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Thread summary:

Moving to California: Los Angeles, entertainment industry, relocation, apartment, rental.

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Old 07-12-2007, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
13 posts, read 79,713 times
Reputation: 27

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Hi there--first time post. I'm in my mid-to-late 20's and have been mulling the idea of moving out to LA for many years now and stumbled upon this forum (ah, the beauty of Google).

I just spent an hour searching and reading old posts and holy hell, there are some really negative opinions about LA. I am wondering if it is really that bad?? I have a huge network of two people in LA and they have never expressed such negativity towards it (granted, one lives in Sherman Oaks and the other in Santa Monica).

I guess some of these posts have me a bit freaked out about the thought of moving there. I am originally from NorCal, spent ten years growing up there, then the rest of my life in VA and now DC.

I've read a ton of comments about how LA people are shallow, conceited, and a-hole individuals. I wonder how that is any different than people in the DC area? Out here, nearly 80% of people have a college degree and therefore act as if they are smarter than everyone else, when really, everyone is on the same playing field.

I want to work in the entertainment industry (in a production capacity) and fully understand how shallow I expect it to be. I don't think I have have the naive notion that it will be easy to break into, but that isn't why I want to do it. But I figure there have got to be a few smart, intelligent individuals in a city of 3 million people who I relate to. Am I out of my mind thinking this? Here in DC, there are tons of people going through the same stuff I am going through. There's lots of little cool neighborhoods where I can see people my own age. Is there anything like that out in LA?

And if anyone who has moved from DC, how does it compare in your eyes? I feel like LA is the place I need to be just due to the sheer amount of potential entertainment work (DC has barely any), but at the same time, I guess I'd like to think there are some positives to it.
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Old 07-12-2007, 04:00 PM
 
24 posts, read 99,836 times
Reputation: 22
If you're scared about the negative posts on here, realize this is a relocation forum, so a lot of the posts are just skewed away from the positive. People are more likely to complain about things on the internet than give neutral or positive thoughts or opinions, and sometimes this forum seems like one huge exercise in cognitive dissonance. Most of the things people complain about are things that are practically in the LA brochure, so it seems silly to complain about them. "LA traffic is so bad! It's so expensive to live here, I can't afford a house! There are immigrants everywhere!" Uh, yeah, everyone in America knows that already. If you don't like it, then move. Not like this place is crowded enough already.

That being said people seem to either love it or hate it. Most of the people I hang out with are the love it types, but I get tired of listening to transplants ripping on the city when they chose to move here in the first place. I work in the entertainment industry too and I guess a lot of people feel like they "have" to live here to make it in that field, so it's not like they really chose to live here.

As a young, single guy I love it here because LA has everything I could possibly want to see or do. It's almost like a microcosm of the world in one city. There's always something to do, it's like it's impossible to get bored here. The weather is as close to perfect as you can get, and I didn't realize how big an effect that has on my mood and willingness to get out of the house and do things.

If you're going to move here I recommend staying for a bit to see if you like the vibe, though...
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Old 07-12-2007, 04:14 PM
 
491 posts, read 2,287,217 times
Reputation: 541
Free forums tend to attract compulsives (like myself), and trolls or those with trollish tendencies. Trolling means writing intentionally antagonistic posts. That's a lot of what you're seeing here. If you dig deeper, you'll find there are a few non-trolls who are just unhappy to live here. Maybe they're also compulsive and can't help themselves coming here complaining all the time.

Don't freak out. It all depends on the individual. You make your life what you put out there. Come on out and enjoy everything this area has to offer - it's a lot!
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Old 07-12-2007, 05:36 PM
 
16 posts, read 88,938 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monskwar View Post
Hi there--first time post. I'm in my mid-to-late 20's and have been mulling the idea of moving out to LA for many years now and stumbled upon this forum (ah, the beauty of Google).

I just spent an hour searching and reading old posts and holy hell, there are some really negative opinions about LA. I am wondering if it is really that bad?? I have a huge network of two people in LA and they have never expressed such negativity towards it (granted, one lives in Sherman Oaks and the other in Santa Monica).

I guess some of these posts have me a bit freaked out about the thought of moving there. I am originally from NorCal, spent ten years growing up there, then the rest of my life in VA and now DC.

I've read a ton of comments about how LA people are shallow, conceited, and a-hole individuals. I wonder how that is any different than people in the DC area? Out here, nearly 80% of people have a college degree and therefore act as if they are smarter than everyone else, when really, everyone is on the same playing field.

I want to work in the entertainment industry (in a production capacity) and fully understand how shallow I expect it to be. I don't think I have have the naive notion that it will be easy to break into, but that isn't why I want to do it. But I figure there have got to be a few smart, intelligent individuals in a city of 3 million people who I relate to. Am I out of my mind thinking this? Here in DC, there are tons of people going through the same stuff I am going through. There's lots of little cool neighborhoods where I can see people my own age. Is there anything like that out in LA?

