Comments on: Why do LA people suck?

By: Pippy

Pippy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:19:15 +0000

Do you give your name at these parties, or just go with ‘Anonymous’?

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:50:19 +0000

@Korin

...pretty funny.

By: Crystal Diane Stevens

Crystal Diane Stevens — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:57:45 +0000

Korin, you prefer wannabes to spread their legs (or ass cheeks) instead?

By: Korin

Korin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:01:25 +0000

If I saw someone making an effort to hand out ten business cards at a party, I would definitely remember that person — as a douche.

By: David Dittell

David Dittell — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:18:24 +0000

John,

Great, practical advice. You're really only in charge of yourself -- if other people flake out, ignore you, or "stab you in the back," there's not much you can do about them other than to move on.

Feel free to ask people for help if you need it and you've otherwise done what's needed. Don't send a script that could get better to the guy who can get you an agent; get it good enough first because he's putting his reputation on the line for you. (on the flip side, also don't never ask for fear of not being ready -- you have to find that line.)

By: jamesd

jamesd — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:19:15 +0000

If you regard the movies as a business, you really can't expect any more personal consideration than you'd get in oil drilling or fast-food marketing. The fact that so much success in L.A. or NY is based on "who you know" doesn't alter that basic fact, it only increases the back-stabbing or the sting of indifference because relationships are so much more important.

Also bear in mind that very few people will want to help someone more talented or more intelligent than they are. That sort of generosity may come from a patron, but rarely from a competitor, or potential competitor.

By: the queen

the queen — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:41:37 +0000

I honestly believe in people are your mirrors, whatever you put out there you get back or in other words their behavior is a response to your actions. If you want people in your life who are superficial and keep going to their parties to get something from them, that’s exactly what you get in return superficiality, a knife in your back and so on. This is what works for me, life is what you make of it. If you keep manifesting good people in your life and put that energy out there, that’s what you get back. Like a car you love and all of a sudden you see it in every corner. If people always get stabbed in the back, maybe they should look at why this is happening to them. Most people just make the same mistakes all over again in their life with relationships and everything else. If you don’t like it, change it. I work in the industry and I do have friends, lots of friends…yes real ones even in the industry. When I moved to LA from europe I had a lot of superficial friends, which I didn’t know at that point. So I completely understand where most people here come from. A lot of people in the industry can be liars, using people…why u stick around them..cause you wanna use them too, to get your scripts read and movies sold.

By: Crystal Diane Stevens

Crystal Diane Stevens — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:03:46 +0000

It is specific to the industry. Virtually everyone in the film business is a liar. They’ll lie about anything. I’m also in the publishing business and it’s funny how people in the publishing business are so straight-forward whereas it’s lies galore in the film business. Also, writers of books are far more secure and less psychotic than writers of scripts.

By: Ryan Paige

Ryan Paige — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:08:52 +0000

I assumed it was Ethan because it was written the day after an episode of “Lost” aired (and Ethan Rom or Ethan Goodspeed would’ve been too obvious).

By: Chris Danvers

Chris Danvers — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:32:14 +0000

Thanks for answering this question John. I would have thought that this question is something that you or most people would just have to ignore, But that was an insightful response. I too have plenty of trouble feeling good about such casual friendships and I constantly fight that downheartenedness that comes with that. And yeah i think its life unfortunately, though LA (and the industry) might be a microcosm of that. That was the type of rant I would avoid writing, and try and put out of mind, yet your response is all great advice.

A few of the commenter's here have displayed a more what-I-expected answer to Anon's issues.

By: Emily Carmichael

Emily Carmichael — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:50:04 +0000

I’m just charmed by the fact that the theoretical Important Person had the generic last name of Someguy, but John was very very sure his first name was Ethan. It’s always some Ethan or other, isn’t it?