Adam Davis, year two
In 2007, I asked Adam Davis, a young alum from Drake University, to write about his first year starting out in Hollywood. He’s back with a follow-up.
As of a few weeks ago, I’ve been living, working, and scraping by in Los Angeles for two years. Looking back is an interesting thing, because for me it all seems more daunting after the fact. It brings up thoughts of “Wow, I got to work on that?”, “Gosh, was I naive,” or “I put up with that for how long?” Some of the jobs I’ve had have been badges of honor, others, badges of courage. But everything, good and bad, has been a master’s course in the film industry and life.
So where did I leave off in the last post? Ah, an indie film, fifty dollars a day. After that I jumped on to another project as a set PA, a beach volleyball movie which shot, appropriately, on a beach for a month. Every time I watch Lost, I have the utmost sympathy for that crew because trudging through the sand for twelve hours a day is rough. Probably the fittest I’ve ever been though. At the end of that grueling shoot was an opportunity I didn’t think I’d be so lucky to get. The line producer asked me if I wanted to be the director’s assistant for an indy horror feature he was prepping. As an aspiring feature director myself, this was the holy grail of jobs.
Being very hands-on in the pre-production process was a great learning experience. I got to be involved in casting, crew interviews, stage rental, set building, scheduling. The director was a first-timer, so there was a lot of trial and error. I learned what to do and more importantly, what not to do. I also received my first uncredited, unpaid rewrite on the script, which I’m still proud of. This job happened to take place during the writer’s strike so I was lucky to be working. At the end of 2007, I was riding high on good feelings and a good credit.
The strike
Then 2008 came and work was slow. Really slow. Fallout from the writer’s strike hit productions hard, and after a full month and a half of not working, I began to stress out a bit. I couldn’t imagine having to get a normal job, but it was looming over me. Luckily, I was invited to PA on The Remnants for John, which honestly was one of the better shoots I worked on in 2008. After that, the ball got rolling again with back-to-back work on a couple of Hallmark MOW’s.
At this point in my career, these two PA jobs were crucial because I found out that I wasn’t learning anything new anymore. I was pretty good at PA’ing, but it was no longer a challenge. I was feeling starved to create something of my own. I hadn’t directed anything since college because I was so concerned about being able to subsist on PA wages and get steady work. I had finally accomplished that. I hadn’t applied to a job for almost a year because my contacts were broad enough that I was getting calls for work often. I was writing, but only on weekends because that was all I had time for. Working fourteen hours a day, sometimes six days a week left me no time to do what truly makes me happy.
So in the spring, after the second Hallmark gig, I adapted a short I wrote my junior year of college into a pilot for a sci-fi web series. I used my friends and contacts to gather a crew, auditioned actors willing to work for meals and credit, rented some equipment, and produced it. It was my first time working with trained (and good) actors and a knowledgeable crew. It was stressful and strenuous, but on the drive home from Burbank after we wrapped, I was happier and more excited than I had been in years. I once again knew I was on the right path and my place in the world was set. It was exactly the boost I needed.
Going back home, for work
The next big job I got was something of a long shot. Back in Minnesota, my dad had crew members from the new Coen Brothers movie scouting his work for a location. Of course, being the wonderful man he is, he tried pitching me to them and handed off my resume for consideration. Figuring they’d just toss it, I asked around, got some email addresses, and sent off a cover letter and resume of my own. Amazingly, I got called in for an interview and was told that if I wanted to work in my hometown for a month, they’d be happy to have me. I flew home, surprised my parents and indulged myself in homemade meals. Being able to observe the Coen’s in action was an experience I’ll never forget. The way the crew worked, how silent the set was, how great everyone was, that’s something I’m going to try to emulate as much as possible on my sets.
Strangely, during the month away, I started missing L.A. I had the itch to get back. It slowly becoming winter in Minnesota didn’t help, so I hightailed it back and got my last job of 2008 as a PA/Driver on a new P. Diddy reality show. During the hours spent sitting in my minivan, something vague crystallized itself in my mind: I didn’t want to PA anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I regret not one single job I had. All of them were great learning experiences, I made some friends, got solid contacts, and learned the ins and outs of production which will benefit me in my directing career. But at this point, I believed it was the wrong path to continue heading down. I needed more time. Time at night to write, time on weekends to shoot. I needed something steady, something I could work my way up in so if none of my dreams came true, I’d at least have a career. I needed to be able to make more contacts on the development and agency side for when I was ready to think about getting an agent.
