If screenwriting is going to pay 100% of your bills, LA is where they make movies that pay bills and if you get your foot in the door, they are going to want to meet in person, and more importantly you are going to want to meet in person. While I certainly think it's possible to make a living as a screenwriter elsewhere, that might realistically be possible only AFTER moving to LA, establishing yourself, and then moving away once you're established. Link: The Big Shoe - Josh Hallman's video blog
If we're so lucky.ĭo you have any pitches posted online? How do you think Skype, FaceTime and other online "face-to-face" communication tools impact where professional screenwriters can ultimately live? Share with us in the Comments. But for those of us who can't or choose not to live in Los Angeles, we'll eventually find ourselves there to take a meeting. In all honesty, I think to become a professional screenwriter, you will need some sort of presence in Los Angeles. And if the pitch doesn't work, you could always post some or all of your screenplay online as a writing sample.
With virtual connections and meetings happening so much more frequently nowadays, posting a pitch for your screenplay online may be one of the best tools to promote your work. Heck, for NFS, I've never met Koo, Joe, or any of the other contributors to this blog in person - we just talk over HipChat (although Ryan and I have spoken over the phone. How long will this have to be the case, though? As the next generation of junior executives rises through the industry ranks - a generation raised on YouTube and Skype, tweets and txt msgs - perhaps face-to-face meetings in Los Angeles will become less important.