take you through the next down cycle. Down times always come no matter how talented or connected a freelancer is. Don't forget...if you get hurt or sick...you won't be working either. No work, no money to pay bills. Is that going to cause you stress?

7. If you think documentary work is less stressful then you are being rather naive. That kind of work is just as stressful as daily news. Just saying that in your note leads me to believe you may need to reevaluate your freelancing plans. Doc work, as was stated earlier, many times is lower paying. If you get paid at all. The idea with freelancing is to make a living...day after day...not just feeling good about some creative project while you and your family starve and can't pay the bills.

8. Finding a mentor? If you are looking for someone to hold your hand and help you get into freelancing in today's world...I think you are going to be disappointed. Freelancing is a business. Not a social club. I'm not saying someone out there won't be there to give you some friendly advice once in a while but...what can you do for them? Do you have gear to loan them if they are in a bind? Do you have skills they could use to make their own projects better? Finding others who freelance in your area, wherever it is, can be tricky since they are also your competition. They need the work just as badly as you do. Why should they help you? I'm not writing that to be mean. I'm trying to explain to you that your expectations of what freelancing is all about comes down to one simple word. Business.

Look at your life. How much do you pay right now to put a roof over your head? How much are your bills. What kind of equipment do you own right now? Are you incorporated? Insurance, both business and health? Vehicle? Who else relies on you to keep them happy and healthy? What does it cost to feed and cloth them as well as yourself? Are you a good accountant? Can you sell yourself cold to clients who don't know you from Adam? Add all the numbers up. Multiply it by three (at least). That is the amount of money you will need to keep you afloat for three months. Do you have that in the bank right now? If you don't...if you can't answer any of those questions above with a concrete number...and plan...then you are a long way from freelancing over the long term.

There are tons of "freelancers" who start out thinking they are all talented with a camera and can edit. They think they can get work by charging less than anyone else. Then...they fail. They last a year...at best, if they get any work at all.

Make a plan. Look at your personal finances. Think about what it really costs you to live then you, all by yourself, will know the answer to the question you want answered most. Can you freelance successfully?

Be brutally honest with yourself about that answer and save yourself lots of agony if you find the answer to be "no".

Good luck!
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Reposted with permission from author.

Also Robstar1 Business Sticky post on this forum is a must read or re-read.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=83958
 
Well I'm not talented with a camera and I can't really edit either ;) That's not my business model, lol. I'm not a shooter or an editor. I wish I was, because it would reduce cost on some smaller projects, and I could accept those projects, but instead I have to turn down work that pays so little I can't even afford to hire anyone. I'm trying to make it more as a producer (and director on the side), the guy who coordinates the project and makes it happen. Now I think with the type of corporate work I'm doing, I can honestly edit most of it myself, it's really not hard, I've been using Final Cut now for at least 4 years, but I'm not a skilled editor by any means. I know what I'm doing when it's fairly simple stuff, but for instance I don't think I could edit a music video anywhere near as well as my editor, which is why I have him do it.

I have no other dependents and I have cash in the bank of course, plus proper equipment and I'm incorporated, but at the same time my expenses are high, living expenses are high (mainly because of the condo), and yeah I get pretty freaked out over the fact that if I don't make about $8,000 at least per month starting pretty soon, then I really can't even survive. Including investment income I could probably make as little as $5,000 to $6,000 and be "ok" (provided we have no more 2008s any time soon and that by 2010 the economy has recovered marginally, at least), but that's still a lot of money per month. And reducing overhead is not an option for me, I am not going to try to sell my condo in the worst market in decades. I need to hold onto it for a while and then maybe I could sell if I must. But yeah it's a tough thing, I mean there is nobody else to help you out if you're in business yourself, and I don't have that many contacts, I have a few who are valuable.

I think it's tougher to compete in the Hollywood market, also, I think I probably could compete better in Portland and spend less on living, plus I'd instantly have a lot more contacts because that's where I grew up, but that being said I hate the weather there and don't care for it much. Los Angeles is much better, this is where I feel comfortable.
 
If it wasn't for the wife and kids, I'd be LA (Hollywood), even with the air quality and traffic concerns. It's warmer than New York, I have a few contacts there (I lived in CA 10 years) and it has a lot of opportunity. I miss Portland. I agree with the weather but the city sure was clean when I was there.

