Should I move to NYC/LA

D

Digitally Pleasing

Active member
I need some advise and I think you all can help.

I'm born and raised in the suburbs of Boston. Went to school in the city and have now graduated. As expected, it is really hard to find production work here. Right now I'm doing media conversion (DVD authoring, file compression) and editing corporate video which gives me benifits and entry level pay, but the job has no future.

I want to make TV shows. That's the ultimate goal. Producer/Director.

Should I:

A) Stay in Boston where my friends are and work on my own shorts and pilots on weekends and after my 9-5 job. (I got my DVX less than a month ago) Make a nice web site to showcase the work. I am a strong believer in Internet distrubution and believe my work will be able to find an audience. Basically: do my own thing and hope it leads me somewhere.

OR:

B) Move to NYC or LA where there is more established production work and work my way up the latter. I've been a PA in NYC before... so I know what the deal is. I feel I would have less of a chance to work on my own suff this way.

I;ve never even been to LA before, so, I dont know anything about it besides what I've heard... and it's a mixed bag is what i hear from an east coast POV... enough work though and nice weather.

I feel like my family want to know what my plan is.... and I dont even know myself! Someone can relate, eh?

Advise, stories, comments?

~ Jim
 
I don't agree with everything he wrote in either option. However, I feel that staying put and learning his craft for a while might serve him better than joining the thousands of starving wannabes in Hollywood.

Obviously, I'm being a real Matt Lauer (glib) about this, but unless you have a better game plan, I'd stay put and learn.

The bottom line is, of course, DP's decision to make.

Good luck! :)
 
I agree with Terry. It can be tough to get work anywhere, especially in NY or LA. It's not as if Boston is devoid of any work anyway. Just keep working on your craft, keep working with other people and eventually people will notice and you'll start getting more work. My 2 pennies.
-Ryan
 
Yeah. I want to stay in Boston, but I feel like the people around me expect me to move elsewhere. It's wierd. I don't think landing a job in another city before living there is that easy anyway.

Thanks for the tips

~ Jim
 
Statistically speaking you have an extremely, repeat EXTREMELY slim chance of making it in LA.

But if you don't try you have no chance at all.

NO WORK IN BOSTON? THEN LEAVE. IT'S A NO BRAINER.

good luck.
 
ICED OUT! said:
LA = No Soul
Click to expand...

Hey, hold on a minute there... we're trying to keep that a secret. :evil:

Digitally Pleasing, it depends on what your show is about. If your show is about youth, fame, nightlife, sex; you might want to shoot it here.

Either way, get the web site up and put some of your work on it. Stream your show from your site. Promote your site, etc.
 
Haha PJC. I think I'm comin around to Digger. He's starting to look like me:)

(Wishing I had photoshop to put a Santa Hat on my head)
 
The most important thing about deciding where you want to end up, and an EXTREMLY important thing in this business is
A) Networking
B) Connections

If leaving boston means you loose important connections and possible networking contacts to further you than you probably shouldn't leave, UNLESS you have connections or contacts in NYC (like you said you've PA'd in NYC (but who hasnt))

Anyways stay where options are most avaliable and cost effective and decide from that, otherwise do what you want to do, and LA is ridic expensive!

gl
 
rook said:
Statistically speaking you have an extremely, repeat EXTREMELY slim chance of making it in LA.

But if you don't try you have no chance at all.

NO WORK IN BOSTON? THEN LEAVE. IT'S A NO BRAINER.

good luck.
Click to expand...

The issue isn't so much that there is no work. I am getting by just fine making DVDs. The issue is that if I ultimetly want to become a producer/director, is the best road using my new DVX in Boston, working with people I've befriended, creating my own work to show others, hoping they will like it and want to pay me for my services? OR, work my way up the producing chain: PA, production coordinator, production manager, associate producer, line producer, producer, exec. producer.

I think it's clear I should try my own stuff out and see where it takes me. And with the internet making this world smaller and smaller everyday, I dont really think I need to be in NYC/LA right now.

Thanks again for the input

~ Jim
 
JoeNash said:
The most important thing about deciding where you want to end up, and an EXTREMLY important thing in this business is
A) Networking
B) Connections

If leaving boston means you loose important connections and possible networking contacts to further you than you probably shouldn't leave, UNLESS you have connections or contacts in NYC (like you said you've PA'd in NYC (but who hasnt))

Anyways stay where options are most avaliable and cost effective and decide from that, otherwise do what you want to do, and LA is ridic expensive!

gl
Click to expand...

Yes, I do have connections in NYC, but it would probably just lead to more PA gigs...

Someone once told me that if you're a PA for more than 2 years, you're destened to PA the rest of your life.
 
HybridCreations said:
Haha PJC. I think I'm comin around to Digger. He's starting to look like me:)

(Wishing I had photoshop to put a Santa Hat on my head)
Click to expand...

See, he's just trying to be friends.:)

And find a new place to live.:evil:
 
ICED OUT! said:
TV work = LA.

LA = No Soul
NY = Independent Features and Docs/Cold in the Winter
Click to expand...
yeaup simple and true. go where the big fish are and learn from them. i was in san diego for one career ihad offers to move and they would make me a champ;L.A. AND SAN JOSE but i liked SAN DIEGO i didn't move, no promoters here to help me. ilost out. then i started to act my teacher said if you want to make it in acting for film, LA i moved the next week. man i've learned a lot. i was in a small pond where i was the big fish going no where, now i'm a small fish swimming with the rest of them, but man i've grown so much here learning from the best. now i'm not putting anybody down for living where you live. it just worked for me. it so saturated with talented people, you're upped a notch or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a changing( oh sorry)any way ,you can always go back and say i tried. remember ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST mc murphy at the water counter; AT LEAST I TRIED
 
According to someone who knows more about the film industry than just about anyone in the world, there's a little work in NYC but much more in LA. Basically, you can do indie stuff in New York, but if you want to support yourself and actually have a career, it's going to be a LOT tougher there.

I live in the suburbs of Boston, too. The second I'm out of college I'm off to LA, either for an MFA or for work.

If you want to produce, try and find an agent school or something. Producing pays tons of money--like millions--but it's a tough road and a long one. Starting out as an agent is the best way to go.
 
it's more like "it's not who you know, it's who you bl@# and you better have some talent to go with it:grin:
 
kimko said:
it's more like "it's not who you know, it's who you bl@# and you better have some talent to go with it:grin:
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Hey, there are children here! :cheesy:

I think it's more like "It's who you know that gets you in (or the bl@#ing thing), but it's what you know that keeps you there". That's what I'm told by some semi-successful film friends anyway.

In other words, you better have some talent and dedication to backup your connections, or they'll sniff you out as soon as your superficial appearence is decloaked.
 
Digitally Pleasing said:
I want to stay in Boston, but I feel like the people around me expect me to move elsewhere. It's wierd.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're wanting to move for the wrong reason.
 
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