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Old 10-16-2014, 12:50 AM
 
822 posts, read 1,283,643 times
Reputation: 658

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431 View Post
I'm in law school and plan on doing legal aid work. I've worked with domestic violence victims and immigration before. Yes, Hollywood is soul-crushing if you don't make it. Every day you wait for your big break, waiting tables, struggling to pay rent. For me, making a name for myself and connections in Austin and Nashville seems more sensible. Lower financial risk if it fails and not as much competition as in LA. And if you can't make it there, maybe it's just not meant to be. That's my 2 cents. Apparently nobody likes my opinion, but it's my opinion. Take it or leave it.
Yes but the crème de la crème in entertainment do it in Hollywood or the Big Apple. You are more risk averse and smarter than most aspiring entertainers given your pursuit of a JD to fund your real passion. Others are not able to do that or just don't have the mental bandwith to do anything else not that acting or singing is low IQ. I suggest pursuing higher billing legal work as that would give you more flexibility to finance your entertainment ambitions. My theory is your can alternatively help people by donating money instead of time since you seem inclined to want to help others with your legal background.
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Old 10-16-2014, 12:56 AM
 
Location: LA, CA/ In This Time and Place
5,443 posts, read 4,675,432 times
Reputation: 5117
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nene1304 View Post
I'm a singer and really thinking about moving to Los Angeles to further jump my career. I love Houston, the cost of living & all, but I'm trying to become fearless & pursue my dreams that are bigger than my fear. I don't know what I'm up against moving to another state & alone, but I have to believe in myself or no one else will. I'm looking for advice on the cost of living, how I could survive on my own since I won't be near my parents anymore. I want to be smart about this but brave too! Please be nice haha
I would say why not make some demos and send it to some record labels in LA before moving and see what kind of feedback you will get ? Do your research and depending on the type of music, send to different record labels. Not saying you should not move but look into what labels your favorite artists are signed to and send. I don't want you to sing in bars for years, take the bull by its horns head on! Good luck!
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Old 10-16-2014, 10:55 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,333 times
Reputation: 15
@jessemh431 totally feel where you're coming from!!! @jamills21 lol well aren't you just the most positive soul , you should probably keep suggestions like that to yourself when you don't know the person personally being you don't fully know how I'll reciprocate this information from ppl who actually live there. But in a sense, it's understandable that since you don't know me personally you would assume I'm being gullible to the suggestions! No, not really... But Peace
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Old 10-16-2014, 11:02 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,333 times
Reputation: 15
@Nema98 doesn't sound like a bad idea, only thing is, I've heard of demo's not even making it to the CEO table without being trashed or listened to. But I do have some connects so I'll use that as my base, foundation to kick things off w/ my EP once I complete it!
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Old 10-21-2014, 08:04 PM
 
1,068 posts, read 1,441,755 times
Reputation: 1205
Better do it and if you regret it deal with it, rather than regret not doing it for the rest of your life.

I say GO FOR IT!

Just be smart about it, and try to have a financial cushion in case you need to retreat and reassess your tactics.

Good luck!
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Old 10-22-2014, 08:42 AM
 
368 posts, read 413,038 times
Reputation: 379
The music scene here died out years ago. The days of A&R guys hanging out at The Whisky, Roxy etc waiting to sign the next Van Halen, have been over for a very long time. The Sunset Strip is & has been in the process of being sold out to real estate developers for years. Hordes & hordes of musicians packed up & moved to Vegas / Nashville many moons ago. Tribute bands are kinda the en-vogue thing here but even they make all their $ doing fly in gigs everywhere else across the country. Sure, you can move out here & pay to play at The Whisky, Viper Room etc but Im telling you straight up, youre wasting your time. The day & age of West Hollywood churning out rockstars is dead & gone.
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:03 AM
 
22 posts, read 33,845 times
Reputation: 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nene1304 View Post
I'm a singer and really thinking about moving to Los Angeles to further jump my career. I love Houston, the cost of living & all, but I'm trying to become fearless & pursue my dreams that are bigger than my fear. I don't know what I'm up against moving to another state & alone, but I have to believe in myself or no one else will. I'm looking for advice on the cost of living, how I could survive on my own since I won't be near my parents anymore. I want to be smart about this but brave too! Please be nice haha

Go for it... I'm 22.... and I'm moving to LA in January. I have a job offer just to support myself... but I'm going to pursue my dream in acting. Full force.


I'm scared as well.. and I keep thinking about what if it isn't for me... or what if it's too much pressure. What if I never make it and waste my time. I also have a lot of dream killers around so that doesn't help with the fear...