Good luck with the original post idea of cold calling your dad's competition. Let us know how it turns out. :beer:
 
Hey,

Yeah I'm a big Yankees fan but I couldn't live in New York, weather is too bad and traffic is way worse than L.A., I mean there's no parking anywhere, it's just too crazy. I don't like public transportation, lol, neither does anyone else in the U.S. except for in NYC where they seem to think it's cool. Everywhere else, we know bums and poor people use public transit, no thanks. I drive from Point A to B not from Point A to B, then take B to C, then walk from C to D or something, lol. I guess we just don't "get it." ;) But I love my Yankees, and New York is pretty sweet as far as the bar and club scene, and the girl-to-guy ratio is great, better than L.A. (statistically, more single girls in New York than in Los Angeles), etc.

Everyone who doesn't live here loves commenting on the air quality, which makes little sense to me. I've lived here in my life for about 2.5 years total, the air is the same as it is anywhere else, maybe other people are overly sensitive or have allergies or something. If I walk outside on a gorgeous day here, it's not like somehow it smells or feels any different than a day in Portland. Except that here, you can go outside 10 months of the year, not like 3 as in Portland. I think some people just like acting or commenting on really old information. Like for instance, some people in Portland who don't follow sports are like, "The Blazers? They suck don't they?!" It's like uhh, no, the Blazers haven't sucked for a few years now, they're one of the best teams in the West and have more potential than basically any other team around. But if you don't follow sports you still have your opinion based on old info. Same with L.A. Yes, in the 1970s, like 30 to 40 years ago, L.A. had smog problems. There were something like 270 smog warning days per year, when the air quality was bad enough to trigger those smog warnings. Now it's about ONE OR TWO per YEAR, that's nothing. It's no worse than any other big city, and probably better than most big cities anywhere else in the world. If you really want the clearest air I guess, yeah, the middle of Wyoming would be great for that, but what kind of quality of life is that?! Los Angeles is exciting, this is the entertainment capitol of the entire world, so I think it's worthwhile living here, especially with the great weather and gorgeous women. Not to mention just the huge number of options around here, so much to do, so much opportunity.

Then again, I will admit that my priorities aren't quite like most people. A lot of people are just more weather-tolerant than I am. They look at a city's weather as just some sort of interesting side note, like it's obviously not important to them, it's just "of note." For me, that's not even close to true, if I judge a city or where I want to live the NUMBER ONE most important thing is the weather. I figure everything else can be changed. It would be one thing I suppose if there were no jobs in any warm weather climates, but that's just not true. I find that I cannot be very happy about life or really even have a good mood most of the time if the weather is terrible. I can tolerate it for maybe 2-3 weeks, but I can't tolerate it for long. I love being here where even if it's raining and 58, let's say, I know that two weeks from now, it could be 85 and sunny, doesn't matter if it's January or March or November, or whatever. There's always HOPE, and that's all I really need, some hope that better things are around the corner. In Portland, and many climates, there is NO HOPE. Once the weather gets bad, it will NOT hit 70 again for months. As in, the all-time record high in many places has never hit 70 degrees in January. Ever. And yet for us, 70 is pretty normal almost any day of the year. And I don't get people who say they like "seasons." It's like saying you like not always being healthy, you like getting sick, getting colds, etc. There's one great season, summer, and the rest is just an attempt to get back to summer. Even in mythology, winter = death, spring = rebirth, and summer = the ideal. That's just how it works. I think people just rationalize it, personally, I don't believe for a second that anyone actually likes being rained on or being cold and miserable. There's a reason it's called "bad weather" and 80 and sunny is called "good weather." ;)

That being said, I'll move back to Portland if things don't work out here, for a while, then I'll be back. I always come back. Worst case scenario I'd just accumulate money up in Portland and return to L.A. much later with more resources and try again. But film is for me, I won't give up, this is what I want to do, so I'll find a way somehow, even if I'm 75 when I make it ;)
 
JonathanLB said:
But film is for me, I won't give up, this is what I want to do, so I'll find a way somehow, even if I'm 75 when I make it ;)
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Didn't Woody Allen say, "80% of success is showing up"?

Good attitude and thats what it takes to succeed in this insane business.

Dan
 
I also love Woody Allen's quote, "I don't want to live forever through my work, I want to live forever through not dying!!" ;)
 
JonathanLB said:
Hey,

Worst case scenario I'd just accumulate money up in Portland and return to L.A. much later with more resources and try again. But film is for me, I won't give up, this is what I want to do, so I'll find a way somehow, even if I'm 75 when I make it ;)
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Jonathan,

Two of my freelance friends have recently moved from Portland back to LA. Their reasoning was the amount of work they were able to find in LA.

If you have contacts in LA, why not live up north and work down south :) ?

-Andrew
 
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