dgsdm
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- Jul 21, 2011
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I have a strong passion in film and I'm interested in working in Hollywood. To the point, I want to be a movie producer. I'm planning on moving to LA soon and I'm currently in the process of planning things out.
I've talked to several people about starting a career in Hollywood and one guy told me that the best way for me to become a producer would be networking and getting to know people in the business. Specifically he said it might be a good idea to try to get a job in the mail room of a talent agency and work my way up to being a talent agent. By becoming a talent agent I would be able to get to know all the stars and major role players in the industry.
I know that there are many different ways to become a producer but originally I thought the best path for me would be to start as a production assistant. However, what the guy told me about starting in a talent agency made sense because networking cannot be stressed enough in this industry.
Also how would I even go about getting a job in the mailroom in a talent agency? From my research nowadays working in the "mailroom" is a bit of a prestige due to so many successful people in Hollywood starting their career there. You now have people graduating from Ivy leagues wanting to work there, willing to take low salary. Although it's not the same level as an Ivy league, I still graduated from a fairly reputable university (University of Washington) so how does someone like me compete with these people for these job positions? I read that most people get in through connections and people they know but I don't have those kind of resources.
Another thing is that although I'm considering starting my career at a talent agency, being a talent agent isn't what I ultimately want to do, I want to produce films. Is it easy for a talent agent to make a transition into film producing?
Lastly, another thought that has been lingering in my mind is discrimination. Does being an Asian seriously hold you back in this industry? Particularly in the fields that I'm trying to work in.
Are there any SF members here that has had experience or currently work in Hollywood? If so could you please give me your input and any advice would be extremely helpful.
I wasn't planning on writing a long post but somehow it ended up this way, sorry!
I've talked to several people about starting a career in Hollywood and one guy told me that the best way for me to become a producer would be networking and getting to know people in the business. Specifically he said it might be a good idea to try to get a job in the mail room of a talent agency and work my way up to being a talent agent. By becoming a talent agent I would be able to get to know all the stars and major role players in the industry.
I know that there are many different ways to become a producer but originally I thought the best path for me would be to start as a production assistant. However, what the guy told me about starting in a talent agency made sense because networking cannot be stressed enough in this industry.
Also how would I even go about getting a job in the mailroom in a talent agency? From my research nowadays working in the "mailroom" is a bit of a prestige due to so many successful people in Hollywood starting their career there. You now have people graduating from Ivy leagues wanting to work there, willing to take low salary. Although it's not the same level as an Ivy league, I still graduated from a fairly reputable university (University of Washington) so how does someone like me compete with these people for these job positions? I read that most people get in through connections and people they know but I don't have those kind of resources.
Another thing is that although I'm considering starting my career at a talent agency, being a talent agent isn't what I ultimately want to do, I want to produce films. Is it easy for a talent agent to make a transition into film producing?
Lastly, another thought that has been lingering in my mind is discrimination. Does being an Asian seriously hold you back in this industry? Particularly in the fields that I'm trying to work in.
Are there any SF members here that has had experience or currently work in Hollywood? If so could you please give me your input and any advice would be extremely helpful.
I wasn't planning on writing a long post but somehow it ended up this way, sorry!
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