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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…

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…

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…

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…

“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…

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…

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…

I like to analyze things. Doing so can have its drawbacks, but it’s a valuable trait as relates to my career as a Hollywood talent manager. That’s because I don’t just passively watch shows, read books, and listen to music — I actively consider the context of what I consume. I think…

I’m fascinated by success. As a Hollywood talent manager for more than three decades, I’ve spent years studying the differences between people who succeed and those who never quite accomplish their goals. I’ve learned there’s no one-size-fits-all prescription for success, but there are qualities most successful people share — regardless of whether…