California Dreamin' Help!
 

My son (22) will be moving to LA soon in hopes of starting a studio writing career (He is indeed very talented and a National Merit Scholarship winner). Can you recommend any areas where he might find a nice studio or efficiency apt., and be near his intended objectives (the studios). We do expect things to be expensive.

Many thanks,

Gerry

Studio City, Pasadena, Burbank, North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks have nice neighborhoods (and some not-so-nice), and are close to the studios.

Also check out Culver City.

Check out Santa Monica, West LA, Westwood, and Palms

Many thanks, Folks. Any ideas regarding what we might expect to pay for rent?

Thanks again,

Gerry

expect to drive a lot. Nothing is located near anything else. He might be better off starting out with a room mate. He'll get a better apt. that way and get to meet people. He'll find that LA is a "company town" and the company is the entertainment industry. Just about every young person he'll meet will also be trying to break into the "business". Good luck to him.

www.cragislist.com will give him an idea about how much rentals cost

Prices vary greatly, but expect to pay at least $1300 for a single. I would also suggest roommate(s) to help offset costs and meet new people. My Westwood 2 bed 2 bath goes for $2100/month...eek. Culver City and Palms should be a bit cheaper, but not by much. Sorry, not familiar with other areas.

Has your son looked into this? The screenwriting business is not easy to get into. I hope he has several screenplays written and copywrited to send around to production companies (NOT the studios per se) on spec. He might get a foot in writing series TV-- it's a grindhouse, but he'll learn a lot.

A friend of mine who IS a successful screenwriter has almost all of his work produced in the UK, especially by the BBC and its affiliates. He's had little success with US-based producers.

It will be hard, so he's going to have to be very persistent and work on being in the Right Place at the Right Time. Otherwise he'll just be another starving artist waiting tables and asking "Do you want to read my screenplay?"....

My daughter had a studio (read small) apt in Culver City which rented for less than $1000 two years ago. That was a good price but the apt was basically one room with a kitchenette, full bath. Figure more than that now.

Deals can be found but competition for small places is great, especially because of all the students in the mix. You may find it beneficial to contact a local agent to keep an eye out for you.

Of course the business is difficult. Anything worth pursuing is. How will he know for sure if he doesn't try? Good for you for being supportive of his dreams!

Best wishes,
Linda

I just want to make sure there's no sugarcoating of the challenge ahead of this kid. Talented writers are a dime a dozen in LA and NYC. That's a fact. The most successful screenwriters-- the ones with the big paydays-- tend to have less talent and more skill in pitching story ideas and "hooks". Joe Eszterhas couldn't string two coherent sentences together in a screenplay with an AK-47 pointed at his head, but he got someone to buy "Basic Instinct" AND "Showgirls", didn't he?

If he wants to get a job at "the studios", he'll need to think about working in film/TV production-- specifically, script reading/reviewing. It's a good way to learn what works and doesn't work in screenwriting. I still think he'd be better off trying to get an entry-level job with an independent producer, where he would get exposure to the whole process-- the pitch, the development, the money hunt (like it or not, this is show BUSINESS), the whole moviemaking process, marketing and distribution, etc.

And I'm dead serious: Anything the kid has written needs to get a copyright on it immediately (and no, I can't spell worth a darn). Ideas are stolen all the time. It's a cutthroat business. If he's written any stage plays, he should think about getting them produced here in LA; there's a huge amount of theatre in the city, and producers do look for fresh talent there.

"The studios" are all over the city, so his number-one need is going to be a car. Doesn't have to be flashy, just reliable. Beyond that, I would suggest North Hollywood for affordable rent--it's not the most glamorous area, but it's relatively cheap, and a lot of up-and-coming people in the arts live there. Plenty of little hole-in-the wall restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, community theater, etc.

Thanks to all of you for your kindness in replying. Any additional ideas would be most welcomed.

Gerry

Years ago when we lived there for grad school, we found Burbank and Glendale to be less expensive than Culver City (where I lived my first year). Our one-bedroom in Burbank cost the same as a small studio (LC Boniti, mine was on Overland) in Culver City.

The car should also have a/c.

Let us know how it goes.