My advice is to get your first reel together in Des Moines, Duluth or wherever you’re coming from before you come to L.A. What cost you pocket change at home will cost you thousands of dollars to produce here in the city of (expensive) angels.

Been there, oh yeah!

Hustle and the bustle brother!!!

You’re in your own Zone.

Bust it all around, smile, always say yes…and get as much coffee as possible in ya until your eyes are seeping out with it.

Right on, right on.

If I was down there in L.A. right now and one of my projects was going… I’d hire you in second!

You’re work ethic is right there.

I’m fairly sure I met Adam when he worked his one night on the FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL set. Adam, were you working on the night they shot at the Egyptian Theater’s courtyard?

If so, you struck me as a really smart, solid guy getting his first foothold in the business even in our brief conversation. So funny, because you actually made an impression, and then I read this and realize, “Yeah, that’s exactly how he came across in person, too.”

Nice work.

-Good luck, buddy!

Eric England

Anyway, good luck with you and I wish you success.

I’m not sure how often companies don’t pay for coverage, since being a script reader is a paying gig. As an unpaid intern at Marvel, I did coverage, about 15 over the summer for experience and to bulk up my writing samples. So if you have the free time to do coverage to build up your own portfolio, I say go for it. I guess it’s not a big deal you’re not getting paid, I never got paid to do a book report in school, and that’s what it feels like to me.

And then on the other hand, you’re not going to want to send out writing samples for “G.I.L.F.S. Part 5.” I’d say research the company, or straight out ask them what “a-typical” means. It could be like “Being John Malkovich,” for all you know. But if you’re not comfortable reading that material, don’t. Again, it’s not like you’re being paid.

It’s all about what you’re comfortable with. Early in my time out here, I got a job on a film that had “nudity and violence” in it, and I was fine with that, it’s a movie. But I researched the company and found they made grossly realistic sadism/torture porn flicks and I quit right away. It was something I definitely didn’t want to be involved with and it really gave me that uneasy feeling inside. So trust your instincts.

But overall, I’m pretty amazed that porn utilizes scripts. What are they, 3 pages long, then repeated?

Inspired by the Starting out in Hollywood post and learning for the first time about Mandy.com, I promptly visited the site. I then applied for 2 no/lo/deferred pay script reading jobs, although I have zero experience. I thought what the hell, I live in Washington and these positions were the only ones that didn’t require a physical presence in LA or NY. Well I got a call back and it was most curious phone interview. After being asked about the types of films I liked I was informed that this company made “a-typicial” films. I was then asked how old I was, and as an attorney I recognize that inquiry as dangerous for various legal reasons. I then thought, screw ADEA and EEOC concerns, my god I’ve applied to read porn scripts–although I am completely open-minded, it’s not where I want to gain experience. I guess I am curious about no/lo/deferred pay script reading gigs and what I am really getting myself into when I apply for these positions.