Hey!

Thanks for dropping by. Whether or not you’ve read my new book,  I Followed my Bliss to Bankruptcy–What I Wish I Knew Before I Moved to Hollywood, I invite you to make comments or ask questions about Hollywood or the book here.

Your questions aren’t limited to the book. If there’s anything you want to know about the business of Hollywood, I’ll do my best to answer it–and if I can’t, I’ll find an expert who can. I also hope to begin posting blogs, vlogs and interviews in the other section called, “Making it in Hollywood.” Check back often or even join, to get more information and advice from successful guest contributors.

Thanks,

T. R. Locke

Mmm. The first real tip. Let’s see. How’s this…?

Develop a very thick skin.

I just happened to see the job listings from UTA (United Talent Agency). The job listings are supposed to be internal openings that agents and their assistants browse to learn what production companies, or their own clients, are looking for in terms of support staff. Most of the listings are for agent assistants, celebrity assistants, interns/trainees and other lower-level studio executives. They are the kind of jobs many people who come to Hollywood hope to land in order to get a foot in the door.

These lists get swiped and passed around through email. Join almost any creative support group and you’re likely to come across one or more from a major agency. They all have them. And some of the jobs pay decent wages, too. You can be a celebrity assistant for instance and earn “$48K/year–no benefits.” However the reply link was via a country music company, so it might not be enough money.

What traits do many of the jobs look for? Well, along with, “must be willing to work flexible hours and be utterly committed to the job,” one very telling request was as follows: “Must have thick skin.”

What makes someone put that in a job posting? Not sure, but I would guess they lost their prior assistant because they cussed them out one too many times.

Thick skin. It’s not only good for assistants working for agents and celebrities, but it’s a must for any creative person who puts their talent up for judgment.

In fact, thick skin might be too soft a term–try armor plating. “Must have armor plating.” Armor is better than skin for repelling the knives that often fly at you. “Must be bulletproof.”

Whatever dreams you might have in Hollywood, unless you’re extremely lucky, you’ll encounter lots of rejection before you find it.  Not letting that rejection penetrate,  not taking the harsh comments to heart–letting them bounce off your thick skin will definitely help you stay on track and give you a better shot at reaching your goals.

Keep at it,

T. R. Locke

Please share these tips with your friends by clicking the Share This button below to send a link by email or recommend this post on your favorite social site.

Thanks for coming to visit. Make yourself at home. I’m working on making this site a decent resource for anyone interested in life behind the Hollywood sign.

I’ve got a bunch of articles and stories I’ll be posting soon. I even intend to post some clips from the new audio book version of I Followed My Bliss to Bankruptcy–What I Wish I Knew Before I Moved to Hollywood, so please check those out.

And please comment on my blogs and posts. The only thing I like more than people commenting on my blogs is people buying my book, giving me great reviews and telling their friends to buy my book.

Thank you for visiting. If you want to contact me, please do so on the “Meet the Author” page where I’ve posted my email address (trlockeonline@gmail.com) as well as  links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts. I have a Myspace account, but I don’t use it as much. Maybe I should. Either way, please friend me on those sites and please sign up here to receive updates by clicking on the RSS feed button (the big orange button in the upper right of the HOME page). You can send me questions by email or by making a comment on one of the blogs. I read all the comments. I did mention I love comments, right?

You can also get an signed copy of my book on this site only–well, here or if you see me in person. That is, if you see me in person and I have copies of my book on me. …and a pen.  Just click on the words, “signed copy” in the previous sentence or on the “Gimme the Book” tab. The orders are processed securely through PayPal (i.e. I don’t get to see your credit card number.)

Finally, if you want to contact me to speak at an event or conference, please also email me. I love speaking, engaging people and giving them new things to think about as well as motivating them in their lives–whether related to Hollywood or just following your dreams.  BTW,  I’m pretty good at it… been getting paid to do it since I was a teenager.

Thanks again for visiting. Let me know what you think of the site.

TRL