Life in the Hollywood Lane

Career Advice? Uhhhhh, Not So Much

Now and then my alma mater sends an email asking if I’d like to give some career advice to a senior. About that…. I started out in English, which makes complete sense to anyone who knows me. After a part-time job in an ad agency, I switched to business with an emphasis in marketing. That kind of makes sense. Advertising was the start of my after-college work life, but it wasn’t really for me. Then followed sooooo many different jobs—working for a holding company, editing, marketing, editing, the financial industry (three times!), more editing, talent management, then more editing. I’ve even made a couple of documentaries, including one that won a very prestigious award. But in my heart I’m a writer. I’m grateful for all the jobs I’ve had and the long list of characters I’ve met over the years. All the people I’ve met at every workplace gave me such gifts. My favorite job outside of doing my own thing was being a talent manager in LA. I fell in love with my actors and gained tremendous respect for them plus appreciation for how tough the movie industry is. That was the impetus for this book. Here’s one of my favorite clips (I still talk in movie language a lot) about the many forms success can take: