Hollywood, Unapologetic!

- Season 3

(2017)

The entertainment industry is very much a boy's club. For the most part, men hold most of the power positions and some take it too far. A few take it upon themselves to behave inappropriately.

In earlier episodes, I discuss sexual violence and predatory behavior that unfortunately happens in certain circles in the entertainment world. Something I wanted to touch upon is another form of violation that happens far too often; identity theft. Identity theft is another form of violation that can happen to you or someone you know. It happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission. It is a serious crime and is growing all of the time. When one falls victim to identity theft, it can create a lot of problems with your ...

My filmmaking friends have made fun of me for working in television for so many years instead of being more dedicated to film. I would often respond, "Yes, but at least I'm not broke and borrowing money from you." I planned on being one of the top contributors in the visual communications arena, and I have. I have beaten the ten-year formula by years and have been very fortunate with the achievements I have accomplished. I am an exception to what most people consider the rule in this town, but my success has been largely in television. While I was in school, I ...

The Hollywood Blacklist: what often comes to mind are the screenwriters, directors, actors, others in entertainment starting in the late 1940s, that were denied work, accused to having Communist ties. The blacklist still lives today.

If you've been successful in the business side of producing a television or film project through distribution, you have witnessed and probably had to partake in paying off people to further your project's success.

Many young people wanting to be filmmakers or one of the many others in the entertainment business, it's about money and fame. Although success may bring you money and fame, neither one of these is a real definition of success on its own.

One thing a lot of young filmmakers get hung up has to do with resources. Some people have access to a lot of resources. Whether they have a good job, have very generous parents with deep pockets, or decided to take their college tuition money and invest it in a film. For the rest of us, resources don't come so easily. We may barely get by from the job as a cashier or stock person at the local supermarket. Or maybe you're like me and others I know who chose to drop everything in our lives, made a conscious choice to move to another city, to live in our cars just so we...

Without a doubt, the most successful filmmakers I know personally and have worked with all have developed skillsets and daily practices that successful entrepreneurs do every day. Their daily lives have structure built into them.

"Assigning value to my work? We worked on it, damn it. It has value, to me!" Um, yes. And to everyone who worked on it, of course it has value. You've all sweat, bled, cried, lost sleep. That is true. But there has been a shift in recent years, where independent films, and for television series as well, where the perceived worth of projects being produced has diminished. During a conversation I was in recently, the question of assigning value came up by a filmmaker who has directed and produced mostly features and some episodics, and for most of his career had a hard ...

So much focus is on buying camera gear. Your equipment is important and you want the best you can afford. So much information in magazines, blogs, and YouTube is really a disservice for aspiring filmmakers.

For many, getting started can be a daunting experience. There can be a lot of self-imposed pressure to do things the right way right off the bat. Just like anything else creative, it takes practice.

How do you balance work, staying true to your vision, and of course, making a living. And this is really tough for a lot of people. And why our art is intertwined with commerce.

When I first decided to begin The New Hollywood Generation, I envisioned a movement of like-minded individuals interested in all aspects of filmmaking. This is important, especially in places like Los Angeles, because even if you are surrounded by others of similar interests, similar skillsets, age, and even similar a place in your career, it's easy to be caught up in your own bubble and not know a whole other world of people and opportunities exist in close proximity.