^^^^That's normal to think like this because it's the unknown... but you cannot second guess and you cannot over-think, stop fantasizing and just let it all go.... be courageous.

If something happen it don't work out either move back to Houston... or move somewhere else. I rather fail at something than to sit and think about where I COULD HAVE been.

I went to visit LA by myself in August... and the city is so inspiring. You will definitely be so motivated to make it happen in LA. I've lived in NYC for a few months... and that's another city that's really inspiring as well. Dreams come true in both cities.

Oh, and I read a comment above that said the music scene died in LA years ago...lmao. That's definitely FALSE. Almost all of the major record labels are in LA... all of the big time producers have homes in LA and find a lot of talent in LA. The music scene is not DEAD there. You're doing the right thing... by getting close to the sources which are in LA. You have a better chance at getting discovered in LA than in HOUSTON! Even though Houston was developing a music scene for a little while...

But I say Go for it... remember what's FOR YOU!!! IS FOR YOU! Good luck.
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Old 10-22-2014, 05:17 PM
 
368 posts, read 413,038 times
Reputation: 379
Quote:
Originally Posted by HaneDough View Post
Go for it... I'm 22.... and I'm moving to LA in January.

Oh, and I read a comment above that said the music scene died in LA years ago...lmao. That's definitely FALSE. Almost all of the major record labels are in LA... all of the big time producers have homes in LA and find a lot of talent in LA. The music scene is not DEAD there. .
I was hanging out on The Strip & ALL the West Hollywood rock clubs before you were even thought of I was THERE when it was THE scene & that scene is DEAD & has been for MANY years but, Im glad you think you know it all from reading about it on the internet. Unfrickenbelievable. Haha LOS ANGELES IS NOT THE BREEDING GROUND FOR ROCKSTARS ANYMORE!!!!! Youll definitely find that out on your own.

This city is littered w/ unending hordes of musicians (vastly untalented) willing to gig for FREE, free beer or give their music away (film/TV placements, for example) just for a mere glimmer of exposure & in the end, 1 artist out 100000000s may just land a break. A winning Powerball ticket would be more feasible. If you consider the same bunch of hobos strumming their guitars & pretending to be the next Joni Mitchell / Cat Stevens at every bar from Silver Lake to The Troubadour a "scene", well then....
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Old 10-22-2014, 08:15 PM
 
65 posts, read 90,099 times
Reputation: 35
Oh nice move. I really dont like houston. Alot morw job opportunities in LA though. Especially if you into modeling acting or anything like dat
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Old 10-22-2014, 11:22 PM
 
10,097 posts, read 10,003,408 times
Reputation: 5225
Quote:
Your basic trade-off is this. In a place like LA, you'll meet a lot of quite talented people that can help you make your art better, but, you'll be spending a lot of time surviving economically, which distracts from your art. And, you won't make any money because the competition is so fierce and there are so many people willing to work for free.
This this and this ^^^

If you come of to LA the best chances of you making it all in the industry is if you can get over the biggest hurdle; the cost of living. Most of the major stars of the past have made it because at one point LA was cheaper and wages somewhat kept pace with inflation, by the 2000s, living in LA has become so expensive, you need two jobs to live in a two bedroom with a roommate. That's how bad it is.

My good friend is busting into the industry quite well actually but you know how he did it? He's rich and his dad bought him a condo. He makes extra cash renting his rooms out. He doesn't work a full or part time job. He spent all his waking hours doing stand up and shorts and bit roles on tv. It took him five years but he caught a big break.

Now here's the caveat to all this. I hate to say this about him, I really do, but he's ok at comedy and a mediocre actor. The only reason why he got ahead of everyone else is because he took advantage of every single bit of spare time he had.

The competition is fierce but I wouldn't say its super fierce like NYC in terms of quality. I think its just that the sheer number of people trying to get a coveted slot is so overwhelming, and only about less than 3/4 is actually talented. The rest are terrible. But some dolt might get ahead of you in the line because he's wafting from couch to couch, living on ramen and utilizing his unemployed time to get gigs.

So unless you want to eek it out doing a fifteen hour job sharing a two bedroom with six other people, you should find a way to get rich and then move here.

Or you could move here find a job and work your way up earning a salary and live like a normal human being but pursuing your art on the side and break in super slow, I'm talking a decade or so.

Sorry to be so blunt but the media does a poor job of telling the youth that the industry is cruel and pretty random when choosing its winners
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