Trying to make it in Los Angeles

So I'm actually back in Quito right now. Have been for about 5 days (wow, time flies). And now that my altitude sickness is gone again (but I am still stupidly jetlagged) I thought I'd write up a nice post about my brief visit to LA.
Let me say that I really love California. I mean, my heart is definitely back east in New York.I miss the autumn leaves, the bitter cold wind, the snow, the beautiful New England Brick buildings...(YES N, I KNOW NY IS NOT NEW ENGLAND). But California is a different kind of exciting. The weather is super nice (not too hot, not too cold), the people are nice, and the traffic is - well, nicer than New York! That being said, poor LA isn't the prettiest city in the world as a whole. It is just some sort of massive, incohesive sprawl. That's ok. I mean, all things considered, it has its own particular charm - meaning, it isn't stressful. Well traffic is. But traffic is always stressful. I spent a good chunk of my time at the Loews hotel in Santa Monica, I wish I were staying there, but I was actually there for the AFM or the American Film Market. The experience was worth every cent I paid. I learned a ton, got a ton of cards, and now I can officially say that I can package and develop or distribute a film. It's the middle part - meaning, getting the money and then actually filming the thing - that I'm still sort of figuring out. But it was overall a great experience. And Santa Monica really is beautiful.
The rest of my time I spent driving around the town with my friend and classmate from college DV who just moved to West Hollywood in pursuit of the dream of being an employed filmmaker. We went to Malibu one day for Fish Tacos. N recommended a place he and J had gone to when they did they road trip to California themselves a few years back. OMG so good. So worth it. DV and I ate fish tacos and clam strips and beer to our heart's content and then caught the sunset in Malibu before heading back to Santa Monica where I had parked my car. We also did a trip to Burbank and Studio City to see the studios. I think we both sort of half-hoped we could make it inside. Of course, it didn't happen. But the studio gates are all very nice. On that note, I've applied to a job at one of them so maybe I'll actually be able to get in sometime for an interview or the job itself. That might be nice. We went to a mixer in Beverly Hills too...it turned out not to be very helpful in terms of networking, but it was a nice night nonetheless. I got to park my car right on Rodeo Drive and stare at all the stores at night. It was pretty awesome! I also got to see my good friends J (from Pineapple Tacos) and S (from The Green Man) on my last day in LA when they arrived there after driving across the country from New York City. It was really lovely to be able to see them. Especially S since I haven't seen him since graduation. I also got to see another friend and film classmate from college, KP, who had also driven across the country from New York in pursuit of the dream of being an employed filmmaker. KP is staying at DV's apartment until KP gets a gig / finds an apartment. We drank beer and wine and ate leftover Chinese food and had a fun time overall. It was really nice to see a lot of my friends again.
But now I'm back in Quito. Deciding what I'm going to do. Decisions are coming up fast - what if I don't get all the funding for the doc? What if I do? Also, Christmas and my birthday are coming up in a month. My mom already asked me what I wanted. I said a job. She gave me look.
But that's what I want! Really. Santa can give me a job, right?

Categories: Burbank, california, DV, film, J, KP, LA, N, S, Santa Monica, Studio City