I don’t think there are enough words in the English language to describe my summer in Los Angeles. At times, the city of angels felt like heaven while other times it served as a harsh reality to this industry and adult life. When I first arrived in LA I was really uncertain. Since I was never one of those people that dreamed of going to Hollywood I came in with no expectations.
During our busy first week I think I was immediately drawn to the glamour of Hollywood. Although the Fox tour was my favorite the tour of Universal was interesting. Hearing how studios operate and how the one plane crash from Desperate Housewives was used for several different movies was funny to me because prior to this trip I thought the studios constantly worked against each other, but I’ve come to realize that in some situations they work together. There are ABC shows filmed on the Fox lot and vice versa, which makes the industry seem like a small, collaborative circle.
After the initial glamour of the Hollywood sign and studio tours, I began my internship. As an intern at Def Pictures, I got to work for one of my idols Russell Simmons. The first day I got his lunch my hands were shaking from this weird mixture of fear and excitement. After the first couple of weeks of stumbling through my internship like a baby giraffe learning to walk for the first time, I eventually started having lunch with Russell. My lunches with Russell Simmons taught me more about life and myself than I could’ve ever imagined. While I learned how to work phones, pitch scripts, and how to make expense reports completing my intern duties my “Russell Simmons lunch hour” made me realize that I can be painfully passive and quiet when I need to speak. While at one of our lunches the head of television said I have an enormous amount of potential as a writer, while Russell told me I need to give everything I have to my craft. It was during these lunches that I realized that it’s either all or nothing if I am going to make it in this industry.
Living in Los Angeles and trying to navigate and survive in an unknown city was the hardest part of the entire experience. Within my first two weeks, I learned that two very important family members were battling with serious health issues. Being away from the people I care about the most during their lowest times made me feel really selfish about the entire experience. As I struggled to deal with personal family related issues I also struggled to conquer the tricky roads of LA. I lost my quest to become an LA road warrior when I got into a car accident after work one afternoon.
Although there were times when I didn't really enjoy the experience the good outweighed the bad. With guest speakers like Xavier Burgin and Nicole Jefferson Asher, I learned that persistence is the most important part of the journey, while Jeffery Weaver encouraged us to stay true to our original goals. Going to the Writer’s Guild was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had while in LA. Being able to read and touch the scripts and outlines of some of my favorite films and television shows was something that I can’t put in words.
However, some of my favorite moments came when I had the time to just go out into the city. Walking through downtown LA and walking on Venice beach at night were amazing experiences. Going to Runyon Canyon and getting a view of the entire city was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life. When I was there. Looking over the enormous city that is Los Angeles I realized I am exactly where I’m supposed to be at this moment in my life.
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