Why did you decide to move to Los Angeles?
I want to work in the motion picture business. That leaves
me with three realistic options: New York, London, and Los
Angeles. New York is too cold, and London is too hard for
non-Europeans to work in legally, so LA became my choice
by default. I wasn’t sure I would like it, but after
a few tentative visits, I was hooked!
How did you get started in LA?
I spent my first 5 weeks here assisting for a directing
class at my college's Semester in LA program, which was
on the CBS studio lot.
What was the most valuable part of your experience?
I emerged with a new mentor, a 73-year-old cinematographer
named Isidore Mankofsky. He shot The Muppet Movie, Magnum
PI, Somewhere In Time, and a bunch of other stuff. I was
his assistant for the class, and he liked my work so much
that he is now introducing me around and inviting me to
industry functions, including screenings at The Academy.
What is your living situation?
I got an apartment in Studio City. I share a two-bedroom
place with a screenwriter I met at one of the many networking
gatherings that meet around town.
Is it any different than living in Chicago?
I have discovered with horror that Californians do not have
basements! All my life I have had basement storage, and
now I have to somehow cram all that stuff into a couple
closets!
Apart from the lack of storage, what’s your
apartment like?
It’s pretty nice, with granite countertops, in-unit
laundry, and a fireplace, of all things. (What the heck
am I supposed to do with a fireplace in LA? A sno-cone machine
would be more useful.) There's not anything particularly
exciting close to where I live. My building is a couple
blocks from the little church where Ronald & Nancy Reagan
were married. Does that count?
What did you do with your time when you first arrived?
I spent a good bit of time getting settled in and putting
together a home office, and now I am concentrating my energy
on doing the Hollywood networking thing.
How would you describe “The Hollywood Networking
Thing”?
It seems like everyone out here is connected to the entertainment
industry in some way. The sales lady at the mattress store
down the street gave me some job leads. At one of the churches
I visited, the pastor said he just pastored the church on
the side. In his day job he's a director! This town is really
something. I've decided that contacts are the only way to
find a job in a hyper-competitive industry like film.
What are the challenges in finding employment?
Well, it's more difficult for me personally to look for
a job through networking. Traditional methods, like sending
out resumes, are easy and safe. I'm finding it not easy
to walk up to people I don't know and start promoting myself.
It is easy to let opportunities slide on past me because
I'm scared to stick my neck out. Hopefully I will get better
with practice. Each small victory gives me a little more
confidence. Business is starting to pick up and I've done
a couple freebie shoots.
What’s your best Hollywood story so far?
There are two great stories. First, I had my first paying
shoot a few weeks ago. I was an assistant on a segment for
ABC Primetime Monday, about Reality Show Contestants: Where
Are They Now? One of the ex-contestants is a bikini model,
so I found myself in a we're-not-in-Kansas-any-more moment
as we covered a big photo shoot she modeled at. It took
place on the grounds of a mansion in Beverly Hills which
used to be owned by Eddie Murphy, and is now owned by a
guy who publishes a girls-in-bikinis type magazine. (Denzel
Washington lives next door, and Sylvester Stallone lives
up the street.)
When we arrived, there were stern-looking security guys
standing around in black suits in the 100-degree sun. (They
looked like they were right out of a movie. They had the
little ear pieces, and were talking into their cufflinks.
I am not making this up.) They hauled bikini babes in and
out by the busload all afternoon. I don't know where all
the bikini babes came from; I guess they store 'em in a
warehouse in Burbank or something. Most of the girls were
gorgeous, but some of them had obviously received some technological
enhancements in the plastic surgery department.
The second story is when I was a camera operator on a Discovery Channel interview of Tom Cruise and Ed Zwick about The Last Samurai. This was my first time in the presence of a Big Star, and it was pretty much what I expected. Mr. Cruise was charming and nice, whereas his entourage of handlers was nervous and jumpy. They whisked him in then spent the duration of the interview fidgeting in the next room. Every microscopic detail was a BIG DEAL:
Nervous Entourage Person (into walkie-talkie): "No, he doesn't want the catered lunch, he wants an In-N-Out burger. No, get BOTH kinds of fries. He likes BOTH kinds. Is his eyebrow shiny again? VICKY!!! HIS EYEBROW IS SHINY!!! These lights are too hot. Can't the air conditioning go any higher? The picture looks crooked. Is the camera level? What was that noise!? . . . "
The instant the interview was over they whisked him away to his next appointment, and that was that.
Any other exciting news you’d like to report?
Here's one bit of news: I'm going to be on TV! Well, sort
of. I was an audience member on The Sharon Osborne Show.
I will be on TV for all of about 5 seconds, in the background,
about an inch tall on screen, from the neck down only. There
it is; my big Hollywood debut.
What are your currently reading?
Last month my brother sent me a book by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
I am looking forward to the smart and literate reputation
I will soon have among all my intellectual LA friends when
they see Dostoevsky casually lying on my coffee table.
Me: "I read Dostoyupski, you know. Would you like a deep-fried mozzarella stick?"
LA friend: "Uh, no. Do you have any organic tofu?"
Me: "I'm just out. How about some frozen custard? It's the same color as tofu."
LA friend: "Is it Bovine Growth Hormone free?"
Me: "No. In fact I think it has extra."
LA friend: "I just remembered I have to meet my agent. I'll call you next week or
something. I promise."
Me: "Do you want me to read you some Dostoepstein before you go?". . . But first I have to get a coffee table.
Overall, how happy are you with your decision to
move to Los Angeles?
Very happy. The weather is great! It seems like you can
make any lifestyle you want for yourself here, and it’s
easy to find other people with common interests. There are
definitely negatives, chief among them being traffic, smog,
and crime. If one can find a way to minimize exposure to
those things, life here can be very good. Did I mention
the weather is great?
If you’d like to contact Keith and ask him a
question or two, please email: Keith at KeithSikora.com.