And if anyone who has moved from DC, how does it compare in your eyes? I feel like LA is the place I need to be just due to the sheer amount of potential entertainment work (DC has barely any), but at the same time, I guess I'd like to think there are some positives to it.
I'm not a Californian native, I relocated to LA less than 2 years ago, and even though I complaint sometimes about the traffic and high housing cost, I'm liking it here. You can find EVERYTHING in LA; shopping, dinning, clubbing, etc, etc... Many talk about the bad traffic and the high crime rate, but what big city doesn't have that problem? Look at Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, even Atlanta!! those cities aren't as nice as L.A, have very high crime rate, and traffic is horrible. At least in L.A, traffic is bad because of the overcrowding, not because some old folk decided to drive 30 MPH. Also, food is way cheaper in California than in any other states.I used to live in Tennessee, and I was never able to find $0.99 cents/lb for watermelons (yeah! I love watermelons). I don't know about other people, but I love L.A's cultural diversity. You'll be able to see all types of ethnicities, different cultures, their food, style of living, etc.

Shallowness in the entertainment industry? It really depends. My fiancee is in the entertainment industry and depends on what you do, people can be very friendly or @-holes. You can be an engineer who makes $80K-$120K and play basketball with Adam Sandler or talk to Spiderman about video games (and they make millions $$). OR you can be looked down by one of the nobodies from Heroes. You'll find all type of people, whether you are in DC or LA, entertainment or finance industry, US or France.

You have to live in L.A and judge it yourself. People have different opinions about the city, some like it, some hate it. I personally like it, I can get sushi at 2am , be at the beach in less than 30 minutes , and do a lot of other things that I won't be able to find in other cities. Crime? I live in Pasadena, and so far, the only "crime" I've witnessed was on TV (thanks God) and Pasadena's crime supposed to be high. Well, so far, I'm comfortable here and I wouldn't mind living in L.A for the rest of my life, unless not until I get too tired of the city life, though I doubt my fiancee would ever want move out of CA.

Last edited by c00kies; 07-12-2007 at 05:56 PM..
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Old 07-12-2007, 06:00 PM
 
1,398 posts, read 6,599,050 times
Reputation: 1838
Monskwar, I'm not from DC and in fact a five decade resident of L.A., and one of the "realistic" posters here. You touched upon the one area that I encourage for relocation to L.A., that of planning to work in the entertainment industry. That is a realistic goal here: one might as well be in a "company town." Try to find an apartment in Studio City or Burbank near the studios in order to network with your future peers. Otherwise, try to get a feel for the better neighborhoods in Hollywood, and you'll find your age demographic there.

You are not going to find the same caliber of educated people that DC attracts. Here are City-data's own stats for Los Angeles:
High school or higher: 66.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 25.5%
Graduate or professional degree: 9.1%

Currently, the high school dropout rate is 44% for all students, possibly because the majority of students lack the English language in their home environment. One third of Los Angeles is foreign born.
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Old 07-12-2007, 06:01 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati
1,749 posts, read 8,326,515 times
Reputation: 784
Until I discovered this forum, I'd never encountered such negativity in or about Los Angeles. I understand every part of the internet has trolls. We have some resident posters who seem to have dead-end lives and blame all their problems on Los Angeles. The other ones are people who don't belong in a huge city (which Los Angeles obviously is) and need to move to the boonies pronto. I'm a positive person and water generally seeks it's own level so I mostly run across positive people.

Being young in L.A. is sensational. You've got different neighborhoods seasoned exactly to your taste, depending on what you seek. The Entertainment industry here is all about getting a foot in somewhere, working a little, meeting people, working some more...and presto! If you're smart, dependable and adaptable, you'll find a place. There are a tsunami of opportunities available if you apply yourself.

Regarding stuck-up people in L.A., I find this a sweeping generalisation. I've traveled a lot and I'll tell you it's about as accurate as saying all New Yorkers are rude...which they aren't, they're just direct. Due to the fact that we're the movie capital of the world, there will always be the "look good" crowd and it spills over somewhat into mainstream and the result is terrible...many people exercise, dress nicely and drive nice cars. No tragedy there. With 10 million people in the L.A. area, it's not difficult to find your own intellectual (or not) niche.
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Old 07-12-2007, 08:29 PM
 
Location: in a house
5,835 posts, read 5,181,783 times
Reputation: 4890
Heard of nepotism? Unless you have strong connections here, you will have your work cut out for you. Not to be negative, but everyone and his brother are in the entertainment industry. The guy scooping your ice cream to the shot puller at Starbucks. That is one of the biggest differences between D.C. and L.A. Make sure you come with lot's of savings, connections, and a strong will to succeed. D.C. is very conservative....L.A. is completely opposite. You may enjoy the difference. Good luck in your new adventure.
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Old 07-12-2007, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
13 posts, read 79,713 times
Reputation: 27
Thanks for the replies, guys. A lot of very encouraging remarks in this thread. It's nice to see some people painting a more positive picture of the area.