Marvel
Overall, I needed a more well-rounded life. The true epiphany came when my dad told me that I couldn’t keep living like a monk, just working, coming home, writing, watching movies. I needed to grow. So I decided to contact an old friend at Marvel and see if there was anything going on. I learned that they needed some help with their move to new facilities in the new year, so I was hired on. I eventually got hired into a full-time position and that’s where I’m sitting at today. I got exactly what I wanted and needed, which doesn’t always happen in life. I’ve got a steady job, which is a true blessing in these times and enough extra time to write and start producing. I’m doing what I’ve never been able to: write every single day. I’m working on a new feature, but most of my time is spent retooling my sci-fi web series with a new concept. Right now I’m writing the first thirteen episodes, and in a few months I and my creative team will start casting with the goal of self-producing and self-distributing on a shoe-string budget.
Truthfully, in the back of my mind, I’ve always had the slightly “tortured artist” mentality, like I needed to be miserable in one part of my life in order to be creative. But now, I’m busy working, writing, having a social life, dating, having more fun and I’ve never been more productive. I don’t know what wisdom I can impart on anyone. Each person’s path and situation is different. But for me, I had to really listen to what the small voice inside was saying. I had to look at myself in the mirror, find out my truth, what would be the best for me and go after it, leaping over detours as they came. After two years, I feel like I’m still very much in the beginning stages. But it’s being here that’s teaching me everything I’ll need to propel to the next plateau. I know I’m on my way, the right path materializing with every step I take. And I’m taking them. To crib a classic Marvel line: ‘Nuff said. At least for now.
Articles
April 1st, 2009 at 8:20 am
DANG Adam front page… power to ya!
April 1st, 2009 at 8:51 am
Congratulations. You’ve already made it in my book. Happy in your work is the Holy Grail. That and having dreams. Both seem in place. Well done. J.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am
Reminds me of my first few years in L.A. — though I never went at it as vigorously as Adam. The part that rings truest is the epiphany about having time and energy to write. Most of the jobs available to young people in Hollywood will leave you with very little time and less energy. (I felt incredibly liberated when I switched from PAing to a network desk job that was only 50 hours a week.) I’ve only become truly focused on my screenwriting since I stopped working in the industry.
At the end of the day, you really have to think about what’s more important — making contacts, or developing your craft. Working nonstop in the trenches will build up your rolodex (assuming you’re a good networker), but it won’t do anything for the quality of your material. Contacts can be fleeting; people move, quit the business, or don’t return your calls. The time and energy you put into your writing, on the other hand, can never be taken away.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Probably don’t want to admit you did rewrite work on a movie during the writer’s strike.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:16 am
Adam,
Wikipedia defines work ethic (in part) as a set of values based on hard work and diligence. The last two years are indicative of your appreciation for the respected Midwestern work ethic.
At the same time, I’d like to coin a new phrase that I think might even better define you: “Passion Ethic.” You have followed your dreams, and when they became a reality you went in search of new dreams. That’s so very cool!
April 1st, 2009 at 10:58 am
Thank you for helping out the young people John. From the bottom of the industry barrel, we salute you.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am
Just to clarify the rewrite issue brought up by Anonymouth, the work I did on the script was completed in early-October, before the strike began on November 5th.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:12 am
@Anonymouth,
If the low budget horror was really low budget, it probably wasn’t WGA signatory. And he wasn’t a WGA member. Not scabbing.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:53 pm
To get to a position he likes in two years AND land his story on JohnAugust.com? The kid is movin’.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Curious…what type of job do you have at Marvel. Assistant on a creative desk? Do you really view it as a backup if the writing/directing didn’t work out?
April 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Good post. Like many of the other commentators I too had many of these sorts of PA jobs.
I’m not much of a networker but I never really found any of the “contacts” I made working PA type jobs were much help for my writing. All the writing contacts I’ve made have been by approaching people as a “writer”.
It sounds like Adam has the right idea, though, he worked it for a couple of years and got out of it what he could and then moved on. That’s really good advice.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Remember, being a P.A. gets you nowhere. If you want to be a writer/director you must make your own movies and not work on others. You will only be thought of and respected as a filmmaker if you are a filmmaker. Make short films, even if they are on the cheap. A good short film can be just as good as a feature script, particularly if the short can be adapted into a feature-length project. You might not make any money off the short, but you’ll gain something more valuable: A CAREER.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Inspirational post, Adam. I’ve been in the LA area for about as long as you had, so I can relate (although I work in aerospace). Hope you check in on John’s blog every now and then so I can follow your budding career. Or maybe I can follow you on twitter or something? Anyway, good luck!
April 1st, 2009 at 10:43 pm
@Brian: Feel free to twitter me at AdamCC
April 1st, 2009 at 11:00 pm
@Adam: I will start to twitter you too– it’s good to know what my life might be looking like next year as I start my 2nd year in LA.
It’s good to know that a much more experienced PA had the same struggles at the beginning of the year (though I guess that was 2008?) Trying really hard to keep my spirits up as I job search for the 3rd month in a row.
