A Note on Prosperity in Los Angeles

Those of us who have specific career goals often have what seem to be insurmountable obstacles in the lack of support and understanding from our friends and loved ones. Few people are able to see outside of the bounds of what has always been known and understood by their lineage or community. The ability to do so can be a blessing or a curse. To add insult to injury, doing big things is hard to do… and even harder to do alone.

If my father had his way, I'd be finishing my undergrad degree, with grad school in mind and prospects in senior management at a lucrative company thereafter. We don't always get our druthers. I moved to Los Angeles over a year ago after dropping out of college to pursue my fortune in entertainment. Entertainment! A volatile industry that most people don't understand. Much to his chagrin, I'm still doing it.

I had an amazing job in retail not too long ago. This time last year, I was about to get promoted to an incredibly lucrative management position after having worked in that division of the company for less than three months. I was soon to be giving blockbuster presentations to members of senior management who could've easily become my peers, given enough time. In September, I quit. I gave up thousands a year and all sorts of amenities. IT WAS AMAZING.

Fast-forward almost five months. My entire life has changed. Instead of having more money than I know what do with, I've accumulated debt and have been what some would call, "broke as fuck." When I got back from Tennessee (funeral, Christmas, etc), I was in a rut. I hated my new job selling cable door-to-door, and I felt like my hopes and dreams had been squandered by the system and my poor choices that set me up to fail long before I left my job in retail. I hated life a little (but, only a little).

Recently, however, inspiration has found me taking action. And I'm working my ass off. I finally have clarity (and some help). I can actually see my future unfolding before my eyes.

Today - and this was the entire reason why I gave you the previous several paragraphs of set up - I'm getting paid to sit at the administrative desk at a company that produces trailers for movies. As we speak, I'm listening to one of those voice over guys do a voice over. In another room, the same 5 seconds from one of this season's biggest action blockbusters is playing over and over and over (and over).

This is magic. This is the stuff that people like me dream about. People who make decisions at major studios are calling in, and I'm talking to them. This, my friends, is the shit.

Chin up, out of work writers. My friends in this industry who struggle, look forward with positive thoughts and progress under your wings. This job for me is fleeting, and not exactly what I want to do, but it's a move in the right direction. I can't complain, either. I've worked all week, and I'm working tomorrow. I have an ongoing temp assignment starting on Monday. It's refreshing, to say the least. And it's about damn time. Prosperity comes to those who don’t give up.

Don’t give up.