#heydayfilms

[davidfieldsculptor]

Sherlock Holmes meets Sherlock Bear. #davidfieldsculptor #paddingtonbear #sherlockholmes #handmade #paddingtontrail #3deye #heydayfilms #

[weirdauntnovel]

Progress: I moved to Los Angeles

At the beginning of November, I came to LA for some sunshine. Within a few days, I had an inkling I wasn’t leaving. Five days later and I’m looking for jobs with no intention of returning to the freezing grayness of London .

Whilst I have neglected to inscribe them here, I have made much progress in the last few months. This just shows what we all know - things happen to you in a flash. What I would advise is be ready for them by doing what you love as often as you can.

What have I been doing since I quit my corporate job to follow my dream?

In July 2013, I quit. I spent every day writing my first feature. I only took breaks to take a driving lesson or chat excessively on Tinder. Nothing I regret, although I was probably moving at a glacial pace.

In August, I went to the Edinburgh Fringe festival which reminded me how much I love this shit. And then something strange happened to me at Bestival in September; I came back with a rejuvenation I cannot articulate. With a newfound love of house music, I finished my first draft and emailed it out for feedback to everyone I thought would both reading it.

In October, I completed a months internship at Heyday Films. Here, the ball was set in motion for my decision to defect to the Film industry forever. I loved working with the development assistant; reading unpublished books and scripts all day to decide if one will make a good movie is basically my dream. It was the most fun I’ve had at work and I was only paid expenses. Given that I like to work less and earn more like I have been doing for the last 3 years, this feeling was new to me. I felt genuine ecstasy when I came across a good novel or screenplay and I excitedly discussed them with the Development team. Almost instantly, I knew this is what I wanted to do.

In November, I came to LA. I am Couchsurfing with a girl who has just finished her MFA in Producing at NY Film Academy and was looking to try out a new house mate. If it wasn’t for meeting this girl and her extraordinary generosity, I wouldn’t have decided to move here. That, coupled with the fact that everyone I meet here is a pure delight and extremely helpful.

I would say this was a huge but anticipated leap in the right direction for me. I’ve gone from starting this blog as memorabilia for “that time I thought I could become a screenwriter” to clear evidence for how sometimes the answer just takes a while to get to you. But it comes if you just make a move and try.

Now I’m working on:

- finishing my first 2 screenplays - building a portfolio; writing TV became scorching hot since the advent of shows like Girls, Parks and Recs, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game of Thrones. It is now abundantly clear to everyone here and in London that TV is the new film. A girl from Mad Chance Productions advised the same. TV is where it’ at - especially for writers, who in film are likely to be cut out once they cut a deal. In TV, you get to make the creative decisions weekly. Screenwriters in TV are much more respected now than before. So my plan is to try my hand at some pilots and apply for writers positions. Honestly, I don’t feel like I would be very good. I lack faith in my writing abilities as a full time staff member. Which is why I think the first step for my career would be to… - getting experience at a big agency (WME, CAA etc)

The networking is definitely not as horrendous as one would imagine. Everyone is down to earth and honest and fun. It is actually a joy meeting all these people doing filmy things here. Best decision I’ve made my entire life.