The Hidden Obvious Guide to Making It in Hollywood: Secret #1
Thousands of people move to Los Angeles each and every month to chase the dream of “making it” in Hollywood. Millions more around the world fill their idle daydreams with thoughts of walking the red carpet with cameras flashing at them from every conceivable direction, or throwing lavish parties in their mid-century masterpiece house with an infinity pool overlooking the concrete jungle of the city far below. How do you really get there?
I took the opportunity to listen to some exceptional Hollywood producers recently at the Produced By Conference. I returned with a spiral bound notebook now teeming with the hard-earned wisdom of some of the most successful people in Hollywood.
Secret #1 – Tenacity
My mother might not know Mark Gordon’s name, but she knows his work. He is the producer of such remarkable films as Saving Private Ryan and Speed. He also brought us television shows like Gray’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds. One of the most important personal traits to which he credits his own success is tenacity. Hollywood suffers a very high attrition rate. Stick through the inevitable tough times and focus on doing great work on every project. You almost cannot help but make a career out of it that way.
Lauren Shuler Donner is the woman responsible for the X-Men series, the Free Willy series, and a couple dozen other big studio films. Her tips on not only becoming successful but staying relevant once you’ve achieved success are summed up in the phrase, “Hang on for dear life.” She recommend that you always look for ways to make yourself useful, and don’t be surprised or take it personally when you get bumped from a project.
One important related point: Life doesn’t automagically get easier after you’ve “made it.” You simply upgrade to higher quality problems.
This post was written by Deluxis Entertainment founder and CEO Christopher Kaminski. To catch the next secret, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
