I talk a lot about the compounding nature of things. About transforming individual moments into a cascading momentum that turns into more good things. Of course, the path to getting there is still a long and winding road, so when it succeeds, it’s truly a beautiful thing. Case in point:…
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Hollywood Quarantine: A long, deep breath
Tucker Dog making deliveries during this ruff ruff time The world is facing challenging times. The coronavirus pandemic has affected our global society in a way not seen since perhaps as far back as World War II. As cities around the US follow in the footsteps of European and Asian…
What The Oscars Taught Me About Jealousy And Admiration
The Oscars are a state of the union for our industry. The show itself is a conduit for analyzing the past year while the media fervor around it helps to paint a complete picture of the movie business and its place in culture. I always watch with interest. But as…
A Conversation About Making Movies With Producer Hawk Koch
I first met Hawk Koch in the early 1980’s. Back then, I was an 18-year-old dreaming of a career in the entertainment industry and Hawk was a producer working to bring the novel Gorky Park to the big screen. We’ve each had plenty of adventures in this business since then…
How To Make Connections In Hollywood
I see it all the time. Talented, hard-working people struggle to navigate the entertainment industry because they don’t understand how to generate opportunities for themselves and build the relationships they need to get the things they want. I empathize because it’s a challenging thing to do. There’s no clear, linear…
How To Make The Most Of A Career Opportunity
You’re going to catch a break. No matter who you are or what you pursue in your career, an opportunity will come your way through luck or (more likely) effort and you’ll get a chance to showcase your talents. But the thrill of the opportunity before you will quickly dissolve…
The Meaning of Talent in Seymour: An Introduction
“When my practicing went well, everything else in life seemed to be harmonized by that. When my practicing didn’t go well, I was out of sorts with people, with my parents. So I concluded that the true essence of who we are resides in our talent, whatever talent there is.” –Seymour…
The Secret To Learning A New Skill Is To Treat It Like A Language
Everything is a language. This realization is helping me learn and develop a variety of seemingly disconnected skills including how to fly, play piano, use social media, and navigate Hollywood. These are very different skills, but I’ve discovered a way to make each of them easier to learn: Treat them…
Casting Director Lisa Zambetti’s Advice For Actors
When it comes to casting, Lisa Zambetti is a busy casting director on the rise. She’s cast a ton of projects from indie films to the long-running CBS hit series “Criminal Minds”. I’ve known her for many years and find her to be an incredible judge of talent, and extremely…