I think every town has its pros and cons. I could list a whole truckload of things I hate about living in DC, so I can see how someone could say the same about a city like LA. Then again, if you want me to list some positives, I can do that, too.

I imagine my lifestyle in LA will be similar to DC. The cost of living here is pretty insane. I rent an old apartment that I share with a roommate. There's no way I can afford a house around here, not even working for 5-10 years. So at least my expectations of buying a home in the LA area are non-existant. Traffic is just behind you guys as worst in the nation.

I'm of the belief that you tend to attract similar people to yourself in life--and I've been lucky to meet some individuals along the way that have impressed me. It's nice to know that I'll probably meet a few out there, too. I hope I run into a few of them while trying to get a job in the industry.

Some great comments in here about the LA culture, too. Regarding nepotism...that is everywhere in life. I've experienced it everywhere from highschool to college to my working life in DC. I've worked at big-wig Democratic firms where my boss got his cushy VP job simply because he was related to the founder. That's going to happen anywhere you go in life...I've accepted that and know that I just need to get things done my own way. Heck, I prefer it like that.

fastfilm--thanks for your comments. I've read a few of your posts here and they're very insightful. I'd like to think that it'll help a bit to be in the "company town" in the line of work I want to get involved with. That is pretty much my main interest driver. I'd prefer it if the film industry was located in San Fran (I love it up there), but that's just not the way the cookie crumbles. I plan to explore LA and make the best of it.

Thanks again to all for your replies!
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Old 07-12-2007, 09:30 PM
NDA
 
84 posts, read 432,343 times
Reputation: 44
There are so many many jobs in the entertainment industry. I go to bar-b-ques, social events, church, wherever and I encounter someone in the industry. There are hundreds of behind the camera job. There are more of those jobs then there are acting jobs.

D.C. always puts me in the mind of L.A. Hollywood is L.A and politics are D.C. I spent a summer in D.C. and if you have the drive to make it there, you will make it here. I think D.C. is far tougher then L.A. I'm speaking of working on the hill. It feels like the same energy. People in politics trying to make big moves and people in entertainment trying to make big moves.

Coming from D.C. the expense won't put you off. I think most of the posters that really gripe about L.A. are upset because they can't afford the lifestyle/quality of life they feel they deserve. There is always a money/expensive complaint in the gripe.
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Old 07-12-2007, 09:52 PM
 
Location: in a house
5,835 posts, read 5,181,783 times
Reputation: 4890
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monskwar View Post
Thanks for the replies, guys. A lot of very encouraging remarks in this thread. It's nice to see some people painting a more positive picture of the area.

I think every town has its pros and cons. I could list a whole truckload of things I hate about living in DC, so I can see how someone could say the same about a city like LA. Then again, if you want me to list some positives, I can do that, too.

I imagine my lifestyle in LA will be similar to DC. The cost of living here is pretty insane. I rent an old apartment that I share with a roommate. There's no way I can afford a house around here, not even working for 5-10 years. So at least my expectations of buying a home in the LA area are non-existant. Traffic is just behind you guys as worst in the nation.

I'm of the belief that you tend to attract similar people to yourself in life--and I've been lucky to meet some individuals along the way that have impressed me. It's nice to know that I'll probably meet a few out there, too. I hope I run into a few of them while trying to get a job in the industry.

Some great comments in here about the LA culture, too. Regarding nepotism...that is everywhere in life. I've experienced it everywhere from highschool to college to my working life in DC. I've worked at big-wig Democratic firms where my boss got his cushy VP job simply because he was related to the founder. That's going to happen anywhere you go in life...I've accepted that and know that I just need to get things done my own way. Heck, I prefer it like that.

fastfilm--thanks for your comments. I've read a few of your posts here and they're very insightful. I'd like to think that it'll help a bit to be in the "company town" in the line of work I want to get involved with. That is pretty much my main interest driver. I'd prefer it if the film industry was located in San Fran (I love it up there), but that's just not the way the cookie crumbles. I plan to explore LA and make the best of it.

Thanks again to all for your replies!
Happy to see someone that has their head on straight and their eyes wide open when thinking of coming to Los Angeles to be in the biz. You are not the norm of people pondering their new life here in entertainment. Your healthy self-esteem as well as your positive attitude toward life will get you far. Happy trails.
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