Linda Buzzell - How to Make it in Hollywood

In Hollywood, anything can happen. Anything at all.

R AYMOND C HANDLER

The Long Goodbye, 1953

Theres a story going around Hollywood about a sitcom writer who everyone agrees is only minimally talented. Most of the scripts hes written in the past have been disappointments. He is, however, a master pitcher. He used to be a stand-up comic. Once again this year, he spun a story in such an entertaining way that an unsuspecting network executive gave him yet another order for a pilot script, passing over other, more talented writers.

Hollywood insiders roll their eyes in exasperation when they tell this tale. Why is it that skills other than talent are so often rewarded in Tinseltown? Why do the hip hustlers frequently succeed while many of the truly talented languish in career disappointment?

The results of this unfortunate reality can sometimes be seen on the screen. Too often the job or the green light goes to the expert deal maker, pitcher, or shmoozer, not the inspired filmmaker.

Do you ever find yourself looking at a film or TV show and saying Hell, I could do better than that!?

Perhaps you could.

But can you pitch a story on a sports club treadmill without missing a beat? Can you romance a recalcitrant producers secretary by giving good phone? Can you grow rhino skin so thick that you could coolly take tea at the Beverly Hills Hotel with an agent who makes Attila the Hun look like a wimp? Can you overcome self-sabotage, lack of self-confidence, and procrastination? Can you shmooze with the best and out-chutzpah the most outrageous, determined, and entertaining people on the planet?

Before Hollywood will hand you a multimillion-dollar canvas to paint on, youll have to learn some skills they dont teach you in film school. Many people wish that these skills werent necessary, but in todays Hollywood they are just as important as knowing how to write, perform, shoot, or direct.

Why should the hustlers have all the fun? In this book I hope to put into your hands some of the tools you really need to make it in showbiz.

No one gave me these insider tips when I came to Los Angeles. I picked them up by working in and around Hollywood for over twenty years. I kept my eyes open and watched carefully, observing who made it and who didnt. Both as an industry employee (in development and production) and as a psychotherapist and career counselor, Ive worked with people at every level in the business: ambitious film students, hot directors, showbiz lawyers, frustrated assistant directors, flavor-of-the-month screenwriters, overworked production managers, insecure TV and movie stars.

One thing Ive learned is that its not enough to be talented. The people who really succeed in Hollywood not only have talent but also have learned to play the Hollywood game and to make the right moves.

I cant give you talent. God does that.

I cant teach you your craft. Thats what film schools are for.

But I can help you learn to play the game to win.

My dream is to make it a little easier for truly talented people to create quality films and TV shows in Hollywood. I hope this book will be a road map for you so that you can bring your fresh ideas, stories, and vision to Hollywood and share them with billions of people around the world.