Opinions welcome... (Los Angeles, London: sales, crime, income)

[lola325]

Hey,
I am a 19 year old student in England and I am thinking about moving to LA temporarily in order to gain some experience of working in radio (I am studying a degree in Media Production). I would be hugely grateful for any advice or opinions on weather this is a good move. I would only be moving for a year maximum unless I got a dream job but I have read a lot on this forum on how bad living in LA is and would like people's thoughts

Thanks, Lola

[miracle]

If your name is Lola probably you will be very welcome in this city.....

[puffle]

Originally Posted by lola325

Hey,
I am a 19 year old student in England and I am thinking about moving to LA temporarily in order to gain some experience of working in radio (I am studying a degree in Media Production). I would be hugely grateful for any advice or opinions on weather this is a good move. I would only be moving for a year maximum unless I got a dream job but I have read a lot on this forum on how bad living in LA is and would like people's thoughts

Thanks, Lola

Lola, If it was so bad here, why would so many live here? If you have a guaranteed job and income BEFORE you get here, then go for it! Los Angeles is a very large area, not a concentrated crime zone as many suggest! Lots of drama on this site. It's a playground for young people and even though they may not be millionaires as so many suggest you need to be to live here, they do just fine as any city. Don't be afraid or discouraged to follow your dreams. It might be easier to get a radio gig in a smaller state/town though. Many well known radio people usually start at the bottom in some MidWest town to get their experience and hone their skills. Los Angeles is a very hard town to break into in the media field unless you know some powerful people. Good luck to you.

[fastfilm]

Hey Lola, I am seconding puffle's assertion that L.A. is not a "break into the business" place for radio. If you are willing to work for free as an intern, that might be your option here, and solve some green card issues concurrently. This is a "break into the biz" place for film/tv production (also by working for free initially until one can join the unions,) and a British accent still has some cachet in the entertainment business overall. But broadcast radio, particularly with its new definitions within its competition with satellite radio, is a separate animal, and one doesn't begin it here.

Are you used to London prices for cost of living? Go by that comparison here, or else you will end up living the dangerous places.

[miracle]

The most dangerous places Ive been in London are Harrods at Xmas Sales and Trafalgar Square at New Year Eve....loooooooooool. Not really, what I mean is that crime is not the same here than in Europe, one of the most dangerous city in the USA is Los Angeles, and the USA is the most dangerous country which a strong economy, in London you can be robbed, your car can be stolen, or even you can be a victim of a serious sexual offence, but in London worst areas the level of people carrying a fire gun is not that much as here in the USA, so crime is very different. Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, some areas of New York and NE Jersey are more similar in crime terms to Bogota, Rio or Mexico City than to London, Paris, Madrid or Rome, here you can be shot in certain areas.

After all, its true that very hard crime is located in a very defined area, downtown, and everywhere inmediately around to the east, north and south.