In your opinion, does a feature scriptwriter need to live in the Los Angeles
area to be fairly active in the business and sell work?
–K. Strom
Yes. As much as I want to believe that a fledgling screenwriter in Scranton,
PA, can take the industry by storm, the majority of writers working in studio feature films live and work in Los Angeles, at least in the early stages of
their career.
Could you do it in London? Sure. New York? Probably. Could you just commute
back and forth to LA, spending most of your time somewhere else? Maybe.
The real question is should you, K. Strom, move from wherever you live to
Los Angeles? That’s the $1000 question, and one that’s been raised at least
half a dozen times in the three years I’ve been writing this column. Basically,
if your life’s dream is to become a giant Hollywood screenwriter, then you
need to live in Hollywood. If you have different goals — indie films, for
example — your options are much more open.