I figure there won’t be (m)any TV PA jobs until at least May. Am I right?
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:28 am
I’m Adam’s dad. He’s pretty modest about the Coen film. It was actually Joel and Ethan (along with about eight other members of their team) who scouted out the old mansion where I work. Unfortunately, our location wasn’t what they were seeking for one of the rabbi’s offices, but their location guy Tyson was happy to take Adam’s resume, and most likely passed it on.
But I don’t know if Adam would have gotten the job if he hadn’t followed up in L.A. And yes, he did show up on our doorstep one night right before dinner with no prior notice, the little sneak!
The Coens and their team were interesting to watch. As soon as they came in the front door, they fanned out all over the place. Everyone had their own job to do. Joel and Ethan were wearing everyday clothes (I think jeans and t-shirts) and if you didn’t know who they were, you couldn’t have picked them out. They were that humble. No kissing up to them by the rest of their team, either. Very professional, very intense group.
The place I work at is BLIND, Inc. It’s a national training center for blind people located in the Charles S. Pillsbury mansion in south Minneapolis. Ever so often our building gets used as a movie set. A number of ads have been shot there too. If you want to see what it looks like on the inside, check out the board of directors scene near the end of Mighty Ducks III. The exterior also shows up periodically on Days of Our Lives.
Adam’s a great guy, and he does work his butt off out there. Thanks, John, for being such a great mentor!
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
This all sort of comes off sounding like Voltaire’s CANDIDE.
But I’ve always been an asshole…
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
Huge fan, long time reader- thanks for doing this.
A very well-known talk show host who has done a few movies read my script and wants to do it. He has done a couple of interviews talking about upcoming projects, mentioning the director and myself, but only my first name. He stated he is currently in talks with a major studio.
My questions are: 1 Is this a good indication that the movie will get made? 2 If so, can I use the buzz to my advantage to negotiate a good price for the script? 3 This is my first- how much will I get paid, as a % of the budget?
Thanks!
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I’m the writer-director of that first indie film Adam PA-ed when he came out from Iowa, ENTRY LEVEL. I don’t know if that one was a badge of honor, courage, or something else, but I certainly remember Adam hustling a lot on the set. (He shows up in a brief scene where he steals D.B. Sweeney’s sandwich.)
It seems like a long time ago now. It was nice to come across his post (on my favorite screenwriting blog, no less) and see that he’s made such progress in just a couple short years. Way to go, Adam!
I don’t think people can or should float around as a PA forever, but as far as ways into the industry go, if you’re fresh in town from the Midwest, busting your hump every day for a couple years is a great way to learn part of the business, make contacts, and start off toward a career. Keep writing and learning the other side of the business at a desk.
I hope to see big things from Adam one day. I don’t think anyone will be able to accuse him of not paying his dues.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Great job Adam! Thanks for the update, John.
April 4th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
As a down and out PA in New York, your story is inspiring. I’ve only been doing it a few months now, and it’s difficult when you’re there’s no work for sometimes a month at a time, no one is returning your calls, and the industry seems so big you’ll never be able to tackle it. It’s good to know that it is actually possible. And that I don’t have to start handing my resume out at restaurants and video stores.
You did it, man. Congratulations. I hope a year from now my story will somewhat resemble yours. Job well done.
April 4th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
…I guess I should start saying “DVD stores,” huh?
April 7th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Random question for Adam or John:
Obv. you seem to advocate that moving out to LA is the best option for someone who wants to work in the movie business, whether as a writer, director, or studio suit etc.
I’m curious if you would offer that same advice to someone who wasn’t fresh out of college and in their early 20’s?
I.E. Do you think that advice still holds for say a 31 or 32 year old living in Portland who graduated from college at 28 compared to the 22 year old who just graduated from NYU? I’ve heard from many that being an assistant is pretty much reserved for recent college grads or young 20 somethings.
Does the industry tend to look down upon hiring people 30+ for those same assistant positions?
Do you think it is possible to work your way up the system at a studio/production company/agency/management company starting in your 30s compared to your 20s?
Obviously anyone can be a writer or director anywhere…but it seems like many move to LA in part to make contacts, be around similar minded people(film), and possibly land a backup career in film if the writing or directing doesn’t work out.
Thoughts?
April 7th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Adam, during your rewrite, did you change the structure of the scenes any or the order of the scenes? Did you deconstruction the scenes to a board of 3×5 cards? How many passes did you do and what was each passes purpose?
Eric
April 14th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Adam, I’m a 44 yr. old retired cop, barely stepping into the Hollywood pool through writing. It’s a big pool, and right now it looks more like an ocean to me.
Thanks for your story and updates. I can now see someone (you) waving from the deep-end, telling me that the water’s cold at first, but ok.
Positive Energy Bro!